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Baseball:
Linton's 10th-Inning Single Continues UC Irvine's Run in Omaha
June 19, 2007
OMAHA, Neb. --- Ollie Linton's one-out single to right field in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Matt Morris from third as fourth-ranked UC Irvine completed a late-game rally to defeat No. 3 Arizona State, 8-7, in an elimination game at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday night before 29,034 at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. That was the second-largest crowd in CWS history. The Anteaters became the first team in College World Series history to win consecutive extra-inning games. With the win, UCI (47-16-1) advances to play defending national-champion Oregon State Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. PDT (ESPN2 and KUCI/88.9 FM). The Anteaters must defeat the Beavers Wednesday and again Thursday to move into the championship bracket. Linton's RBI single capped a UCI comeback from a four-run deficit in the eighth inning. After the Sun Devils scored three runs in the top half of the eighth, the Anteaters responded with a four-spot to knot the game at 7-7. Consecutive walks to Dillon Bell, Zach Robinson and Taylor Holiday loaded the bases with no outs. Ben Orloff was hit on a 2-2 pitch bringing home Bell with the first run. Cody Cipriano then singled up the middle, scoring pinch-runner Luis Tovar and knocking reliever Jason Jarvis out of the game. Mike Leake, who pitched seven innings in ASU's 5-4 win over UCI Saturday, entered the game for the Sun Devils. Matt Morris hit a 2-1 pitch into right-center for a double that scored Holiday and Orloff to tie the game at 7-all while Cipriano was called out after rounding third on coach's interference. Bryan Petersen was intentionally walked and Sean Madigan grounded into an inning-ending double play. Sophomore Scott Gorgen, who pitched seven innings Saturday and took the loss against ASU, replaced Daniel Bibona on the mound for UCI in the top of the ninth. He notched a pair of strikeouts with a foul-out sandwiched around a walk to hold the Sun Devils scoreless. UCI got two-out singles from Tovar and Holiday in the bottom of the ninth before Orloff lined out to Leake. In the Arizona half of the 10th, Rocky Laguna was hit by a Gorgen pitch and Andrew Romine hit a one-out single to right. Pinch-hitter Raoul Torrez hit a slow grounder to short that loaded the bases. Gorgen then induced Brett Wallace to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the top half of the inning. Cipriano opened the bottom of the 10th with a fly-out to right, then Morris singled to right and stole second. Petersen was intentionally walked and Sean Madigan hit a hard liner to right that loaded the bases. Linton lined a sharp single to right on a 2-2 pitch bringing home Morris and ending the game that lasted 3:40. The Anteaters had won a 5-4 decision in a CWS-record 5:40 in 13 innings over Cal State Fullerton Monday. Petersen collected three singles in three official at-bats for UCI while Cipriano and Morris had two hits apiece. Cipriano's solo home run to right in the sixth inning was the 21st of his career to tie the UCI career record. Gorgen, who pitched the final two innings, picked up the win to improve to 13-3 on the season. Freshman Eric Pettis started the game for UCI and went six innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits while striking out two and walking three. Leake (13-2) took the loss for ASU as the Sun Devils end their season at 49-15 overall.
UCI, with its 47 wins on the season, is one victory shy of tying the all-time school record of 48 set by Coach Gary Adams' 1974 team that finished 48-8 in winning the program's second straight NCAA Division II title.
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