College World Series 2015: Latest Results and Updated Championship Predictions
TCU left its second-round matchup with Vanderbilt frustrated after its offense was completely shut down. The Horned Frogs will now get a chance to atone for their loss in the College World Series semifinal.
The national No. 7 seed defeated No. 2 LSU for the second time in Omaha on Thursday, using a rejuvenated lineup and top-notch relief pitching to earn an 8-4 victory. Trey Teakell pitched 4.1 innings of perfect baseball to pick up the win, coming in for the struggling Mitchell Traver in the fourth inning. Teakell forced meek at-bats that allowed his fielders to make plays, striking out only one batter but rarely getting hit hard.
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"I was able to really help my team in a big game," Teakell told reporters. "It's probably the biggest game we played all year. Every game right now is probably the most important game of the season. I was fortunate to have a good outing today."
Traver gave up three earned runs in 3.1 innings, helping LSU starter Zac Person avoid the loss. Person was shelled for three runs in the bottom of the second inning, ending his day after only 1.1 innings. The two teams appeared to be readying to trade blows, but Teakell came in at the perfect moment.
On the other side, LSU's bullpen couldn't get the job done. Austin Bain gave up three runs in his 1.1 innings of work to get the loss, dropping him to 2-3 on the season. Bain allowed Dane Steinhagen to knock through two runs on a single in the bottom of the fifth as part of a three-run inning that gave the Horned Frogs the lead for good.
Steinhagen finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs batted in, all coming on singles.
"Just felt confident," Steinhagen told reporters. "Before every at-bat coach 'Schloss' said to eliminate the curveball, and each time that's what I did. That let me get on time with the fastball, and I was ready for it every time."
The middle of the order came up huge for TCU on Thursday, as the No. 2 through No. 5 hitters ended up with at least one base hit each. Catcher Evan Skoug went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two batted in, hitting the only extra-base hit for the Frogs. The five hitters outside the middle of the order went a combined 2-for-16.
TCU moves on to a semifinals rematch with Vanderbilt. The Commodores earned a 1-0 victory in their first matchup in Omaha, as starter Philip Pfeifer shut down the Frogs offense in an epic pitchers' duel with Alex Young. Zander Wiel hit a solo home run in the seventh inning that broke up Young's no-hitter and ultimately proved to be the game-winner.
The challenge now will not be beating Vanderbilt once but doing so twice. The Commodores head into their matchup Saturday with what should be supreme confidence. They have two cracks at making the final and attempting to become the third back-to-back winner of the century (South Carolina and Oregon State).
The other semifinals series will get underway Friday when Florida attempts to atone for its 1-0 loss to Virginia. The Gators arrived in Omaha as the hottest team in college baseball and played the part in two games against Miami, outscoring the Hurricanes by 20 runs. Their bats failed in their lone matchup against the Cavaliers, however, putting them on the brink of elimination.
"I knew we were totally capable of doing this," Florida third baseman Josh Tobias told reporters. "I've seen these guys do that before."
Virginia will attempt to make its semifinal with Florida one-and-done by handing the ball to Nathan Kirby. The No. 40 pick in the 2015 MLB draft, Kirby went 5-2 with a 2.28 ERA but has been out since April 17 after suffering a strained lat. It's a massive spot for Kirby to make his return, and he'll be on a pitch count. That said, the Cavaliers have all the faith in the world their ace will be in top form.
"We know what Nathan’s capable of," catcher Matt Thaiss said, per Adam Ramspacher of Richmond.com. "He’s done it the past three years and we all have our faith and trust in him that he’s going to go out there and do what he’s been doing his whole career here."
If Kirby comes out with top-notch stuff, Florida's bats might get a little tight as memories of their first matchup creep in. Either way, it should be an interesting couple of days of baseball in Omaha as two teams attempt to get revenge for hard-fought losses.
Championship Prediction: Vanderbilt vs. Virginia
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