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College World Series 2019: Michigan, FSU Wins Highlight Saturday's Results
June 15, 2019
The opening round of the 2019 College World Series kicked off Saturday with two games at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.
It's a double-elimination tournament with two distinct halves of the bracket. The winner of the top half (Arkansas, Florida State, Michigan or Texas Tech) will take on the winner of the bottom half (Auburn, Louisville, Mississippi State or Vanderbilt) in a three-game championship series.
Let's check out the complete set of scores from Saturday's play, which will be updated after the nightcap. That's followed by a look at the bracket and a recap of the action.
Saturday (June 15) Results
Game 1: Michigan 5, Texas Tech 3
Game 2: Florida State 1, Arkansas 0
Sunday (June 16) Schedule
Game 3: Vanderbilt vs. Louisville (2 p.m. ET)
Game 4: Mississippi State vs. Auburn (7:30 p.m. ET)
Tournament Bracket
Michigan Wolverines 5, Texas Tech Red Raiders 3
Michigan built a 4-0 lead and held on despite some ninth-inning drama to keep its magical run toward a College World Series title trending in the right direction.
The Wolverines started the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the four-team Corvallis Regional. They survived that double-elimination bracket and then upset host UCLA in the Los Angeles Super Regional to punch their ticket to Omaha.
First baseman Jimmy Kerr delivered the game's key hit with a two-run triple in the third inning. Right fielder Jordan Brewer and third baseman Blake Nelson also drove in runs for Michigan.
The pitching staff took care of the rest. Starter Karl Kauffmann allowed three earned runs on eight hits and no walks across seven innings with three strikeouts. Reliever Jeff Criswell, who only made one bullpen appearance all season, delivered two scoreless frames to pick up the save.
Texas Tech second baseman Brian Klein hit the game's only home run with a two-run shot in the third inning. Third baseman Dru Baker added an RBI in the sixth, but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback.
The Red Raiders now head for an elimination game Monday afternoon.
Florida State 1, Arkansas 0
A sacrifice fly by second baseman Nander De Sedas in the top of the ninth helped Florida State pull out a 1-0 victory over Arkansas in a pitchers' duel in the nightcap in Omaha
It was a tough day at the plate for the hitters, as both Razorbacks right-hander Isaiah Campbell and Seminoles southpaw Drew Parrish were on top of their respective games.
Campbell set the tone early, with five of his first seven outs coming via strikeouts. The redshirt junior wound up striking out 10 batters on the night, marking the fifth time this season that he reached double digits.
Campbell never allowed Florida State to seriously threaten during his seven innings of work. While the Seminoles had a pair of innings with multiple baserunners, Campbell never allowed a runner to reach third.
Meanwhile, Parrish was matching him pitch for pitch. The junior threw eight innings of shutout baseball, striking out nine. Unlike Campbell, though, he had to wiggle off the hook on a few occasions.
Parrish got some help from De Sedas in the bottom of the third, as an inning-ending double play helped him escape a two-on, one-out jam:
In the bottom of the eighth, Parrish took care of business on his own by striking out a pair of Razorbacks hitters with a runner on third.
Ultimately, a tough-luck Arkansas bullpen couldn't keep the shutout intact, and it proved costly. Flowers—who scored the game-winning run in the top of the frame—threw a perfect ninth to close out the victory to record his 13th save of the season.
Florida State advances to play Michigan in the winner's bracket Monday, while Arkansas will face Texas Tech in a win-or-go-home game.