June 21, 2006

College World Series Capsules

College World Series Schedule and Recaps

UNC advances to first championship series

In Omaha, Neb., Jay Cox homered twice, drove in four, and made a running catch at the wall in the bottom of the ninth to propel North Carolina past Cal State Fullerton 6-5 Wednesday in the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium.

The Tar Heels (53-13) advance to the championship series for the first time in school history. The Titans end their season at 50-15.

Fullerton took the early lead as Evan McArthur and John Curtis had RBI singles in the bottom of the second for a 2-0 advantage.

UNC answered immediately in the top of the third. Speedy Mike Cavasinni reached on a slow bouncer that was mishandled by pitcher Wes Roemer (13-2) to start the inning. Josh Horton had an RBI single and Cox blasted a three-run shot to give the Heels the lead for good at 4-2.

The Titans got one back in the bottom of the third as Brent Pill got a leadoff double and came home on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Tripp to make it a one-run game.

Cox and Federowicz went deep on consecutive pitches in the top of the fifth to give UNC a 6-3 advantage. After closing Tuesday’s win against Clemson, Roemer did not make it out of the fifth against the Heels. He went 4.2 innings with 10 hits, six runs, five earned runs, one walk and four strikeouts.

The Titans made it tight in the bottom of the seventh. Pill again led off with a two-base hit and Danny Dorn followed with a single, putting runners on the corners. That ended the day for UNC starter Daniel Bard (9-3), who allowed 12 hits in six-plus innings with one walk and two strikeouts. Jonathan Hovis came on and got David Cooper to ground out to short, plating Pill with the fourth run for Fullerton. Pinch-hitter Cory Vanderhook hit a sacrifice fly that scored Dorn to make it a 6-5 contest.

Fullerton threatened in the bottom of the eighth. Curtis led off with a double and moved to third on a groundout to second by Justin Turner. UNC turned to closer Andrew Carignan, who fell behind 3-1 to Blake Davis. Davis laid down a squeeze bunt that Carignan fielded and threw to catcher Benji Johnson, who tagged out Curtis on a hard slide into home plate, keeping it a one-run contest.

The Titans had one last chance in the bottom of the ninth. Dorn hit a ball into shallow left center that Cavasinni caught on the run for the first out. Cooper crushed a ball to left the Cox pulled in just before running into the wall in left field for the second out. UNC ace Andrew Miller came in for his first relief appearance of the season. He enticed pinch-hitter Bryan Harris to ground out to short, giving Miller his first collegiate save and sending the Tar Heels into Saturday’s championship series opener against either Rice or Oregon State.