June 26, 2010

Game 14 Recap

College World Series Schedule and Game Stories

College World Series Capsules

 

College World Series - Game 14 Notes

By Phil Stanton

CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder

 

 

South Carolina will play for the national title for the fourth time, looking for its first crown. The Gamecocks were runner-up to Texas in 1975 and 2002 and to Arizona State in 1977.

 

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This will mark the third straight year in which an SEC team has played for the national championship. Georgia fell to Fresno State in 2008, while LSU topped Texas in 2009.

 

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This is the first time in 10 years that the SEC and Pac-10 have met for the title. In 2000, LSU defeated Stanford for the national crown.

 

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South Carolina and UCLA have met one time. The Bruins beat South Carolina 10-4 in 1972 in Riverside, Calif.

 

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South Carolina outfielder Whit Merrifield collided with second baseman Scott Wingo while both were chasing a pop fly in shallow right field. Merrifield was down for a while, bleeding from his nose and mouth. But he found a positive side to it.

 

“I went to slide in,” Merrifield said, “and the next thing I knew, my breath was gone. But I’m fine now, and after the game I got to talk to Erin Andrews and she called me pretty. So it wasn’t a total loss.”

 

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The Gamecocks have played in all three one-run games in this year’s College World Series and are 2-1 in those contests. South Carolina is 8-7 in one-run games. Six of their past seven games have been one-run affairs, going back to the super regionals, and the Gamecocks are 5-1 in those six games.

 

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Jackie Bradley Jr. extended his hit streak to 21 games. He is hitting .421 (8 for 19) in the CWS with nine runs and nine RBI. Bradley leads all players in runs and RBI.

 

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Whit Merrifield singled in the first, doubled in the third and hit his first triple in the fifth, coming a homer short of the cycle. The last player to hit for the cycle in the CWS was Jerry Kindall of Minnesota in 1956.

 

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Clemson finished in a tie for third at the College World Series, matching its best finish. The Tigers were also third in 1996 and 2002.

 

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Clemson has started 2-0 in Omaha in 2002 and 2010, but lost consecutive games to South Carolina both years to end its season.

 

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In four CWS games, the Tigers had 31 hits and 28 were singles.