2009 College World Series

[Hillbilly]

Arkansas gets the win over Cal State-Fullerton 10-5 in game 1. That's the first CWS win in 3 trips for Coach Dave Van Horn (former Brave farm hand.)

[absintheofmalaise]

Go Hogs!
Play tonight against LSU.

[Hillbilly]

Calling the Hogs at Rosenblatt. I love it! Sophomore 1st Baseman, Andy Wilkins is getting some well deserved attention (batting .593 with 4 homers, 5 other extra-base hits, and 17 RBIs in 6 NCAA tournament games.)

There's lots of smack talk going on down here around the Arkansas-Louisiana border. There are plenty of L-S-Who fans around here, so a win tonight would be extra-sweet.

[hoosjon]

How 'bout them 'Hoos knocking out CS Fullerton today? Lovin' my Cavaliers finally getting it done in the post-season the way they do during the regular season.

And they're young, y'all! Look out for 'em next year, too!

[Hillbilly]

Well, that was ugly. I finally just had to quit watching after LSU's third home run. They improved to 35-3 against right-handed starters on the season. Wow.

Arkansas vs. Virginia Wednesday for the right to face LSU again.

Arkansas will have freshman lefty Drew Smyly on the mound to start. Smyly lost a no-hitter with 1 out in the 9th in his last start (a win vs. Oklahoma.) Maybe he will carry that hot streak into the Virginia game.

[hoosjon]

I guess you and I will have to be enemies Wednesday evenin'.

[Hillbilly]

I guess you and I will have to be enemies Wednesday evenin'.


I suppose. For a few hours anyway. The Hogs have already exceeded expectations, so elimination wouldn't be totally devastating. We've had a good run.

[Hillbilly]

Best baseball game I've seen in a loooong time. Virginia's starting pitcher was awesome for 6+ innings, and an 8th inning Virginia home run added insurance that I thought would seal the deal. The Hogs were one strike away from elimination before a single and an absolute moon shot tied the game in the top of the 9th.

The Hogs brought in their ace starter for a Randy Johnson-style, all-or-nothing bullpen appearance to pitch the 9th. He worked out of a bases loaded, 3-0 count in the 9th to get a double play ball and send it to extra innings.

In the 10th, he struck out two in a row with the winning run on third to get out of another jam.

In the 11th, he got a groundout to second with the winning run on third to end another bases loaded threat.

A single, a stolen base, and an RBI double put the Hogs on top in the 12th. Virginia led off the bottom of the 12th with a double and a stolen base. A strikeout with the winning run again on 3rd ended the game.

My hats off to the Virginia Cavaliers. They played a hell of a ball game. They probably should have won it in the 10th, but a Freshman who was on base for the first time since April, failed to advance to 3rd on a swinging bunt. Then he hesitated on a base hit up the middle and had to hold up at third. It could have been a Sid Bream-type play, but it turned out to be more along the lines of Lonnie Smith.

We get LSU again on Friday. With a depleted pitching staff, it might be ugly for the Hogs.

[hoosjon]

Best baseball game I've seen in a loooong time. ...

We get LSU again on Friday. With a depleted pitching staff, it might be ugly for the Hogs.

Congrats, hillbilly, that game must've stopped my heart completely at least 3 different times. Y'all held us off again and again ... now just crack down on those Bayou Bengals!

But look out for us next year! We're a young team, with a taste of Omaha!

[IkeWagner]

The first of the three games between LSU and Texas was just awesome.