NCAA Baseball Tournament: Rice defeats Louisville in College World Series

CUSA Fans sports writer Thomas "Bubba" Rosenbaum brings us a recap of the College World Series match-up of the Rice Owls and Louisville Cardinals.

Throughout its march to Rosenblatt Stadium, Louisville utilized an aggressive approach at the plate and on the basepaths. UL center fielder Boomer Whiting assured reporters that this would continue, as he said the Cardinals had not “walked to Omaha”. Whiting could not have been anymore serious, as the sluggers from Louisville banged out 10 runs on 15 hits—including three home runs. However, in the end, the Cardinals’ talented pitching staff’s inability to shut down a potent Rice attack and a shaky defensive effort that featured four costly errors placed Louisville on the short end of a 15-10 shootout against the nation’s number two national seed.

With the win, Rice improved to 55-12 and has now won 36 of its last 38 contests. Louisville fell to 46-23 with the loss.

Appearing in its first College World Series, Louisville wasted no time in pushing across its first run. The Cardinals’ leadoff batter Boomer Whiting took the first pitch of the game in the arm and was awarded first base despite the fact that his arm was hanging out over the plate. After getting Logan Johnson to line out to right field, Rice starter Ryan Berry plunked Daniel Burton. Berry proceeded to strikeout UL clean-up hitter Isaiah Howes, but Jorge Castillo sent Berry’s first offering back up the middle for a two-out RBI single that gave UL an early 1-0 advantage.

Rice’s Brian Friday led off the bottom of the inning with a double down the left field line, but was stranded at second after Louisville’s Zach Pitts retired the next three guys in order—the last two via strikeouts.

UL extended its lead to 2-0 in the top of the second. Right fielder Pete Rodriguez, who went 7-of-13 in last weekend’s Super Regional, stayed hot and led off the inning with a single to left field. Derrick Alfonso’s sacrifice bunt moved Rodriguez into scoring position and he would advance to third on a wild pitch by Berry. Shortstop Chris Cates would plate Rodriguez with his groundout to shortstop.

The Owls left another runner in scoring position in the bottom of the frame. They had runners on first and second after a two-out single by Jess Buenger, but Pitts was able to get Jordan Dodson to pop up to shortstop to end the inning.

After scoring runs in each of the first two innings, Louisville delivered the knockout blow to Rice star freshman Ryan Berry in the top of the third. With two runners on and only one down, power-hitting third baseman Chris Dominguez ripped his 13 th home run of the season into the left field bleachers and suddenly the Cards were up 5-0. Berry did respond to strikeout Pete Rodriguez, but he was pulled after allowing a two-out double to Derrick Alfonso. Matt Langwell came in and got his team out of the jam when center fielder Tyler Henley retreated to make an excellent diving catch on a line drive by the Cardinals’ Chris Cates.

Rice bounced back with a big inning of its own. However, the Owls were forced to do the damage with two outs after speedy Louisville center fielder robbed Joe Savery of an extra base hit when he made an terrific catch while slamming into the right center field wall before tumbling to the warning track. Danny Lehmann drove in the Owls’ first run of the game when he singled to center to score Jared Gayhart. Freshman Diego Seastrunk followed with a seeing-eye single through the right side to plate Tyler Henley. Aaron Luna and Jess Buenger added run-scoring singles of their own to pull Rice within 5-4 through three.

UL, which scored runs in each of the first five innings, scored a single run in the fourth when Logan Johnson ripped a 2-1 offering by Matt Langwell into the right field bleachers to make it 6-4.

The Owls’ deficit grew to six in the fifth, as the Cardinals continued to jump all over Rice pitching. Matt Langwell retired leadoff man Pete Rodriguez, but surrendered three consecutive hits—the last of which was a 2-run single by Boomer Whiting. Trailing 8-4, Wayne Graham opted to bring in Scott Lonergan. However, Lonergan was greeted by Logan Johnson, who hit his second home run in as many innings—pushing the lead to 10-4 through 4½.

Rice began to chip away in the bottom of the inning. After Danny Lehmann and Diego Seastrunk produced one-out singles to left, Aaron Luna reached on an error by shortstop Chris Cates and Lehmann scored on the play. After Cates booted the ball, it caromed into shallow center field, allowing Seastrunk to move to third and Luna to second. Jess Beunger’s sacrifice fly allowed Seastrunk to score while Luna was plated on Dodson’s double to left center. Dodson’s run-scoring two-bagger not only made the game 10-7, but it knocked UL starter Zach Pitts out of the contest.

In the sixth, Lonergan settled down and put up the Owls’ first goose egg of the game. Rice got within two in the bottom of the inning when All-American Joe Savery blasted a solo shot to right center.

The Owls built on the momentum in the seventh, as Lonergan sat Louisville down 1-2-3. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Aaron Luna launched Gavin Logsdon’s final pitch of the game deep into the left field seats—pulling Rice within one at 10-9. UL head coach Dan McDonnell replaced Logsdon with Kyle Hollander, who proceeded to get the Cardinals out of the frame with the lead.

Wayne Graham brought in stud southpaw middle reliever/closer Bobby Bramhall to begin the eighth. Bramhall got the job done, but was forced to pitch himself out of a self-inflicted one-out jam. He walked the leadoff man on a full count. After getting clean-up man Isaiah Howes to ground into a fielder’s choice, Jorge Castillo doubled to right center and the Cardinals had runners on second and third with only one out. Seeking to bring the double play into effect, the Owls elected to intentionally walk Chris Dominguez to load the bases. Bramhall proceeded to strike out Rodriguez on a full count before getting Derrick Alfonso to line out to left field to escape the inning unscathed.

Sensing a rally brewing, UL head coach Dan McDonnell turned to his outstanding closer Trystan Magnuson. Magnuson, a 6’7” right-hander who throws in the mid-90’s, entered the game with nine saves and had limited opponents to a .182 mark at the plate. Pinch-hitter Chad Lembeck led off with a single to right center. Tyler Henley followed with a bunt single that hugged the foul line. Thinking it may go foul, Louisville third baseman Chris Dominguez let the ball roll before deciding to attempt to get the out at first. By that point, it was too late and the tying run was in scoring position with no outs. The Owls’ Joe Savery would deliver again, singling home Lembeck to knot the game at 10. Next, Danny Lehmann rocketed a double into the left center gap that scored Henley to give Rice an 11-10 advantage. It would continue to build to its advantage, as they plated four more runs in the inning—which included a SAC fly by Jess Buenger and a two-run double by Jordan Dodson.

Bramhall—who improved to 7-2 with the win—did issue a one-out walk in the ninth, but UL could not mount a rally against the Owls’ star reliever.

Eight of the Owls’ nine starters concluded the game with at least two hits. Danny Lehmann led the way with his 3-of-4, 2-RBI effort.

Louisville ’s line-up featured five guys with multi-hit games. Second baseman Logan Johnson finished the game 2-of-6 with two home runs and three RBIs. Designated hitter Jorge Castillo was 3-of-4 with a double and a RBI.

Rice advances to the winner’s bracket game at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Owls will face the winner of the North Carolina-Mississippi State contest in that game. Louisville will play the loser of the UNC-MSU game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Rice rallies from six-run deficit for 15-10 CWS opening win over Louisville

Owls and Cards combine for 25 runs and 34 hits in shootout