Oregon State coach Pat Casey along with players Cadyn Grenier, Trevor Larnach and Adley Rutschman recap Wednesday night’s 5-3 win over Arkansas.
Pictures from Arkansas’ 5-3 loss to Oregon State
The best in pictures from Arkansas’ loss to Oregon State on Wednesday night in the second game of the College World Series finals in Omaha.
Oregon State rallies late to down Hogs, force third game
OMAHA, Neb. — Senior Luke Bonfield and Carson Shaddy each had two hits and an RBI Wednesday night for Arkansas, but Oregon State rallied in the ninth inning for a 5-3 win to force a decisive game three in the 2018 College World Series.
Thursday’s series finale is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch and will be televised on ESPN2.
Back and Forth
Oregon State scored runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 2-1 lead but the Razorbacks answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim their advantage.
After being held without a hit since the second, Arkansas put together three-straight hits including an RBI single by Bonfield that brought freshman Casey Martin around from second to even the game.
Freshman Heston Kjerstad scored the go-ahead run on Shaddy’s RBI single to cap the rally.
The Razorbacks held on to the 3-2 lead until Oregon State put together its three-run ninth.
After giving up a walk to the lead off in the top of the ninth, sophomore Matt Cronin retired the next two hitters but the Beavers had the tying run on third base.
Oregon State went on to tie the game with a base hit through the left side and took the final lead with a two-run shot to right.
The Hitting
Shaddy turned in his 18th multi-hit performance of the season while Bonfield tallied his 13th multi-hit outing. Shaddy’s single in the fifth inning was Arkansas’ first two-strike hit during the College World Series.
The Pitching
Oregon State had just taken a 2-1 lead and the bases loaded with one out when freshman Kole Ramage entered to face the three and four spots in the Beavers’ lineup.
The righty pitched Arkansas out of the jam with a strikeout and ground ball to Jared Gates at first base. With runners on the corners and no outs in the sixth, Ramage got out of the jam unscathed with the help of a double play that he started by gloving a popped up bunt.
Junior Kacey Murphy got the start and was solid through 4.1 innings before being lifted with runners on first and second in the top of the fifth.
The Rogers native allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four Oregon State hitters without issuing a walk.
Game Note
Wednesday’s game was played in front of 25,580 which pushed the overall attendance over 300,000 for the 13th-consecutive year in Omaha.
College World Series Finals | CWS Bracket
Series tied 1-1
Tuesday, June 26
Game 1: No. 5 Arkansas 4, No. 3 Oregon State 1
Wednesday, June 27
Game 2: No. 3 Oregon State 5, No. 5 Arkansas 3
Thursday, June 28
Game 3: No. 5 Arkansas vs No. 3 Oregon State – 5:30 p.m. [ESPN2]
Immediate reaction on social media after Hogs’ loss
It didn’t take long for folks to start weighing in on social media after Oregon State’s comeback in the ninth inning crushed Arkansas fans.
Kirk Herbstreit on Twitter
How good is College Baseball? https://t.co/V09QXAjis4
https://twitter.com/ColemanESPN/status/1012183935319773184
Rawleigh III 22 on Twitter
Relax. Them boys gone be ready game 3! ????????????
Hjalte Froholdt on Twitter
Where’s the positivity and support that has carried us all year? Time to rally and go take this natty home! #omahogs #WPS
Cheyenne OGrady on Twitter
Man…. great game Hogs. I’m not a baseball fan by any means, but you guys are definitely giving me second thoughts! Let’s bring it home next game boys ! ✊????
Omahawgs going 4 the Natty on Twitter
DVH tried to stretch his work horse. Cronin is now not available for game 3. Another note: Cronin never pitches back to back days. But all that being said…We were one strike away from it. Now the bats have to find some life. Beavers offense is too good.
Blake Eddins on Twitter
Leaders on the team have to raise hell in the locker room and at the hotel get everybody ready to come out fired up & swinging tomorrow. That was brutal. But it’s not over.
Travis Haney on Twitter
People at home are (rightly) obesssing about the non-play that continued the game. ESPN makes minimal (no?) mention of it on postgame wrap. All about Beavs resilience. How is the disconnect that wide between viewers and game coverage?
Dusty Hannahs on Twitter
We’ll catch y’all tomorrow baby #wps #AllTheMarbles
Tommy Craft on Twitter
Sickening
Khalil Garland on Twitter
my nerves for Game 3 tomorrow. idk if i’m gone be able to handle it
NCAA Baseball on Twitter
AN INSTANT CLASSIC. Down to its final out… @BeaverBaseball forces Game Three in the #CWS Finals with an incredible rally, topping Arkansas 5-3! #CWS
John Nabors ???????? on Twitter
Final out of the CWS live from JJs on Dickson. https://t.co/HUJgdC0jtc
John Nabors ???????? on Twitter
There are no words. None.
Barrett Sallee on Twitter
Current Arkansas status. #CWS https://t.co/rBFMhXtqPg
A season with strange start could end with biggest prize
In retrospect, we probably should have known Arkansas’ baseball season was going to be special back in the opener against Bucknell on February 16.
Shortstop Jax Biggers, the first batter of the season, got on base with a bunt single.
Yes, a bunt single kicked off the season. Nobody can remember that happening before.
Now, in Omaha, the Razorbacks could end the season with something they’ve never had — a national championship.
Considering the start, well, this really shouldn’t be surprising. Even the weather issues in Omaha the last couple of weeks can’t be that surprising. As Dave Van Horn has mentioned on a couple of occasions, this team has had weather issues all year.
This team has played in 60-degree weather one day, then in the 30’s the next day. Some games were colder than that.
As good as the Hogs were in Baum Stadium this year, they struggled just as much on the road. They were even swept in a road series against Mississippi State.
To be honest, this team has played better when folks were ready to throw up their hands during the season … and, yes, there were a few of those situations. Even after their three losses at home, the team always bounced back.
Van Horn knows it and he’s hoping to use that for tonight’s game.
“I just want them to come out tomorrow with the attitude that tomorrow is do or die,” he said after Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over Oregon State in the first game of the finals. “I think we play a little better that way.”
Winning that game one was strange all by itself. The Hogs had a big fifth inning that resembled several this year.
The opponent’s pitching gave Arkansas free passes via walks or hitting batters. At the plate, the Razorbacks were working the count deep. Then the other team screws something up in the field and the track meet is on.
We’ve seen that play out time and again this year.
“We put together one good inning, and they walked a couple people and got a couple of hits, hit a batter or two, and we felt like we left a couple runs out there, but it ended up holding up,” was how Van Horn summarized in his opening postgame remarks.
For a finals series that was supposed to feature a lot of hitting, the first game was the direct opposite. There wasn’t a single home run in the entire game.
That means tonight could be interesting for Hog fans. This team’s bats haven’t remained silent two games in a row very often.
If it does turn into one of those hitting festivals, Razorback fans could be celebrating late into the night with their first national championship in a major sport since 1994.
A championship season that started with a bunt.
Van Horn, players talk about first game victory
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn was joined by Heston Kjerstad, Blaine Knight and Grant Koch after Tuesday night’s win over Oregon State to put the Hogs one win away from a title.
Oregon State coaches, players recapping loss
Beavers coach Pat Casey was joined by players Christian Chamberlain and Trevor Larnach to talk about the 4-1 loss to Arkansas in the first game of the CWS finals.
Razorbacks’ win over Oregon State in pictures
Free watch party at Baum Stadium on Wednesday night
Baum Stadium will host a free watch party Wednesday night for Game 2 of the College World Series finals as the Razorbacks take on Oregon State at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
Fans will enter through Gate B (on the third base side) at Baum Stadium beginning at 5 p.m. Seating throughout the stadium will be first-come, first-serve and parking will be free.
The Hog Pen will be closed for the event. Light concessions will be available via cash only, but fans will be allowed to bring in food and beverages but no coolers or alcohol will be allowed inside the stadium.
