Cal State Fullerton came close, but Florida was the only team to qualify for the College World Series that begins Saturday in Omaha, Neb., by ousting error-plagued Miami, 4-3, in 10 innings to win the Gainesville Super Regional series, 2 games to 0. There were seven games scheduled Sunday, all of which could send the winners to Omaha to join Florida. Three of the Super Regional series were tied 1-1 — Cal State Fullerton vs. UCLA at Los Angeles, Vanderbilt and Florida State at Tallahassee, and Texas Christian and Texas at Austin. South Carolina, Virginia, Alabama and top-seeded Arizona State all had 1-0 leads in their respective series.
GAINESVILLE REGIONAL / McKethan Stadium at Perry Field
Saturday score: (3) Florida 4, Miami (Fla.) 3, 10 innings
Series status: (3) Florida wins 2-0
Summary: Freshman Austin Maddox drove in fellow freshman Nolan Fontana, who had reached second base on one of seven Miami errors, with an opposite-field, two-out double in the top of the 10th inning to send Florida to its first College World Series appearance since 2005 when the Gators finished runner-up to Texas.
In a pitching duel between Miami’s Chris Hernandez and Florida freshman right-hander Hudson Randall, the Gators (47-15) took a 2-0 lead on a pair of RBI by freshman Brian Johnson – a sacrifice fly in the fifth and a run-scoring single in the seventh.
Hudson, however, tired in the bottom of the seventh, allowing two aboard with two out. Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan went to his closer, Kevin Chapman, to face Nathan Melendres. On a 1-1 pitch, Melendres hit an opposite-field home run to give Miami a 3-2 lead.
Hernandez worked into the ninth inning but left after allowing a leadoff single by Preston Tucker and a walk to Matt den Dekker. Reliever Daniel Miranda (5-3) came in and induced a grounder by Mike Zunino, which was bobbled by third baseman Michael Broad to load the bases. After Johnson struck out and Miranda went 0-2 on Josh Adams, the Florida junior bounced a slow roller to short that Stephen Perez fielded cleanly but threw into the dirt, allowing Adams to reach safety and Tucker to score the tying run.
Greg Larson got his third save of the season in relief of freshman left-handed reliever Steven Rodriguez (2-0), striking out Broad and then getting Rony Rodriguez to ground out to shortstop Fontana.
LOS ANGELES SUPER REGIONAL / Jackie Robinson Stadium
Saturday score: (6) UCLA 11, Cal State Fullerton 7, 10 innings
Series status: Tied 1-1
Summary: Cal State Fullerton was one out from a trip to Omaha Saturday, but Tyler Rahmatulla cancelled that ticket with his 2-run homer in the top of the ninth that gave the Bruins a temporary 7-6 lead in the game. The Titans tied it in the bottom of the inning, but the Bruins won it with four runs in the 10th.
Rahmatulla’s home run was one of four hit by the sixth-seeded Bruins (47-14). Cody Regis hit a pair and Justin Uribe added one. For Cal State Fullerton, catcher Billy Marcoe had three hits while teammates Richie Pedroza and Billy Siddons had two each.
In the 10th inning, UCLA took advantage of two walks and a dropped fly ball to score its four runs. The key hit in the inning was a two-run single by pinch-hitter Trevor Brown.
The Big West champion Titans (46-17) are seeking their eighth trip to Omaha in the 12 seasons since the Super Regional phase was instituted. UCLA, seeking its third all-time trip to the College World Series, is 25-60-1 against Cal State Fullerton and 3-7 in NCAA tournament play.
Sunday schedule: 10 p.m. (ESPN2)
TALLAHASSEE (FLA.) SUPER REGIONAL / Dick Howser Stadium
Saturday score: Vanderbilt 6, Florida State 2
Series status: Tied 1-1
Summary: Three errors – two on the first two batters that led to two first-inning Vanderbilt runs – prevented the Seminoles (46-18) from extending their seven-game winning streak and earning their 20th trip to the College World Series.
Sonny Gray (10-5) earned the victory for the Commodores (46-19), throwing 107 pitches in the heat before departing after six solid innings, surrendering two runs on seven hits. Then 6-foot-5 Grayson Garvin pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just three harmless singles and striking out three.
Curt Casali went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for Vanderbilt, while Mike Yastrzemski was 2-for-3 and Jason Esposito hit his 12th home run of the season. James Ramsey and Stephen Cardullo had a pair of hits to lead the 10-hit attack for Florida State, which also got a solo home run from Jayce Boyd.
Sunday schedule: 1 p.m. (ESPN)
AUSTIN (TEXAS) SUPER REGIONAL / UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Saturday score: (2) Texas 14, Texas Christian 1
Series status: Tied 1-1
Summary: Taylor Jungmann went 8.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits, as second-seeded Texas evened its series with Texas Christian. Jungmann, who had nine strikeouts, improved his season record to 8-3 and lowered his ERA to 2.03.
The Longhorns (50-12) took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning, two of them coming home when TCU third baseman Jantzen Witte’s throwing error allowed both Brandon Loy and Tant Shepherd to score.
Texas put the game away with seven runs in the fifth inning. Cohl Walla’s bases-loaded triple to left center gave the Longhorns a 9-0 lead and Shepherd finished the inning with a two-run home run that made it 12-0.
Starter Steve Maxwell (11-2, 2.41 ERA) pitched 3.2 innings for TCU (50-12), allowing four hits and five unearned runs. He walked three and struck out two.
Sunday schedule: 4 p.m. (ESPNHD)
MYRTLE BEACH (S.C.) SUPER REGIONAL / BB&T Coastal Field
Saturday score: South Carolina 4, (4) Coastal Carolina 3
Series status: South Carolina leads 1-0
Summary: Blake Cooper (12-1) allowed six hits in seven innings while holding the Chanticleers to their fewest runs since April 27 with help from his defense and the bullpen.
The Gamecocks (47-15) scored three runs in the top of the first inning, two of the runs scoring on Christian Walker’s single. South Carolina made it 4-0 in the top of the second when a bases-loaded walk to Jackie Bradley Jr. plated Bobby Haney.
Daniel Bowman’s 2-run home run in the bottom of the second for Coastal Carolina (55-9) cut the South Carolina lead in half. Three straight singles by the Chanticleers, the last by Chance Gilmore, made it 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth.
Coastal Carolina got the bases loaded in the eighth with no outs, but closer Matt Price came in and struck out Gilmore and Taylor Motter and got Bowman on a groundball back to the mound. The Chanticleers got two runners on in the ninth, but Price got to fly outs and one strikeout to earn his ninth save.
Schedule: 1 p.m. (ESPN)
CHARLOTTESVILLE (VA.) SUPER REGIONAL / Davenport Field
Saturday score: (5) Virginia 3, Oklahoma 2
Series status: (5) Virginia leads 1-0
Summary: Danny Hultzen (11-1) allowed six hits in a 130-pitch, eight-inning effort and got new life after Dan Grovatt hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the sixth inning for Virginia.
The Cavaliers (51-12) overcame defensive mistakes, but the Sooners couldn’t overcome the ones made by Oklahoma pitcher Michael Rocha (7-2) to Grovatt and leadoff batter Phil Gosselin, who started Virginia’s first inning with a home run. Rocha went 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out six.
After the Grovatt home run, Hultzen set down the next six Sooners hitters in order and left national saves leader Kevin Arico to finish off the victory with his 18th save.
The Sooners (47-16), who had won 11 of their last 12 games coming into the game, scored in the fifth and sixth innings, each time with the help of the Cavaliers’ poor defense. But they hurt themselves by striking out 11 times, including the last two outs of the game.
Sunday schedule: 4 p.m. (ESPN)
CLEMSON (S.C) SUPER REGIONAL / Doug Kingsmore Stadium
Saturday score: Alabama 5, Clemson 4
Series status: Alabama leads 1-0
Summary: Jake Smith’s long home run got Alabama (42-23) the lead in the second inning and he saved the victory for the Crimson Tide by getting the final six outs for his sixth save.
After the Tigers (41-23) had cut a 5-0 deficit to one run, Smith moved over from third base and saved the day, getting out of the eighth inning with a double play and then throwing a 1-2-3 ninth, the first two on strikeouts.
Jimmy Nelson (8-3) pitched 6.2 innings for the victory. Nelson gave up nine hits and five walks, but managed to keep the early lead. He escaped the fifth with a double play with the bases loaded.
Alabama played error-free for the fourth straight game and won for the 13th time in 15 games. Clemson starter Casey Harman (7-3) took the loss despite allowing only one earned run while striking out nine without a walk. Alabama took advantage of two Clemson errors in the third to score four unearned runs with two outs.
Sunday schedule: 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
TEMPE (ARIZ.) SUPER REGIONAL / Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark
Saturday score: (1) Arizona State 7, Arkansas 6 (12 innings)
Series status: (1) Arizona State leads 1-0
Summary: Deven Marrero’s one-out RBI single in the 12th inning drove in Kole Calhoun with the winning run for the top-seeded Sun Devils (51-8). Calhoun had started the inning with his fifth walk of the game and reliever Brett Eibner then hit Riccio Torrez with a pitch. Marrero delivered the game-winner by jumping on the first pitch.
Mitchell Lambson (8-2) struck out seven in five innings of one-hit relief for Arizona State.
Arizona State took a 3-0 lead early on an RBI single by Raoul Torrez in the second inning and Marrero’s two-run single in the third. But Arkansas (43-20) tied the game with three runs in the top of the fourth inning off starter Seth Blair, took a 5-4 lead in the top of the fifth and made it 6-4 with Matt Vinson’s leadoff homer off reliever Brady Rodgers in the sixth.
Calhoun got one run back with his 17th home run in the bottom of the sixth, and the Sun Devils tied the game in the ninth when Andrew Aplin singled, took second on a sacrifice bunt, third on a groundout and scored on Zack MacPhee’s two-out infield hit.
Sunday schedule: 10 p.m. (ESPN2)