The action started early on Day 5 of the Men’s College World Series. Following Monday’s suspension due to bad weather, LSU defeated UCLA in a game that was supposed to finish on Day 4.
The loss pushed UCLA into a loser’s bracket matchup with Arkansas in the nightcap, which ultimately eliminated the Bruins.
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In between those two contests, Louisville outlasted Oregon State 7-6 in a thrilling elimination game that featured four home runs and an epic ninth inning.
Arkansas 7, UCLA 3
UCLA loaded the bases in the first inning Tuesday night, getting off to what looked like a fast start against Arkansas in an elimination game.
But it was the Razorbacks who prevailed by extinguishing the hot Bruins start, then launching an offensive outburst of their own in the bottom of the first en route to a 7-3 win.
With the victory, Arkansas advances to face LSU on Wednesday in another elimination game for the Razorbacks. UCLA’s season is over.
Attempted steal of home backfires
UCLA outfielder Dean West led off the game with an infield single, then reached second on a single by All-American and top MLB draft prospect Roch Cholowsky. Roman Martin walked two batters later to load the bases with one out.
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But Arkansas starter Zach Root induced a lineout for the second out of the inning that didn’t advance a runner. Then a big gamble by the Bruins backfired.
With the bases loaded and two outs, West tried to steal home. He didn’t make it. Catcher Ryder Helfrick secured the pitch from Root, then applied the tag to West’s arm just before he touched home plate.
A review by the umpires was of no help to UCLA. They upheld the call at home, and the UCLA half of the inning was over with no runs.
When Arkansas faced a scoring chance in the bottom of the inning, it took advantage, thanks to a home run by All-American and first-round MLB draft prospect Wehiwa Aloy.
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Oufielder Charles Davalan led off the bottom of the inning with a single to left field. Five pitches later, Aloy sent him home. With a 2-2 count, Bruins starter Cody Delvecchio offered a 94 mph fastball on the outside edge of the plate. Aloy sent it deep to right field and over the bullpen wall for a two-run home run.
The blast gave the Razorbacks a 2-0 lead after one inning. Arkansas added another run in the fifth and two more each in the seventh and eighth before UCLA finally cracked the scoreboard with three runs in the top of the ninth. It was far too little, too late.
Root pitched five shutout innings as the Arkansas offense piled on, and reliever Will McEntire survived a shaky ninth inning.
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Arkansas will play again in prime time on Wednesday in a 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) matchup against LSU. LSU can advance to the CWS finals with a win. An Arkansas win would force a rematch on Thursday for the right to go to the championship series.
— Jason Owens
Louisville 7, Oregon State 6
Louisville flipped the script on Oregon State on Tuesday.
Four days after the Cardinals watched the Beavers render a ninth-inning comeback obsolete with a walk-off win, Louisville gave Oregon State a taste of its own medicine in a memorable rematch.
Oregon State came back from three runs down to tie the game 6-6 in the top of the ninth, only for Louisville right fielder Eddie King Jr. to hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the frame.
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“This team is special,” King said afterward, via the ESPN broadcast. “We get knocked down, but we get right back up. We just got to keep continuing to do that.”
King batted in the game’s final run as well as its first.
While both starting pitchers worked through trouble early, Oregon State junior Nelson Keljo was the first to crack. After an infield single and a walk, Keljo allowed an RBI single to King, who staked Louisville a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Cardinals nearly gave it back immediately. Louisville starter Brennyn Cutts struck out the side in the first, but the senior dealt with some traffic in the second and third innings before escaping unscathed.
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Louisville gave him more run support in the bottom of the third. With a man on second, third baseman Jake Munroe hit a two-run homer to left field to extend Louisville’s lead to 3-0.
King followed with a ground-rule double off Keljo. With Louisville threatening to break the game open, first baseman Tague Davis hit a line drive to right field — but directly at Oregon State right fielder Easton Talt, who made the out and ended the inning.
Oregon State answered with a no-doubter of its own. After Cutts walked designated hitter Tyce Peterson, he was chased by first baseman Jacob Krieg. The 6-foot-5 junior hammered the first 400-foot dinger of the MCWS, depositing a long ball — his 14th of the season — well over the left-field fence and cutting the Beavers’ deficit to 3-2.
The home run derby continued in the bottom of the fourth when Zion Rose ripped a solo shot to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.
Left-handed Cardinals pitcher Justin West, who replaced Cutts in the fourth, put out six straight Oregon State batters across the fourth and fifth innings, but that streak came to an end in the top of the sixth. After issuing a walk, West saw a perfectly placed bunt from Peterson bounce past his reach. Then he drilled Krieg in the leg.
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All of a sudden, Oregon State had the bases loaded with no outs. Although West fanned pinch hitter Carson McEntire, Louisville couldn’t turn two on the ensuing grounder from center fielder Canon Reeder. In the process, second baseman AJ Singer raced home to make it a 4-3 game. A flyout from third baseman Trent Caraway then ended the threat.
In the bottom of the inning, Garret Pike pinch hit for Bayram Hot at designated hitter and delivered a two-out double to left-center. He later scored on an error to send Louisville into the seventh inning with a 5-3 lead.
After Oregon State missed an opportunity to chip away at its deficit in the top of the seventh, Louisville restored its three-run advantage with the first of King’s two sac flies in the bottom of the frame.
Oregon State found itself back in a three-run hole entering the ninth inning. That’s when shortstop and highly regarded MLB prospect Aiva Arquette injected some hope into the veins of Beavers faithful with a lead-off home run, this one a 418-foot bomb.
It was only the third homer given up by Louisville lefty Wyatt Danilowicz this season. Right-handed pitcher Tucker Biven came in to relieve him shortly thereafter and immediately allowed a four-pitch walk. Singer loaded the bases with a single to right.
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The Beavers, who had struggled mightily with runners in scoring position to this point of the MCWS, finally came through with their backs against the wall — with the help of the ball bouncing their way.
Peterson’s grounder arrived at shortstop the same time catcher Wilson Weber was crossing the line of sight of the normally sure-handed Alex Alicea. Alicea failed to field the ball, and Weber and Turley scored to tie the game 6-6.
Alicea instantly got some redemption, leading off the bottom of the ninth with a walk. Louisville center fielder Lucas Moore then reached first because of catcher’s interference. Klein laid down a sacrifice bunt, except it didn’t turn out to be sacrificial, as Oregon State pitcher Kellan Oakes couldn’t field it properly.
Two batters later, King dialed up his clutch fly ball to center field. It was plenty deep enough to score Alicea as soon as he tagged.
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Louisville, which also stayed alive with a late surge against Arizona on Sunday, will next play Coastal Carolina at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Oregon State is eliminated.
— Andy Backstrom
Jell-O shot challenge update
LSU continues to dominate the competition. After advancing Tuesday, its team’s lead in the Jell-O shot challenge is not in question. Whether LSU can break the all-time Jell-O shot record, however, seems like a tall ask. The school is currently lagging behind record pace, but perhaps fans will be inspired after Tuesday’s victory.
No other school has come close to matching LSU this year. Murray State sits in second with 7,421 Jell-O shots consumed. Arkansas — which is still alive as of Tuesday morning — sits at 6,801.
LSU holds the record with 68,888 Jell-O shots consumed in 2023. Fans would really need to up their consumption to beat that record, but the school could rally as long as the team keeps winning.
