WOW! Just WOW! That's probably what many people were saying, including myself, following game 1 of the College World Series. Texas and LSU took the field Monday night in Omaha, Nebraska, at Rosenblatt Stadium while temperatures sat at 94-96 degrees, with heat indexes climbing to 104 degrees on the field. Both teams took infield and batting practice Monday afternoon in preparation for the 1st pitch Monday night.
Texas sent their ace, Chance Ruffin, to the hill and as expected LSU jumped out on top. After retiring the 1st hitter of the game, LSU's top home run hitter, Ryan Schimpf sent one about 15-20 rows deep into right field, and gave LSU a quick 1-0 lead. When LSU sent out their ace Louis Coleman to the hill, everyone expected a great pitchers' duel. That's what the fans would get for the first 3 1/2 innings, as LSU led 1-0, when Texas came to the dish in the bottom of the 4th. Texas, who's well known for their small ball and sacrifice bunts, seemed to have a different approach early, as they were just missing some of Coleman's pitches. Texas coach Augie Garrido, gathered his team before the inning and said "Guys, your just missing Coleman's pitches! Be patient, and they will fall." That's exactly what happened, as the inning started. Travis Tucker led off the inning with a deep blast to left and the game was quickly tied at 1 apiece. That wouldn't be the end of the inning for Texas though. Following a Brandon Belt ground-out, Russell Moldenhauer stepped into the plate. Moldenhauer who had hit no home runs during the regular season had hit one during the CWS, and was looking to do more damage. Damage is exactly what he did as he took the Louis Coleman offering deep to center field and and about 20 feet up, off the batters' eye, giving Texas a 2-1 lead, but they weren't done yet. Two hitters later, Kevin Keyes, crushed a pitch into left center field, and extended Texas' lead to 3-1.
All of a sudden, the Longhorns looked like the LSU offense, and were playing gorilla ball. The 3-1 Texas lead would remain in tact heading to the top of the 6th. Following a Schimpf strikeout, Blake Dean sent one back through the box nearly catching Ruffin and into center field. LSU catcher, Micah Gibbs, would follow that with a single of his own, and LSU now had 1st and 2nd and only 1 out. Following freshman Mikey Mahtook's 3rd strikeout of the game, Augie Garrido made the move to go get Ruffin, and bring in stud closer Austin Wood, to face LSU right fielder, Jared Mitchell, and get the lefty vs. lefty matchup. After Wood got ahead of Mitchell, Mitchell would battle and foul off pitches until he caught one and sent it into the left center field gap. The shot would clear the bases as he slid into 3rd with a game-tying two run triple, and we now sat at 3-3.
Texas wouldn't let the LSU rally slow them or their gorilla ball down. Russell Moldenhauer then hit what seemed to be a fly ball to left, that would carry and carry out of the ballpark to give the 'Horns a 4-3 lead. It was Moldenhauer's 2nd home run of the game, and 3rd of the CWS, while he hit 0 on the season. Texas was now looking to put the pedal to the metal and as they got a single and double to have 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. With Preston Clark at the dish and a chance to bust the game open to 6-3, Coleman had a pitch get away from him, and it went to the backstop allowing another run to score, giving Texas a 5-3 lead.
LSU would answer back in the top of the 7th with 1 of their own, as D.J. LeMahieu got a hold of one and sent it off the batter's eye in center field to cut the lead back to 5-4. In the bottom of the 7th, Texas center fielder, Connor Rowe, would push the lead back to 6-4, as he would lead off the inning with a solo shot to left. That would be the end of the road for LSU ace, Louis Coleman, and the pitchers' duel everyone was expecting was out the door.
That's where the score sat as we entered the top of the 9th and LSU had to score 2 runs to tie the game, and hopefully force extras.
Following a 1 out single by LSU 1B Sean Ochinko, that was the end for Austin Wood, and Texas brought in expected game 2 starter, freshman Taylor Jungmann. Jungmann seemed to have the jitters as he walked LSU SS Derek Helenihi on 4 straight, and then was yanked following 2 straight balls to PH Travis Hanover. Out came Jungmann, and in came freshman Austin Dicharry. After getting Hanover to chase the 2-0 fastball, Dicharry worked the count back to 3-2, and got Hanover to chase once again and sat him down for out number two. That would bring up LSU's lead off hitter, D.J. LeMahieu, who hit a ball down the left field line that would drop in off the wall and tied the game up at 6-6, and all of a sudden, Texas had to look for another walk-off win.
With the game tied at 6, LSU brought in freshman stud closer Matty Ott to try and keep the game tied at 6. After getting ahead 0-2 on the lead off hitter, Tim Maitland, Ott lost his pitch and hit him, allowing Texas to get winning run on 1st base. Following a sacrifice bunt from Cameron Rowe, the Longhorns, now had two opportunities to end the game, and not have to play extras. Unfortunately, Ott would get Michael Torres and Travis Tucker both to pop up to outfielders, and we were headed to extras tied at 6.
LSU looked poised to take it in the 10th, as Micah Gibbs got on by way of a lead off walk, and Mahtook singled through the right side on a hit and run. LSU now had 1st and 2nd with 0 outs, when they got a sacrifice fly to right field from Jared Mitchell, and LSU now had 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Following a wild pitch by Dicharry, it was now 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Not wanting to take any chances, Garrido decided to walk Leon Landry and load the bases and play for the double play. With the intentional walk that ended the day for Austin Dicharry and in came hard throwing right hander Brandon Workman. He would get 2 huge strikeouts and shut the door on LSU leaving the game tied at 6.
After Ott recorded 3 outs in the bottom of the 10th, we headed to the 11th still tied at 6. D.J. LeMahieu would lead off the inning with a walk, but after two quick outs, it appeared LSU would go quietly again. That wouldn't be the case though. With two outs in the inning, LeMahieu took off for 2nd and would make it safely, but the ball would trickle into center field, and he would move up to 3rd on the throwing error. Gibbs would then work yet another walk and it was 1st and 3rd with two outs for LSU. That brought up freshman center fielder Mikie Mahtook, who had been taken into the clubhouse earlier to recieve IV's after suffering from cramps. Mahtook would struggle to catch up to Workman's fastball but wouldn't go down quietly, and kept fouling off pitches. Finally he would see a breaking ball and laced it right back up the middle breaking the tie, and putting LSU on top 7-6.
LSU would leave closer Matty Ott out there for what appeared one more inning, and he took care of business and took care of it quickly, striking out Brandon Loy and Maitland, before getting Connor Rowe to ground out to 2nd. That would give LSU Game 1, and put them 1 game away from their 1st national title since 2000.
With LSU only being 1 game away from the national title, you have to question some coaching decisions. One major question to be answered is why did Augie Garrido pull the hot hitting Russell Moldenhauer? He was 3-3 on the night and had hit 2 homeruns. I know that he and Tant Shepard share the DH role, but why pull your DESIGNATED HITTER who's 3 for 3?!?!
Another question has that has to be asked is, who goes for Texas in game 2? Will it be Taylor Jungmann who only threw 6 straight balls before being yanked, and may have confidence issues now, or will it be Cole Green? Green apparently isn't ready to go, so you'd have to think it's gonna be Jungmann or every arm that Texas has.
Will Matty Ott be available for LSU after 3 innings of work? Who's available for Texas?
It should be a great game again tomorrow, as LSU will send hard throwing Anthony Ranaudo to the hill with the opportunity to clinch a national title.
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