College World Series
Tar Heels eliminate Cardinals1 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Luke Putkonen gave North Carolina the quality start it had been longing for, combining on a three-hitter to lead the Tar Heels over Louisville 3-1 Tuesday in a College World Series elimination game.
North Carolina had only three hits but scored twice on a throwing error, but that was enough against a Louisville team whose bats went cold in the NCAA tournament.
North Carolina, the 2006 national runner-up, meets Rice on Wednesday. The Tar Heels (55-14) must beat the Owls twice to win their bracket and return to the best-of-three championship series, which starts Saturday.
The Cardinals (47-24), who had batted .402 and scored 22 runs in their first two CWS games, ended their first trip to the CWS with their fewest hits since getting three in a loss to St. John’s on May 5.
UC Irvine 8, Arizona St. 7
OMAHA, Neb. – Ollie Linton singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning Tuesday night to give UC Irvine an 8-7 victory over Arizona State in a College World Series elimination game.
They became the first team in the CWS’ 61-year history to win extra-inning games on consecutive days. They beat Cal State Fullerton 5-4 in 13 innings on Monday in a 5-hour, 40-minute game, the longest in CWS history.
The Anteaters (47-16-1) must beat defending champion Oregon State today and again Thursday to win their bracket and reach the best-of-three championship round.
The Sun Devils (49-15) lost consecutive games for the first time since March.