Coastal Carolina reaches first CWS with 4-3 win over LSU

With three home runs Saturday night, Coastal Carolina scored an 11-8 victory over LSU in Game 1 of the NCAA Super Regional in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

Coastal Carolina, which won its first super regional game in program history, can punch a ticket to the College World Series in Omaha with another win on Sunday against the Tigers.

Anthony Marks drew a walk off LSU reliever Hunter Newman (1-1) to lead off the ninth and stole second on the first pitch.

In the first game of that series, LSU scored three runs in the eighth to regain some momentum heading into the final two games and the Tigers produced a similar display in the ninth against Coastal. LSU has faced only one current member of the Big South Conference – the Tigers swept a three-game series versus Winthrop in 2003 in the original Alex Box Stadium.

LSU finishes their year with a 45-21 overall record and exceeded many people’s expectations, considering the large volume of talent lost off of last year’s roster. Bobby Holmes (5-2) picked up the win in relief and All-American reliever Mike Morrison went three innings for his 11th save. After Michelangeli scored, he ran to where his team had gathered outside the first-base dugout, and there was some brief pushing and shoving with Boston College players. Jake Fraley singled to open the fourth inning and Kramer Robertson was hit by a pitch.

The Tigers rode that momentum into the ninth as Freeman started the frame by reaching on an error.

Tiger junior left hander Jared Poche left to a standing ovation in the 6th inning, in what is believed to be his final game at LSU.

In a new series of articles, we’ll be putting the spotlight on infamous figures who brought anger, heartbreak, or embarrassment to Texas Tech. Ninth inning, bases loaded, team trailing. The missed scoring opportunity was one of many. Fraley hit a hard grounder down the first base line, but first baseman Kevin Woodall gathered it in and got the out.

The fellows from down in Baton Rouge have continued to churn out successful season after successful season and that was the case in 2016 leading up to the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

The game ended in peculiar fashion, though, when after lifting a pitch high into the air, pinch-hitter Jordan Romero was thrown out at second base after the Chanticleers’ second baseman made an error and dropped the ball. Poche walked another batter – No. 9 hitter David Parrett – in the second inning, but he got out of the inning with no damage. But the Lutcher native would gut out 5 1/3 innings pitched, allowing 3 earned runs on just five hits. He is 27-9 in his career at LSU. Antoine Duplantis had time to throw out Owings at home, but his throw bounced four times before it got to the plate.

The lack of production in the third inning would be a troubling sign of things to come for LSU, including swinging early in counts and an inability to keep the ball out of the air. Freeman popped out, but Duplantis doubled inside the third base bag to score Reid and send Papierski to third.

Coastal starter Alex Cunningham hit Chris Reid to start the LSU third inning and reached second on a balk. Reid correctly waited at second, though, as it appeared Owings would make the catch.

The Chanticleers had several chances from the second to the fifth inning, stranded four runners over the span.

Sam Cohen put UC-Santa Barbara into its first College World Series with a pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning for a victory over second-seeded Louisville. Marks then took second on a deep sacrifice fly to left center, then took third and home on a pair of wild pitches.