Coastal Carolina capitalizes on Texas Tech errors, wins 7-5

A college baseball season that began in February is now down to just two teams and a best-of-three series to determine a CWS national champion and the teams remaining likely weren’t picked by too many people at the start of this NCAA tournament. The sophomore left-hander couldn’t minimize any of the damage, however, as Tyler Chadwick brought in the first of those base runners with a sacrifice fly to center field before David Parrett drove in the other two with his second hit of the game to extend the lead to four run with four innings to play.

Cunningham gave up four runs on eight hits over six and one-third innings – striking out three and walking one.

The Chanticleers held a 7-1 lead after four innings, and they were able to hold off a late TCU rally to advance.

The Chanticleers have been playing baseball since 1975, and Gilmore took over a losing program with little returning talent in 1996.

The Chanticleers, in the CWS for the first time, forced a second Bracket 2 final Saturday night against a TCU team that’s in Omaha for the third straight year.

Even more impressive, the Chanticleers (53-17) have made it this far in their first CWS appearance.

The Chanticleers will play for the national championship in a best-of-three series against the Arizona Wildcats. They came into the Lafayette Regional as a two-seed and lost the second game they played in, forcing them to win three straight (including back-to-back against the host) to make it to a super regional against Mississippi State.

On Tuesday, Coastal Carolina played TCU in their second game of the College World Series. They won an elimination game over Texas Tech on Thursday to reach the bracket final.

Arizona’s JJ Matijevic, center, jumps for joy in front of his teammates as they celebrate their 5-1 win over Oklahoma State, following an NCAA men’s College World Series baseball game in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, June 25, 2016.

“We love being together, and we want to keep going as long as we can”, first-year Arizona Coach Jay Johnson said.

Dalbec (11-5), a fourth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox, allowed only two baserunners over his last four innings. The Chanticleers lead the NCAA Tournament with 13 steals.

“He’s been borderline legendary here in the postseason”, Johnson said. It was just the third inherited runner in 24 opportunities that Holmes has allowed to score this season.

“The mindset for today was a one-game season”, Parrett said. Bobby Holmes finished with the final 2 2/3 innings.

Gilmore’s team went 9-4 this season against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference and in 2014 was 2-0 in games against Clemson and SC. He is 9 for 19 (.473) with seven RBI in five games in Omaha. Right fielder Connor Owings followed that with a double to right field to put a pair in scoring position.

Arizona’s defense has been stellar the entire tournament, and it got another web gem Saturday from shortstop Louis Boyd.