Carl Dubois for June 21
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OMAHA, Neb. — Stanford is the team that hits grand slams against LSU in the College World Series. LSU is the team that wins games in its final at-bat.
North Carolina is the team that wins with pitching.
All of that and more is why the Tar Heels’ 7-3 victory Friday night against LSU, on the strength of a grand slam by Tim Federowicz in the top of the ninth inning, was another reminder of what makes college baseball special.
Especially in Omaha with a season and a possible national championship on the line.
Most of you are painfully aware of Paul Carey’s game-ending grand slam to beat LSU here in 1987 on the way to a Stanford national title. Many of you probably forgot the slam by Stanford’s Craig Thompson in the 2000 national championship game won by LSU on its last swing of the bat.
Brad Cresse was 1-for-12 at the CWS before that game-winning hit. Another catcher struggling at the plate in Omaha came up big Friday.
Federowicz was 1-for-11 at this year’s College World Series before blasting the slam into the left-field seats. In 16 career CWS games he was 11-for-61.
“I think tonight you probably saw why we led the nation in earned run average,” UNC coach Mike Fox said. “We ran our five best guys out there.”
LSU slugger Matt Clark, whose two-run homer gave the Tigers the bulk of their offensive production, was impressed.
“North Carolina kept us off balance with the different pitchers they can bring out of their bullpen,” Clark said. “They’ve thrown well all year, and that’s not going to change in the College World Series.”
The game looked like it would come down to matchups between the teams’ best pitchers and best hitters, and maybe it did.
Alex White struck out Blake Dean with Jared Mitchell on base and the score 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth. White later pitched around Clark, walking him to load the bases.
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The season has come to an end, albeit not the way many of us had envisioned. However, there are a few points one can take away from this years' baseball team. First, the baseball gods are not without a sense of irony. Second, coming back from 11th place in the SEC and unranked, to winning the SEC tournament and finishing the season (prior to the CWS) in the top five is no small accomplishment. Third, no one can say these guys did not play their hearts out and leave it on the field. And finally, let there be no doubt LSU baseball is back where it should be. My sincere thanks and gratitude to the coaches, players and staff for an outstanding season; what a wild ride it's been. Thanks for the memories and allowing us to be a part of it. Hold your heads high and know we are in it with you! LSU baseball lives on...
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