Top-ranked Oregon State routs LSU, 13-1, to advance in winner’s bracket

Tigers face FSU again in elimination game of the 71st annual. College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Neb. Ducks win 23rd straight and plays again Friday at 2-0, while Florida State ousts Cal State-Fullerton in the loser’s bracket Monday afternoon at TD Ameritrade Park

By ARNIE LESHIN | June 20, 2017

The first to exit the 71st annual NCAA Division I College Baseball World Series was unseeded Cal State-Fullerton, while unseeded Florida State stayed in the hunt by sending the Titans home with a 6-4 loss in the loser’s bracket game Monday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.

Cal State-Fullerton departed at 39-24 and with its ninth straight setback at the World Series. FSU won its 12th of its last 14th games and stands at 46-22 as it awaits the loser of the winner’s bracket night game that pairs top-ranked Oregon State against 4th seeded Louisiana State.

That will be played Wednesday night, with the loser eliminated. The Ducks-LSU winner doesn’t play again until Friday afternoon, facing the 3rd seeded Florida-7th seeded Bayou Tigers winner of the Tuesday night game.

The two schools comfortably in the driver’s seat at 2-0 each need to then win once more to advance to the best-of-three finals at TD Ameritrade Park.

For those coming out of the loser’s bracket, it will be a tough task to get that far, and who it will be will be known after the Tuesday afternoon contest

that will eliminate Texas Christian or Texas A & M in a Lone Star State clash and leave six schools remaining.

For the Seminoles, it was a run in the first, a run in the third, a run in the fifth for a 3-1 lead after Cal State-Fullerton scored once in the last of the third inning. Then after Titans’ senior Timmy Richards clouted a 3-run home run to grab a 4-3 lead in the sixth, FSU freshman Drew Mendoza followed with a solo shot in the seventh to tie it at 4-4.

But while the Titans did not score again, the Seminoles did with two runs in the seventh that resulted in the final score. FSU senior Matt Henderson had two hits and accounted for the same number of RBI. Junior Steven Wells Jr. also batted in two runs.

Then came streaking Oregon State and Louisiana State, the Ducks coming in with 20-straight wins, and the Tigers with 17.

To be explicit, it was all Ducks. They had everything their way in winning for the 23rd straight time and sending LSU (49-19) into the loser’s bracket with a 13-1 rout. It also ended the Tigers’ 17-in-a-row win streak. Now at 56-4, Oregon State held a 1-0 lead for five innings, increased it to 3-0 after six, and upped it with a 8-run seventh and two-run eighth.

Right-handed starter didn’t need that much support, but it was a good hit parade for his teammates in dropping LSU to 49-19 and into a win-or-go-home as the Tigers again play Florida State in the elimination contest. The first time, it was LSU, now it’s the loser packs its gear and leaving the winner with still an upward battle.

Now it’s the Ducks awaiting the winner of that one on Friday. One win gets them into the finals and the best-of-three series versus the other bracket winner, Louisville or Florida, currently 1-0 or Texas A & M or TCU, presently 0-1.