See also: CWS Game Three Box Score
OMAHA—When you win a pair of 1-0 NCAA tournament games on the way to the College World Series, you expect to win in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha with pitching and defense.
Arkansas did win with pitching and defense Saturday against Kent State, but it threw in some offense for kicks. Catcher Jake Wise had a season-high three RBIs, including the Razorbacks' first home run since May 19, to help key a 10-hit attack and an 8-1 victory.
Arkansas (45-20) moves on to Monday to face the winner of the evening's Florida-South Carolina showdown. Kent State (46-19) will face elimination against either the nation's top-ranked team (Florida) or the two-time defending national champion (South Carolina).
Golden Flashes coach Scott Stricklin served with USA Baseball's College National Team as an assistant alongside Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn last summer, and he has tremendous respect for Van Horn and D.J. Baxendale, who was on that team. He had a favorable opinion of the Razorbacks already, but even moreso after Saturday's game.
"We all know the pitching is what's got them here," Stricklin said. "If they have that kind of (offensive) approach . . . they had a good approach, worked counts, got ahead in the count, played clean defense for the most part. (If) they play like that, they've got a chance to win the national championship, no question about it. With that defense and that pitching they've got a chance to win it all."
Freshman Joe Serrano had three more hits to improve to 10-for-17 in the postseason, helping key the Razorbacks' improved offensive showing. The Hogs put up just seven runs in their three-game super regional victory at Baylor after scoring 11 runs in three games to win the Houston Regional at Rice.
Kent State ace David Starn entered the game 11-3, 2.21 overall, but Arkansas has had success against offspeed lefthanders of late, and assistant coach Todd Butler put together an effective game plan to get to him.
"We were sitting on offspeed," said Serrano, who has settled into a role as Arkansas' DH against lefthanded pitchers. "We got up in the box to kind of eliminate the drop, and towards the plate to eliminate the outside pitch. We were just looking offspeed, sitting offspeed, not even looking at the fastballs. Previously he threw his changeup 20 out of 26 for balls, so if you pick up the changeup, let it go. We got some balls that were elevated and took advantage."
That happened for No. 9 hitter Wise, who hit a 1-0 fastball out for a solo home run in the second, and for Serrano, whose single in the fifth drove in Wise to make it 3-0. After Kent State closed to 3-1 on Jimmy Rider's solo homer in the top of the sixth, Arkansas staged a two-out rally in the bottom half with No. 8 hitter Matt Vinson's two-run double the key blow. Wise, whose homer was just his second of the season, added a two-run single in the eighth to account for the final margin.
In the meantime, Baxendale handcuffed the Golden Flashes offense, and reliever Brandon Moore gave up only one hit while getting the final eight outs for his third save of the season. Baxendale walked only one and struck out five while the sinkerballer Moore got every out but one via the groundout.
"D.J. Baxendale was outstanding," Stricklin said. "He kept us off balance, his fastball was sharp, he threw his breaking ball for strikes when behind in the count . . . When you compete like that and you've got great stuff, it's going to be really, really difficult to hit. So he was outstanding. He was the reason why we struggled a little bit, no question about it.
"They hit in some pretty positive counts. David faced 26 hitters and only two swung at the first pitch. That was key; they got ahead in the count. They had a plan to be patient and make David throw strikes. They had a really good scouting report; their approach was really good today."
Arkansas will have to keep hitting to win the event, especially in a bracket with Southeastern Conference heavyweights Florida and South Carolina. Saturday's showing had to give the Razorbacks the confidence that their postseason run can continue.
"Against Baylor I felt like I let the team down," said Baxendale (8-5), "so to come out here on this stage and get us through Game One is huge for my confidence, and for the team as well. Florida and South Carolina are great teams; it's going to be interesting tonight, and whoever we face, we know it will be tough game."
Source: www.baseballamerica.com
Stosur sets sights on Wimbledon - Sydney Morning Herald
AAP
An upbeat Samantha Stosur launches her grasscourt campaign this week believing "all is possible" despite her galling Wimbledon record of only five wins from 14 matches.
World No.5 Stosur feels she has put her deflating French Open semi-final loss to Sara Errani behind her and she's now intent on rectifying one of the biggest anomalies in tennis - just one third-round appearance in nine trips to Wimbledon.
The US Open champion's dreadful strike rate at the spiritual home of tennis flies in the face of not only her awesome power game, but also three semi-final appearances in the past four years at the traditional warm-up event at Eastbourne.
Hence why Stosur opted this year to prepare for the grasscourt major in the Netherlands, where she's top seed and up against a qualifier in the opening round.
"It's funny, I've always had good lead-ups at Eastbourne and then got to Wimbledon and not done too well. I still don't have the answer for why," Stosur told AAP.
"So I'm in S-hertogenbosch instead, trying something different. I think it's really about just getting to Wimbledon and not letting that frustration set in.
"Maybe by the time I get to Wimbledon there's been a bit more expectation on myself because the lead-up's gone well and I should be able to carry on. Then it doesn't happen.
"So I'm trying to go in there with a better mindset this year and stay positive - and what have I got to lose? Nothing.
"I've got no rankings points to defend, so I certainly don't have to think about that. I should be able to go in there and just play and not worry about anything else."
The 28-year-old insists she's no longer worrying about her shock loss to Errani at Roland Garros when a second final in Paris in three years beckoned.
"The couple of days after were pretty rough," Stosur said.
"Especially when I was still in Paris and I went out and was walking around and you see the women's final on TV and I didn't want to look at that too much.
"Yeah, it was disappointing and everything else but now a week later I'm trying to look at it as a very good tournament. The semis is still a pretty good result and a hell of an improvement on the Australian Open.
"So overall I'm feeling pretty good about it now."
Stosur's coach David Taylor is also backing his charge to bounce back quickly and make a long overdue run at the All England Club.
"She needs to believe all is possible for her on grass and that she possesses enough adequate weapons in her arsenal to trouble anyone," Taylor said.
His positive reinforcement has clearly penetrated Stosur's sometimes vulnerable mind.
"There's no doubt I can do it because I've had all those good (Wimbledon) lead-ups in the past," she said.
Stosur is joined in the Wimbledon singles draw by countrywomen Jarmila Gajdosova, Anastasia Rodionova and Casey Dellacqua.
Bernard Tomic, who has recovered from the virus that forced his retirement from Halle last week, former champion Lleyton Hewitt, Matt Ebden and Marinko Matosevic are in the men's event.
Another seven Australians will attempt to make the main draw through qualifying starting on Monday.
Source: news.smh.com.au
No comments:
Post a Comment