June 23, 2009

Championship Series Game 2 Recap

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College World Series - Championship Series Game 2 Notes

By Phil Stanton

CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder
 

This will be the fourth time out of seven that the championship series has gone three games. Once the team that won Game 1 was victorious in Game 3 (Rice in 2003). Twice the team that won Game 2 captured Game 3 (Oregon State in 2006 and Fresno State in 2008).

The probable starters are Anthony Ranaudo for LSU and Cole Green for Texas. Ranaudo is 11-3 with 2.87 ERA. He has allowed 85 hits and 45 walks in 119 innings with 155 strikeouts. Ranaudo is 1-0 in two starts in the CWS with 1.93 ERA. He has allowed nine hits and four walks in 9.1 innings with eight strikeouts. Green is 5-3 with 3.07 ERA. He has allowed 93 hits and 34 walks in 108.1 innings with 84 strikeouts. Green is 0-0 in two CWS starts with 3.46 ERA. He allowed 14 hits and four walks in 13 innings with 14 strikeouts.

LSU had its 14-game win streak snapped.

“It was the first time we’ve lost in 15 games,” LSU head coach Paul Mainieri said. “It’s pretty hard to win every game in baseball. We’ve got one game left in the season. We have an opportunity to play for the national championship with our Friday night starter on the mound.”

The start of the game was delayed one hour and 34 minutes due to inclement weather.

LSU catcher Micah Gibbs had a throwing error in the top of the first, the initial error of the College World Series for the Tigers.

Texas had a runner on third and one out in the first. LSU played the infield in against Brandon Belt, who lined a single to right to plate Torres with the game’s first run.

This is the first CWS game in which LSU did not score first.

The Tigers were held scoreless in the first for the first time in the CWS.

Russell Moldenhauer did not homer prior to the CWS. He has gone deep four times at Rosenblatt, tying the record for home runs in a series. Moldenhauer had three homers in the championship series, matching the total of Fresno State’s Steve Detwiler in 2008.

When Moldenhauer homered off lefty Ryan Byrd, it was hit first official at-bat against a southpaw. He walked his previous two plate appearances against a left-hander.

The Longhorns took advantage of breaking balls early in the game. Brandon Belt ripped a hanging curve from Austin Ross for a RBI single in the first before Preston Clark launched a belt-high bender into the seats in left in the second. Cameron Rupp hit a breaking ball down the line in left for a RBI double in the third.
 

Leon Landry had an outstanding diving catch in the top of the fifth. Kevin Keyes lined a ball toward the left field corner. Landry dove on the warning track in fair territory to record the out.

Great catch by LSU shortstop Austin Nola to start the eighth. Preston Clark hit a popup into shallow left. Nola went out, spun, and with his back to the plate stuck out his glove to make the catch.

The attendance for Tuesday’s game was 21,871, raising the series attendance to 316, 090. It is the second-highest total in CWS, trailing last year’s total of 330,099.