College Baseball World Series : Florida State Ousts Miami as Lewis Saves Day Again, 4-3

Florida State relief pitcher Richie Lewis saved enough pitches to save Sunday’s College World Series game.

Lewis, who retired Miami in the ninth inning as the Seminoles won, 4-3, to advance into today’s championship game, wasn’t sure he had his sizzling fastball when he took the mound.

“I didn’t really know, to tell you the truth,” the sophomore right-hander said. “I only threw two or three pitches hard in the bullpen before I came in. I was trying to hang on to save some pitches.”

Lewis, who has two wins and two saves in the Series, entered the game with Mike Fiore on first and nobody out. Lewis sandwiched strikeouts around Fiore’s unsuccessful steal attempt to clinch the victory.

Lewis has allowed 1 earned run in the Series and has 21 strikeouts in 15 innings.

“I hope I don’t have to get the ball tomorrow,” Lewis said. “But if I do, I’m going to come in and do the best I can.”

The top-ranked Seminoles (61-12) will play No. 5 Arizona (48-19) at 5:10 p.m. PDT today.

The Seminoles’ Doug Little (9-4) scattered five Miami hits in eight innings to earn the victory.

“I was just hoping to get to the ninth, because we have Mr. MVP sitting next to me,” Little said, pointing to Lewis.

Third-rated Miami (50-17), the defending national champion, lost twice in the tournament to Florida State, which won five of the eight meetings between the teams this season.

The Seminoles scored the decisive run in the third inning. Luis Alicea led off with a double, went to third on a groundout and scored on Eric Mangham’s groundout to the second baseman.

Florida State scored two unearned runs in the second inning. Ed Fulton’s double preceded two straight throwing errors by third baseman Kirk Dulom and Jose Marzan’s RBI bunt single.

Florida State’s other run scored on a first-inning triple by Marzan and Alicea’s sacrifice fly.

Miami scored an unearned run in the second. Dulom tripled home one run and scored on a groundout as the Hurricanes closed to within 4-3 in the fourth.