College Baseball World Series : Arizona Loses Shutout, Wins Title, 10-2

Gary Alexander had his sights set high as he headed to the mound in the ninth inning Monday night, holding a 10-0 lead for Arizona over Florida State in the NCAA College World Series championship game.

“I really wanted to shut them out, but I was trying too hard,” Alexander said after he finished with a seven-hit, 10-2 victory. “This feels so good.”

Two-run homers by Mike Senne and Gar Millay helped Arizona to its third national championship.

Alexander (8-2) lost his shutout bid in the ninth when Luis Alicea led off with a triple and Bien Figueroa singled him home. Ed Fulton singled home Figueroa with the second run before Alexander finished his third complete game of the year.

There has not been a complete-game shutout in the title game since USC’s Jim Withers blanked Oklahoma State, 1-0, in 1961.

Top-ranked Florida State (61-13) failed in its second trip to the final game of the World Series. The Seminoles lost, 2-1, to USC in a 15-inning game in 1970.

The Seminoles weren’t that close the second time around in the search for their first national baseball crown.

“It was just an old fashioned whipping,” Florida State Coach Mike Martin said. “They did a great job. We threw our best at them and they beat us.

“We had our chances early and weren’t able to do anything with them. But I’m really proud of our guys. This club won 61 ballgames, and we never gave up.”

Senne, selected the tournament’s most valuable player, had two hits and two runs batted in in the title game.

The Wildcats (49-19), ranked fifth, had 11 hits to go with Alexander’s pitching.

“I didn’t know if he had that much arm strength,” Arizona Coach Jerry Kindall said. “I knew he had the heart. He’s done it the last three weeks and he did it again.”

Arizona took the lead by scoring unearned runs in the fourth and fifth heading into the big sixth inning.

Florida State starter Mike Loynd (20-3) gave up a leadoff double to Chip Hale in the sixth and left the game for Richie Lewis, who won two games and saved two for the Seminoles in the tournament.

Lewis gave up a two-run homer to Senne, his 11th of the year and second of the Series. Todd Trafton walked, and one out later Millay hit his ninth homer of the year for a 6-0 lead.

The Wildcats added three more in the seventh on five hits, including RBI singles by Trafton and Millay, and Tommy Hinzo’s steal of home. It was Millay’s third hit of the game.

Several records were tied or bettered in the championship game. Arizona turned three double plays to tie the title game mark set by Michigan in 1962 and tied by USC in 1972 and 1978.

Lewis’ appearance Monday night was his fifth of the College World Series, tying the tournament record held by four others.

Hinzo’s three stolen bases set a World Series record.