NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT : CS Fullerton Reaches College World Series; UCLA, USC Don’t

Sophomore James Popoff wasn’t overwhelmed by his performance, but fourth-ranked Texas was.

Popoff blanked the Longhorns, 3-0, on four hits Monday in the NCAA Central Regional final at Austin, Tex., to send Cal State Fullerton into the College World Series Friday at Omaha, Neb.

“I didn’t throw my best today,” Popoff said, “but it was probably one of my top three performances.”

Fourth-ranked Texas (51-17), last year’s College World Series runner-up to Wichita State, lost twice to Fullerton (36-21) on its home field during the regional.

The Titans beat Texas, 5-2, Saturday night behind the pitching of Sam Colarusso and Chris Robinson.

“We had to have good pitching to win this,” Fullerton Coach Larry Cochell said.

Popoff (12-4), a 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-hander, picked up his second victory in the regional for the No. 3-seeded Titans.

Popoff, who struck out three and walked one, retired the last nine Longhorns in order. He retired 19 batters on ground balls and held Texas’ Lance Jones hitless in four at-bats. Jones entered the game on a 15-for-19 tear in the regional.

Chris Gaskill (7-4) went the distance for Texas, top-seeded team in the regional, struck out six and walked two.

The Titans took a 1-0 lead in the third on Rich Gonzales’ long single that hit the wall in left field and scored Mate Borgogno all the way from first base.

Fullerton added two in the fifth on Phil Nevin’s run-scoring single and Borgogno’s sacrifice fly.

LSU 7, USC 6--Rich Cordani hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning and the Tigers overcame the Trojans to win the South I Regional at Baton Rouge, La.

The victory sent Louisiana State (52-17) to the College World Series for the fourth time in the last five years. USC (40-22) was seeking its first series berth since winning the 1978 NCAA championship.

USC scored in the top of the first inning on a three-run homer by Bret Boone, his 12th of the year and sixth of the tournament. Boone was named the regional’s most valuable player.

The Trojans fell behind, 5-3, but regained the lead, 6-5, with three runs in the seventh before Cordani’s ninth homer of the season in the bottom of the inning put LSU back in front.

Mark LaRosa (7-2) came on in the seventh inning to pick up the win with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. USC reliever Jackie Nickell (7-4) went 3 2/3 innings and took the loss.

Georgia Southern 5, UCLA 4--Steve Siebert doubled home Mike Yuro in the ninth and the Eagles eliminated the Bruins from the Midwest Regional at Wichita, Kan.

Georgia Southern (49-17) won the regional title by defeating South Alabama (44-20), 6-5, in the championship game Monday night.

Joey Hamilton (17-3) of Georgia Southern relieved Jay Berker in the seventh inning and retired the last eight Bruins.

UCLA (41-26) went ahead, 4-3, in the fifth when David Tokheim’s infield out scored Chris Pritchett. Georgia Southern tied the score in the top of the seventh when Yuro doubled, was sacrificed to third and scored on a squeeze play.

UCLA catcher Paul Ellis hit his 29th home run.

Stanford 6, San Diego State 2--Mike Mussina pitched a three-hitter and the Cardinal won the West I Regional at Palo Alto by downing the Aztecs.

Mussina (14-3), pitching with two days of rest, struck out four and walked one, tying the school record for victories in one season.

Stanford (56-10) took a 2-0 lead in the second against Kevin Nielson (4-4) on Roger Burnett’s RBI double and a run-scoring grounder by Troy Paulsen. Ryan Turner singled home a run in the third.

San Diego (49-22) made it 3-1 on Steve Boucher’s sacrifice fly, but Paulsen hit a leadoff homer in the fourth and Troy Tallman stretched it to 6-1 with sacrifice flies in the fifth and seventh.

Oklahoma State 10, Arizona State 5--Michael Daniel drove in four runs with a homer and a sacrifice fly as the Cowboys upset the Sun Devils to win the West II Regional at Tempe, Ariz.

The Cowboys (53-16) beat five-time national champion Arizona State (52-16) twice on its home field in the regional.

Citadel 6, Miami 2--Richard Shirer pitched a seven-hitter and the Keydets upset sixth-ranked Miami and advanced to the championship game of the Atlantic Regional at Coral Gables, Fla.

The Citadel (43-12) plays for the title today against Miami (52-12). Miami stayed alive by beating North Carolina State, 6-1, in a later game, but must win twice to reach the College World Series.

Mississippi State 4, Florida State 3--Jon Shave’s run-scoring single in the eighth inning capped a three-run rally that lifted the Bulldogs to a victory in the South II Regional final at Starkville, Miss.