BASEBALL / COLLEGE WORLD SERIES : Arizona State Has Short Stay in Omaha

Arizona State came to the College World Series after a four-year absence, its longest since 1964, when the Sun Devils made the first of 16 appearances.

But a 5-4 defeat by Oklahoma State Monday made the Sun Devils’ stay a short one.

The five-time national champions were the second team to be knocked out of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament. Kansas was eliminated by Cal State Long Beach on Sunday.

Louisiana State and Wichita State, a 7-6 winner over Texas Monday night, are 2-0 and the only unbeaten teams.

Long Beach will play top-seeded Texas A&M;, and Oklahoma State will play Texas in elimination games today.

Arizona State finished 46-20.

“We were fired up every now and then, but you couldn’t see the fire in everyone’s eyes,” said Arizona State shortstop Cody McKay, who hit a two-run homer in the second inning against Oklahoma State. “You’ve got to see that to be a dominant team out here.

“We just didn’t have our heads in the game as much as we should.”

Arizona State, champion of the Pacific 10 Conference’s Southern Division, finished the regular season ranked No. 1 by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball magazines. The Sun Devils, however, were seeded second in the World Series.

Arizona State had lost its opener to seventh-seeded Wichita State, 4-3, on an 11th-inning homer by Darren Dreifort, the Dodgers’ No. 1 pick in last week’s amateur draft.

Sixth-seeded Oklahoma State (44-16) beat the Sun Devils by overcoming a 4-3 deficit in the eighth. Dax Winslett (10-5), who pitched 7 2/3 innings of relief, issued a two-out walk to Jason Heath. Pinch-hitter Thad Chaddrick moved Heath to third with a single, and Heath scored on a pinch-hit single by Hunter Triplett. Ernesto Rivera then singled to left, driving in the go-ahead run.

Reliever Jay Hogue (8-0) pitched four scoreless innings for Oklahoma State.

Wichita State also won with a late rally.

“Don’t ever leave a game we’re involved in,” Wichita State Coach Gene Stephenson said. “Anything is liable to happen whether we’re way ahead or way behind.”

Texas was ahead, 6-1, in the sixth inning when Dreifort hit a two-run homer for the Shockers. It was Dreifort’s 22nd homer, and his 11th in 11 postseason games.

Wichita State scored four during the eighth. Reliever J.D Smart (6-1) walked in a run before Casey Blake pulled the Shockers even with a two-run bases-loaded single.

The Shockers scored the go-ahead run on a fielding error by Texas shortstop Tim Harkrider, who was unable to come up with a grounder hit by Carl Hall.

“I tried to go get it on a big hop and I got caught in between,” Harkrider said. “I just didn’t make it.”

College World Series Notes

Right-hander Daniel Choi, who started against LSU Friday and was drafted in the 14th round by the Oakland Athletics, will start today for Long Beach, which needs three more victories to advance to Saturday’s championship game. He is 16-2 with a 2.57 earned-run average. Left-hander Kelly Wunsch (7-1, 4.46), drafted in the first round by the Milwaukee Brewers, will start for Texas A&M;, which blew a five-run lead during a 13-8 loss to LSU. Wunsch has struck out 106 and walked 52 in 80 2/3 innings.

Oklahoma State catcher Joe Wallace and Arizona first baseman Doug Newstrom were ejected for fighting. The two players exchanged elbows in the sixth inning after Newstrom scored a run, setting off a bench-clearing scuffle. The NCAA requires a one-game suspension for fighting, so Oklahoma State will be without Wallace today.