COLLEGE WORLD SERIES : Arizona State Beats No. 1 Miami

Home runs by Todd Cady and Damon Lembi supported the shutout pitching of Billy Neal and Noah Peery as Arizona State beat top-seeded Miami, 4-0, in the opening round of the College World Series on Saturday.

Arizona State (44-16) will play Oklahoma, a 5-4 winner over Auburn, in Monday’s second round.

Miami (48-13) will face Auburn in an elimination game.

Neal (9-4) gave the eighth-seeded Sun Devils seven strong innings, scattering seven hits. Peery came in after a leadoff single in the seventh and collected his 12th save.

Hurricane relief ace Danny Graves tore a knee ligament in the ninth inning, trying to make a pivot in the grass on a run-down play. He is not expected to be available the rest of the tournament. Graves had 21 saves, one short of the NCAA season record of 22 by Cal State Fullerton’s Scott Wright in 1984.

Cady and Lembi homered in the fourth inning. Cady hit his 10th of the year with one on against Hurricane starter Eric Morgan (10-5), and one out later Lembi added his fifth homer of 1994.

Arizona State’s Billy McGonigle made a dazzling defensive play after singles by Mike Metcalfe and Bruce Thompson put runners at first and third with none out in the sixth inning. Danny Buxbaum lined to left, and McGonigle threw Metcalfe out at the plate.

Oklahoma 5, Auburn 4--The Sooners (47-17) got two hits and two RBIs from Ray Minor, who led an 11-hit attack against the Tigers (44-20).

The Sooners touched Auburn starter John Powell for two runs in the second, ending Powell’s postseason scoreless streak at 18 innings.

Powell (5-4), the NCAA’s career strikeout leader, got No. 600 in the third inning. He was lifted in the seventh.

Sooner starter Mark Redman (13-3) struck out 11 and gave up five hits until Robert Lewis led off the eighth with a homer. Jay Waggoner followed with a single and Bucky Buckles relieved.

Buckles gave up hits to Shawn McNally and Brandon Moore to score another run and Mike Killimett’s groundout scored McNally to get the Tigers within one.

Oklahoma’s Chip Glass led off the eighth with an inside-the-park homer for a two-run lead.

Buckles then struggled again in the ninth, allowing a run before collecting his 13th save.