Rice Leaves Stanford Dazed

Chris Kolkhorst was dazed as he scored the winning run for Rice in the first game of the College World Series championship series.

Kolkhorst came around from second base on Stanford pitcher Kodiak Quick’s throwing error, giving the Owls a 4-3 victory in 10 innings Saturday night.

“I really didn’t know what happened,” Kolkhorst said. “I crossed the plate, guys were coming out of the dugout, and I saw the first baseman on the ground. I don’t know who I asked, but I asked someone, ‘Did we win?’ ”

The answer was a resounding yes.

Stanford starter Ryan McCally pitched into the 10th and issued a leadoff walk to Kolkhorst, who moved to second on Dane Bubela’s sacrifice. Quick came on and struck out Vincent Sinisi, but Austin Davis hit a soft grounder that the Stanford reliever picked up to the left of the pitcher’s mound.

Quick’s hurried throw sailed past first baseman Brian Hall, who collided with Davis and was flat on his back as Kolkhorst scored the winning run. Hall was not seriously injured.

It was the second consecutive walk-off victory for Rice.

The Owls advanced to the championship series with a 5-4 victory over Texas on Justin Ruchti’s hit in the bottom of the ninth against ace reliever Huston Street.

“It’s funny that the things that are the most fun sometimes are the most stressful,” Rice Coach Wayne Graham said.

Graham said his team was lucky to win the way it did. “We caught a break,” he said. “I’ll take it.”

The teams meet in the second game of the best-of-three series today, with Rice (57-11) needing a victory to claim the school’s first national title in any sport. Stanford (50-17) must win to keep alive its hopes of winning its first national baseball title since 1988. A third game would be Monday.

“We lost the game on the last play, but there were so many other plays that affected the game,” Stanford Coach Mark Marquess said. “We had chances to score some runs, and there were some great defensive plays by them. That happens. It’s magnified when it’s that play.”

Rice’s Jeff Niemann, bidding to become the first unbeaten 18-game winner in Division I history, didn’t get a decision after pitching eight strong innings. He gave up three runs in the first, but then shut out the Cardinal on three hits before David Aardsma (7-3) relieved him in the ninth.

McCally (7-3) scattered eight hits and allowed four runs -- three earned -- in 9 1/3 innings. He was the first pitcher to go more than nine innings at the Series since Arizona State’s Marc Barcelo threw 11 in a 4-3 loss to Wichita State in 1993.

Niemann retired 11 in a row between the fifth and eighth innings, consistently throwing fastballs clocked in the mid-90s. Of his 117 pitches, 80 were strikes. “I wasn’t going to change my game plan because things didn’t go right in the first inning,” Niemann said. “I stuck with it. I kept going after them with what got us here, and the defense picked me up time and time again.”

*

College World Series

at Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha

Rice leads best-of-three series, 1-0

* Saturday’s Result: Rice 4, Stanford 3, 10 innings

* Today: Stanford (50-17) vs. Rice (57-11), 11:30 a.m.

* Monday: Stanford vs. Rice, 4 p.m.*

All times Pacific * if necessary