Pepperdine Is Pushed to the Limit by Missouri

The small contingent of Missouri fans, emboldened by the unexpected pitching bonanza unfolding before them Sunday afternoon in Malibu, broke the silence with a spirited chant of M-I-Z-Z-O-U.

Had they wished to rub it in, they could have switched their spelling to M-I-S-E-R-Y.

Missouri right-hander Aaron Crow, a freshman so unheralded that he was left off the Tigers’ official NCAA roster, limited top-seeded Pepperdine to six hits during a 4-1, complete-game victory that set up a deciding third game between the teams today at 1 p.m.

The winner will advance to a best-of-three super-regional next weekend against the winner of the Fullerton regional.

Pepperdine has been one victory away from the next round in each of the last two seasons, with disastrous results.

In 2004, the Waves needed to defeat Cal State Fullerton once in two games ... and were clobbered in both by a combined score of 31-4.

Last year, Pepperdine clawed its way through the loser’s bracket to play USC in a winner-take-all game ... only to lose after its starting pitcher couldn’t get through the second inning.

On Sunday, the Waves merely needed to defeat a pitcher who was 0-4 and who had been hit by opponents at a .315 clip.

They didn’t even come close.

“You look at his numbers and he’s not that kind of pitcher, but he was today,” Pepperdine Coach Steve Rodriguez said of Crow, who struck out three and walked none.

Crow became the second Missouri freshman to go the distance Sunday after left-hander Rick Zagone pitched a six-hitter to help the fourth-seeded Tigers (34-26) eliminate second-seeded UCLA.

“Usually, when you see a team going through the loser’s bracket things have happened that haven’t all year,” Missouri Coach Tim Jamieson said. “For us to have two freshmen throw complete games on the same day is remarkable.”

Rodriguez had placed a premium on scoring early to squelch Missouri’s momentum, and the Waves (42-20) obliged with a run in the first inning on Nick Kliebert’s slow roller that eluded shortstop Gary Arndt to drive in Adrian Ortiz. But Crow retired the next two batters.

Missouri tied the score in the second inning on Brock Bond’s run-scoring single to left-center field and took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on Evan Frey’s run-scoring single up the middle. John McKee’s two-run homer in the sixth seemed to sap the remaining life out of the Waves.

Rodriguez said ace Barry Enright (13-1), who gave up one run in 7 1/3 innings during Pepperdine’s 3-2 victory over Missouri on Friday, would start today.

Jamieson said he would probably use a pitching-by-committee approach, with ace Max Scherzer (7-2) likely in the mix. The right-hander, expected to be a first-round pick in Tuesday’s amateur draft, gave up three runs -- two earned -- in seven innings Friday.

Missouri 2, UCLA 1 -- Zagone pitched his first complete game and Frey drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the seventh inning.

UCLA (33-25) was hitless in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position and two for 22 in that situation in its two regional losses.

“I know we’re better than what we showed,” said senior outfielder Chris Jensen, who stranded a runner at second base when he struck out in the third inning. “We just didn’t hit, and I’ll be the first guy to stand up and say I could have done more.”

Zagone (6-3) stuck out seven and gave up the run on Blair Dunlap’s groundout in the second inning that gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

-- Ben Bolch

*

This was about meeting expectations.

Cal State Fullerton was hardly looking at this weekend’s NCAA regional as a monumental moment. It was merely a weigh station.

The host Titans were trying to move beyond this weekend, leading Fresno State, 6-3, through five innings when this edition went to press. Ahead loomed a possible super-regional and, beyond that, the Promised Land was still on the calendar -- the College World Series

Danny Dorn’s fielder’s choice grounder broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning Sunday. Bryan Harris and Cory Vanderhook had sacrifice flies in the inning to give the Titans a three-run lead.

Fullerton took an early lead, as Justin Turner picked a timely spot for his first hit of the tournament. He lined a two-run double down the third base line in a three-run second inning.

The Titans cashed in on error by shortstop Erik Wetzel, who booted a two-out ground ball, allowing Jared Clark to score the first Fullerton run.

The Bulldogs cut into that lead when Brian Lapin hit a two-run homer in the second and tied the score on a two-out single by Nick Moresi in the third.

Fullerton waited all day for an opponent, then half the night for the game.

Once Fresno State had advanced by beating San Diego, the swing-shift-type game didn’t get underway until 9:25 p.m., with the late start scheduled to accommodate a cable sports channel.

A victory by the Titans would put them a step closer to Omaha. A Fresno State victory would force another game, tonight at 8.

The Titans have reached the super-regional round in each of the last three seasons and have advanced to the College World Series four times in the last seven seasons.

Fullerton won the national title in 2004.

-- Chris Foster

Fresno State 9, San Diego 8 -- Kent Sakamoto homered twice and drove in six runs to help the Bulldogs eliminate the third-seeded Toreros (33-25).

Brandon Burke pitched the last 1 1/3 innings for his sixth save of the year, giving up one hit and striking out two. Andy Underwood (12-3) picked up the victory.

*

In the regional at Austin, Texas, defending national champion Texas failed to advance when it was upset by North Carolina State, 6-3.

Later, Stanford defeated North Carolina State, 17-7, to advance.

Others who advanced to next weekend’s super-regionals were North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Mississippi, Miami, Clemson, College of Charleston, Alabama, Oral Roberts and Oregon State.