Two-time defending champion South Carolina (47-18) ousted the Golden Flashes 4-1 from the College World Series behind the sterling pitching of left-hander Michael Roth, who threw a complete-game two-hitter and retired the last 22 batters.
South Carolina advanced to meet Southeastern Conference foe Arkansas Thursday night. The Gamecocks will have to beat the Razorbacks twice to reach the championship series and go for a third consecutive title, but they'll play Thursday night's game with a fresh bullpen after the relievers were able to rest and watch Roth handcuff the Golden Flashes.
Gamecocks coach Ray Tanner opted to go with Roth (9-1) after the game had been postponed Wednesday night by rain. Jordan Montgomery had been scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the Flashes, but with the extra day of rest, Roth got the call. He had last thrown on Saturday in South Carolina's opening victory against Florida.
Kent State had ousted top national seed Florida in its last game, but had no answers for Roth. He threw 106 pitches, 70 for strikes.
"He was very special today," said Tanner. "This was probably his most critical game for us because he went nine and the bullpen was able to rest. He's a guy who's going to strap it on for you and give you his best effort. He's going to give you a chance to win."
Roth tied a CWS record with his fourth career victory and set a record by reaching 53 2/3 career CWS innings. The game was the shortest in nine years at the CWS, lasting 2 hours and seven minutes.
Kent State (47-20) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on an RBI single by Sawyer Polen, which drove in George Roberts. But the singles by Polen and Roberts were all Roth allowed. He had eight strikeouts and no walks. He went to a three-ball count on only two batters.
"I was able to hit the strike zone with pretty much every pitch I threw," said Roth. "That helped me a lot. I didn't have any walks today, which limits their baserunners, and you can stay on that roll. So, it was nice to be able to throw everything for strikes."
The Gamecocks quickly turned the game around with four singles off Tyler Skulina (11-3) in their half of the second inning, with Grayson Greiner and Chase Vergason driving in runs for a 2-1 lead.
South Carolina struck again in the third when LB Dantzler poked a two-run home run to right, his 10th homer of the season, making it 4-1.
Skulina was removed in favor of Casey Wilson with two outs and two men on in the sixth after reaching 101 pitches. Wilson got out of the jam when Joey Pankake took a called third strike.
But although Skulina pitched well, he couldn't match the Gamecocks ace.
"He's a strike-throwing machine," Kent State coach Scott Stricklin said of Roth. "He throws from different arm angles. You never know what pitch is coming. The thing about Michael Roth is, he has so much experience.
It's almost like we made him mad when we scored that run in the second inning, and (he's saying) 'That's not happening anymore.' He was outstanding and just commanded the game. That's why he's an All American. He just knows how to pitch. I've enjoyed watching him on TV. I did not enjoy watching him today."
Still, Stricklin knows this season will long be remembered by Kent State fans.
"I'm just really proud of what they accomplished," he said of his players. "To come back and beat Florida (after losing to Arkansas), I think we made a statement that we belong here, and we made a statement that we're a program that should be recognized nationally."
Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomCollegeSports-TopStories/~3/9oFNNIAfiUk/1
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