OMAHA, Neb. โ Arizona still needs one more victory to win the College World Series.
Unfortunately, so does Coastal Carolina.
The Chanticleers rallied for a 5-4 victory Tuesday at TD Ameritrade Park, forcing a deciding third game in the CWS finals Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 5:08 p.m., Tucson time.
The victory was Coastal Carolinaโs fifth in a row this postseason when facing elimination. Arizona has won six in a row with its season on the line. One of those streaks will end Wednesday.
Sophomore left-hander Cameron Ming suffered the loss, a surprise given his previous postseason success. Ming relieved starter Kevin Ginkel in the eighth inning and was charged with three earned runs in one-third of an inning. He entered Tuesday having allowed six hits and two runs in 16 1/3 sparkling innings of relief, picking up a win and four saves in the process.
Ming surrendered a leadoff single to Anthony Marks. After advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt, Marks scored on Connor Owingsโ bloop single to left to give Coastal Carolina a 3-2 lead. After a double by Zach Remillard put runners on second and third, Alfonso Rivas III replaced Ming. Rivas allowed a two-RBI single to G.K. Young to make it 5-2.
Arizona made it a one-run game in the bottom half of the inning. A single and two walks loaded the bases. After Jared Oliva popped out, Justin Behnke hit into a fielderโs choice, scoring Ryan Aguilar. Louis Boyd then reached on an error to score Bobby Dalbec. However, Cody Ramer flew out to left to the inning.
Chanticleers reliever Bobby Holmes retired the Wildcats in order in the ninth to end the game.
Ginkel and CCU counterpart Mike Morrison matched each other pitch for pitch. Both allowed two runs (only one of Ginkelโs was earned) and struck out a career-high 10 batters. Ginkel surrendered five hits in seven innings, Morrison six in 6 2/3.
The innings also were a career high for Morrison, usually the Chanticleersโ closer. He was making his first start of the season.
Arizona played some of its sloppiest baseball of the postseason โ or even the regular season โ during the first three innings.
In the bottom of the first, Ramer and Zach Gibbons hit back-to-back singles. But JJ Matijevic failed to bunt them over, eventually striking out while attempting to bunt with an 0-2 count.
After Aguilar walked to load the bases, Arizona coach Jay Johnson put on the squeeze play with Dalbec at the plate. Dalbec squared but didnโt make an attempt on a low-and-outside pitch. Ramer was halfway down the third-base line and got thrown out.
Dalbec redeemed himself by hitting a smash to the left of Coastal Carolina third baseman Remillard, who couldnโt handle it. The ball bounded into left field, enabling Gibbons to score and giving Arizona a 1-0 lead. Dalbec, who had been 1 for 17 in the College World Series, was credited with a single.
Two unusual plays in the top of the third helped the Chanticleers take their first lead of the CWS finals. After yielding a leadoff single by Billy Cooke, Ginkel threw an extremely wild pitch. The ball slipped out of his hand and sailed about 10 feet behind Kevin Woodall Jr., allowing Cooke to advance to second.
Woodall bunted Cooke to third, and Johnson elected to bring in the infield. David Parrett hit a popup behind shortstop. The normally reliable Boyd had to retreat to get under the ball. He lost track of it and was charged with an error. Cooke stayed at third, while Woodall advanced to second.
The next batter, Marks, stroked a single to center to drive in both runners. It was the first time in six College World Series games that Arizona had surrendered a lead.
The Wildcats tied it in the bottom of the fifth. Per usual, Ramer and Gibbons played a big role in the rally. Ramer led off the inning with a walk and advanced to third on Gibbonsโ single to right. After Matijevic struck out, Aguilar grounded into a fielderโs choice. Ramer scored to knot the game at 2-2. The RBI gave Aguilar a team-leading 14 during the postseason.
