OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Dansby Swanson and Rhett Wiseman came oh-so close to hitting home runs for Vanderbilt early in the College World Series.
John Norwood finally got a ball to clear the fence, and his timing was impeccable – in the third and deciding game of the CWS finals.
His tie-breaking homer into the left-field bullpen against Nick Howard in the eighth inning Wednesday night at TD Ameritrade Park delivered a 3-2 victory over Virginia that gave the Commodores’ their first national championship in a men’s sport.
“I just was hoping that it didn’t have enough top spin that it would hit the fence,” coach Tim Corbin said. “They had seen two already – Dansby’s and Rhett’s – and they were 6 inches away from being home runs.
“But Johnny’s strength and bat speed, with the velocity of Howard, that doesn’t happen to that kid. A 97-mile-an-hour fastball, and for someone to turn it around like that, takes a great amount of ability.”