OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Jared Jones hit a go-ahead three-run homer before rain suspended play Monday night, freshman reliever Casan Evans pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings after play resumed Tuesday, and LSU advanced to its College World Series bracket final with a 9-5 victory over UCLA.
The Tigers (50-15) next play Wednesday night against the winner of Tuesday night’s elimination game between Arkansas and the Bruins (48-17). LSU, going for its second national championship in three years, needs one more win to reach the best-of-three finals starting Saturday.
LSU was up 5-3 at the end of the third inning Monday night when the game was suspended following a 2-hour, 53-minute delay.
The Tigers had Evans (5-1) take over for starter Anthony Eyanson when play resumed. Evans, who pitched the ninth inning of a 4-1 win over Arkansas on Saturday, limited UCLA to four singles and struck out five.
“Coach (Jay) Johnson had told me that once we got out of the delay that I would be on the mound, and then it got rolled over to today,” Evans said. “Just went back to the hotel and got ready for today. Woke up early. The mindset stays the same no matter when I come in the game, if I start or if I close. I was just going out there and doing my best to help my team win.”
UCLA had two runners on base with one out when Evans turned the game over to Cooper Williams in the eighth. The Tigers had to get through some anxious moments when Williams walked the bases loaded and the Bruins pulled to 8-5 on Payton Brennan’s groundout and Blake Balsz’s infield single. Another walk reloaded the bases, prompting Johnson to call on Chase Shores, who needed one pitch to get an inning-ending groundout.
Jones’ RBI single in the ninth gave the Tigers a four-run cushion, and Shores pitched a clean ninth to send the Bruins to their first loss in seven NCAA Tournament games.
“Just seemed like we were swimming upstream a little bit most of the game,” UCLA coach John Savage said. “Continuation game. We put up three and then they put up four. Then they come out and do a good job with two outs in the fourth, and they got two there. And it seemed like we were just trailing a little bit from the mound, mostly.”
It was challenging for Savage to manage his pitching. With a spot in the bracket final at stake, he didn’t hold back and used eight pitchers. A loss meant the Bruins had to play again in about six hours, so pitching depth was compromised.
“When you’re in the winners’ bracket, you’ve got to do everything you can to stay in the winners’ bracket,” Savage said. “Anybody who tells you otherwise doesn’t know what they’re talking about or has never coached. But I think we have some guys, clearly. We have about five or six guys that didn’t throw either yesterday or today. We’ll pick one, we’ll pick some guys out of that lot.”
The Tigers took a 7-3 lead in the fourth against freshman Wylan Moss, who gave up three hits and a walk and recorded only two outs.
UCLA starter Landon Stump (6-2) had gone to the mound for the bottom of the first Monday night with a 3-0 lead, but it evaporated when Jones’ three-run homer put the Tigers ahead 4-3.
Jones’ 21st homer of the season barely cleared the fence in right center and was the 63rd in his career, third most in program history.
“Offensively we just wanted to start the game on the right note,” Jones said. “We talk about winning every inning. Obviously they put up a three spot in the top half, so to win the inning we’ve got to put up at least four. And it just so happened.”
› Louisville 7, Oregon St 6
Eddie King Jr. drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave Louisville a 7-6 victory over Oregon State on Tuesday and knocked the Beavers out of the College World Series.
The Cardinals (42-23) avenged a 4-3 walk-off loss to Oregon State last Friday and advanced to the Bracket 2 final. They must beat Coastal Carolina on Wednesday and again Thursday to reach the best-of-three CWS finals.
Just like Oregon State (48-16-1) on Friday, Louisville squandered a late lead only to come back and win.
“It’s the value of being the home team,” Cardinals coach Dan McDonnell said. “Sometimes people act like it’s not that big a deal. It’s amazing when you get the last three outs and you get to walk somebody off. So, very fortunate that we were in that situation today.”
Kellan Oakes faced the top of the Louisville lineup to start the bottom of the ninth. Alex Alicea walked and Lucas Moore was awarded first base on catcher’s interference when his bat nicked Wilson Weber’s mitt as he fouled off a pitch. The Cardinals loaded the bases when Matt Klein put down a bunt that Oakes (5-1) booted, the Beavers’ third error of the day and eighth in three CWS games.
That brought on freshman Zach Edwards to face Jake Munroe, who got caught looking at strike three.
“I struck out on a call I didn’t like,” Munroe said. “I was upset about it. Did a little 360, saw Eddie, and I said, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re good.’ That’s kind of the special thing about this lineup.”
King fouled off a pitch and took two balls before he sent a fly to center. Alicea tagged up from third, and Canon Reeder had no chance to make a throw home.
King was mobbed behind first base, with teammates squirting their water bottles at him and fans chanting “Edd-ie! Edd-ie!”
“Just hearing chants like that in a moment like that, it warms my heart,” King said. “And I’m so glad that it could be for Louisville.”
Cardinals pitchers repeatedly worked out of trouble until they couldn’t in the top of the ninth.
“Right there at the end, we probably shocked the heck out of everybody,” Beavers coach Mitch Canham said. “They bring guys in, we’re finding ways to get on base — hit by pitch, base hit, what have you.”
Aiva Arquette homered to left-center on Wyatt Danilowicz’s first pitch, and Gavin Turley, Weber and AJ Singer reached to load the bases with no outs.
Oregon State tied it 6-all when Tyce Peterson’s slow roller glanced off Alicea’s glove at shortstop and into the outfield grass, allowing two runs to score. Tucker Biven (5-0) struck out Jacob Krieg, and Carson McEntire got Reeder to pop out.
“You knew they were going to make a rally there late,” McDonnell said. “And we pitched so well, but one of their best hitters jumps on a heater, and their other best hitter (Turley) fights off a ball and it drops. It’s like, OK, you’re in it here now; you’re going to have to grind this out and earn it. And they made us earn it.”
The Beavers played as an indepedent this year and will again next season before the Pac-12 ramps back up in 2026-27. They had only 19 regular-season home games, logged nearly 25,000 air miles and won enough to be the No. 8 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. They won five elimination games in regionals and super regionals.
“What a season we had. What a run,” Arquette said.
