But even after Wiseman’s homer put Vandy up 5-0 in the fourth, you knew the lead wasn’t necessarily safe – this is, after all, the same TCU club that rallied from seven runs back in the eighth inning of an elimination game against N.C. State in the regional round. Of course you haven’t. He walked Ro Coleman and hit Rhett Wiseman to begin the game, and a Bryan Reynolds single would get Coleman home to give the Commodores a 1-0 lead through one.
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Vanderbilt’s Rhett Wiseman, left, is examined by a medical professional, center, and Coach Tim Corbin, right, after he was hit in the neck by a throw from TCU pitcher Tyler Alexander in the first inning of an NCAA College World Series baseball game in Omaha, Neb., Friday, June 19, 2015. It left quite a mark.
Wiseman went 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBI, while Reynolds was 3 for 4 with a run and two RBI.
That opportunity, however, would end in disappointment, as Vanderbilt rolled to a 7-1 win Friday in Omaha. That was in our game plan there – runner on second, looking for some off-speed pitches and fortunate enough to get one up in the zone. “It’s not that I don’t think they were talented [in 2014, but] I think this team really, truly bought into the team concept of playing for each other, from an offensive standpoint, and we had really good pitching”.
Florida bounced back with a 10-2 victory in a rematch against Miami (FL) on Wednesday night, but will now need to beat Virginia twice in this rematch if they want to seal a place in the World Series Championships Final.
The Vanderbilt Commodores face the TCU Horned Frogs in today’s College World Series 2015 at 8:00 PM ET at the TD Ameritrade, Omaha, Nebraska. “It was tough, because he wasn’t just throwing it down the middle or anything like that, he was hitting his spots – in, out – and throwing his breaking ball on the corners, as well”. They are the first team since South Carolina in 2002 to score 10 or more runs in three CWS games.
TCU came to Omaha with a 2.38 ERA that ranked second nationally, and the Frogs allowed just eight runs in their first 27 innings at the CWS. “We’re getting a lot of contributions up and down the lineup, and it just allows us when we get things rolling to build some big innings”.
After the loss, TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle congratulated Vanderbilt on the win. “Just Florida is going to – they’re talented and they’re going to make you pay”. Commodores still up 1-0 heading to bottom 2. Kirby could not make it out of the third inning. You’re not taking me out of this game. Florida tagged him for four runs on five hits in the third and made it 9-1 with a five-run sixth.
The good feelings lasted all of two innings. The one run for the Frogs came in the seventh inning when they were able to string a couple hits together after a walk, but the Commodores had seven-run cushion the Frogs were never able to overcome.
“[I’m going to miss the departing players’] Character and their leadership, and how – from a program standpoint -there wasn’t a whole lot of teaching that I had to do”, the coach said.
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