8A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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BEAVER PITCH
Abel pitches complete-game shutout, leads Oregon State to its third national title
and ran probably jumped the high-
est I’ve ever jumped. But that was
a jump of joy. Last year left a salty
taste in our mouth, and every sin-
gle person on the team probably
remembers that. Ever since then,
we were out to finish the job. We
sure did finish.”
On Wednesday, Arkansas failed
to catch a two-out pop foul in
the ninth inning that would have
secured its first national title. The
Beavers, down to their last strike,
rallied to force the winner-take-all
Game 3.
“There was probably still that
‘What if?’ and disappointment. It’s
human nature,” Razorbacks coach
Dave Van Horn said about the emo-
tional hangover. “We had a good
hitters’ meeting, we let them sleep
in, pregame was good. Seemed like
they were locked in. But we never
got that hit. We never got anything
going. Who’s to say? I don’t think
we’ll ever know. If Abel hadn’t
thrown so well, maybe it’s a little
different story, but he didn’t give us
a chance.”
Oregon State, which came from
behind for three of its six CWS
wins, was in control all the way in
the winner-take-all Game 3. Arkan-
sas (48-21) was shut out for the first
time in 100 games.
Abel (8-1) ran into trouble in
the third when Arkansas loaded the
bases with one out. He struck out
Heston Kjerstad and got Bonfield
to fly out to end the inning, and the
Razorbacks had no base runners the
rest of the night. Abel struck out
10 and walked two in a 129-pitch
outing.
Adley Rutschman, who set a
CWS record with 17 hits, went
3 for 4 and drove in two runs. He
was 17 for 30 (.567) with 13 RBIs
in eight games and was named the
CWS Most Outstanding Player.
Rutschman singled his first three
times at bat and drove in a run in
the first against Isaiah Campbell
(5-7) and another in the third for a
3-0 lead.
Abel had been used as a starter
and reliever this season, and his ver-
satility and durability were import-
ant for the depleted pitching staff.
0
3
4
17
20
Number of times
Arkansas had been
shut out this season.
The number of NCAA baseball
championships now won by
OSU: 2006, 2007 and 2018.
Freshman Kevin Abel is the
first pitcher ever to win four
games in the CWS.
Total hits in the College World
Series for OSU catcher Adley
Rutschman, a CWS record.
The number of consecutive
Arkansas batters that were re-
tired by Abel to end the game.
By ERIC OLSON
Associated Press
O
MAHA, Neb. — Arkansas
missed a chance to win the
College World Series when
a foul pop dropped between two
infielders and the right fielder. Ore-
gon State made the Razorbacks pay
for it behind one of the best pitching
performances in a title game.
Freshman Kevin Abel threw
a two-hitter for his record fourth
victory in the CWS, and Oregon
State — a night after escaping on
the ninth-inning, two-out foul ball
fiasco, beat Arkansas 5-0 on Thurs-
day night for its third title.
Abel was the fourth pitcher in
the CWS’ 71-year history to throw a
shutout in a title game, and the first
to do it allowing so few hits.
“Kept making pitches, kept get-
ting outs,” Abel said. “I felt better
as the game went on and just rode
it out. I was going to give it every-
thing I had. I really appreciate they
let me go out there. It was a lot of
fun.”
He retired the last 20 batters,
catching Luke Bonfield looking at
strike three on a 3-2 pitch to end it.
Oregon State (55-12-1) capped a
two-year run in which it won 111 of
130 games.
“As soon as the last play was
made, I just got goose bumps,”
Trevor Larnach said. “Came in
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
Oregon State players celebrate after they beat Arkansas 5-0 in Thursday’s Game 3 to win the NCAA Col-
lege World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb.
8
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
M’s complete
4-game sweep
of Orioles
BALTIMORE — In an
unprecedented four-game
sweep in Baltimore, the
Seattle Mariners outscored
the Orioles by a total of six
runs and twice prevailed in
extra innings.
The difference between
the two teams, to a large
degree, is that Seattle finds
a way to win, and the Ori-
oles keep coming up with a
variety of ways to lose.
Nelson Cruz homered
and drove in three runs, and
the Mariners capitalized on
two 10th-inning errors in a
4-2 victory Thursday that
completed their first four-
game sweep at Baltimore
in franchise history.
LeBron
declines option,
becomes free
agent
CLEVELAND — LeB-
ron James made the first
move. Decision 3.0 is offi-
cially under way.
James told the Cleve-
land Cavaliers that he is not
exercising his $35.6 mil-
lion contract option for next
season and will hit the free-
agent market, two people
familiar with the decision
told the Associated Press.
James had until 11:59
p.m. to express his inten-
tions to the Cavs and his
agent Rich Paul informed
the team Friday morning.
— Associated Press
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what Lionel Messi does at the
World Cup, Diego Maradona
will be watching.
With FIFA’s in-stadium
cameras cutting to Mara-
dona’s every outsize reac-
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tina’s biggest World Cup hero
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attention, Maradona is an ines-
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Messi’s final World Cup. He’s
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stands again on Saturday when
Argentina begins the round of
16 against a talented France
squad.
Messi’s club career has far
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five-time FIFA Player of the
Year, has led Barcelona to
three Champions League titles
and holds a long list of scor-
ing records, including the most
goals in a club season — 73 in
2011-12.
But Maradona led Argen-
tina to its last World Cup title,
in 1986, and Messi has a repu-
tation — fairly earned or not —
for failing to come through for
his national team in the biggest
moments. Maradona is attend-
ing this year’s World Cup as
a FIFA ambassador, and he’s
the subject of an in-production
documentary by Asif Kapa-
dia, director of acclaimed films
about Formula One driver Ayr-
ton Senna and singer Amy
Winehouse.
Only a championship
would allow Messi to fully
escape Maradona’s shadow. At
31, an age when many play-
ers begin to decline, the pres-
sure on him is immense. And it
showed when he missed a pen-
alty kick in Argentina’s open-
ing draw against Iceland. He
got his first goal of the tourna-
ment in the 2-1 win over Nige-
ria that put Argentina into the
second round.
“I don’t remember ever
having suffered as much, with
the situation, with what was
in play,” Messi said after the
victory.
This year’s Argentina team
has shown signs of dysfunc-
tion and an outsize dependence
on Messi, who even appeared
to be giving embattled coach
Jorge Sampaoli advice about
in-game substitutions. Argen-
tina allowed at least one goal
in all of its matches, including
a dispiriting 3-0 loss to Croatia.
Now it must find a way to sti-
fle France, which has a greater
variety of attacking talent.
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