College World Series Recap (USC-Louisiana St)
Posted: Fri June 5, 1998 at 9:03 p.m. EDT
USC 7, LOUISIANA ST 3
Southern California moved into the championship game of the
College World Series for a record 14th time, getting two homers
from Jason Lane and an outstanding pitching performance from
Mike Penney in a 7-3 victory over two-time defending champion
Louisiana State at Omaha, Nebraska.
The Trojans, who have a record 11 national titles but none since
1978, will play Arizona State in Saturday afternoon's title
game. USC, which lost to Cal State-Fullerton in the 1995
championship game, had to defeat LSU on consecutive days to
advance out of the losers' bracket.
Lane, whose 12 hits lead the CWS, smacked a two-run homer off
loser Doug Thompson (12-5) in the fifth inning that staked the
Trojans to a 2-0 lead. He touched Thompson again for a solo
shot in the seventh.
"I just tried to stay back and hit the ball the other way," said
Lane. "He got a curveball up and I got the bat head out. Today
I went back to what I do best, which is hit line drives."
Morgan Ensberg added his team-best 21st homer for USC, which LSU
on Thursday, 5-4. The Trojans lost the opener of the CWS,
12-10, to LSU but came back with four straight victories to
reach the title game.
Penney (8-4), an eighth-round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers
in Tuesday's draft of first-year players, allowed three runs and
seven hits over 7 2/3 innings. He was close to dominant through
seven, allowing only two runners to reach second before
surrendering a two-out, three-run homer to Jeff Leaumont in the
eighth.
"Nerves were a little bit of a factor," said Penney. "I'm
normally a slow starter but I thought, 'I survived it'. After
that, I just tried to keep my team in the game."
Penney struck out five while issuing two walks and hitting a
batter. He essentially shut down an LSU offense that hit a
CWS-record 17 homers in four games.
"This was just about a perfect game for us," said Trojans coach
Mike Gillespie. "We did about as well as we could do. Penney
was at his best today. He had good philosophy, good command of
his fastball and threw his slider and chanegeup in key spots for
big pitches."
Louisiana State, which had won a record-tying 10 straight CWS
games until Thursday's defeat, was seeking its fifth title in
eight years. The Tigers also won crowns in 1991 and 1993.
"I don't believe in overachievers, maybe underexpecters," said
LSU coach Skip Bertman. "This was not our best team. We did
not have a lot of high draft picks. They (USC) do everything
well. USC played better than us the last 48 hours."
For the first time in this year's World Series, the game was
scoreless after four innings as Thompson and Penny kept hitters
off balance.
But Robb Gorr led off the USC fifth with a sharp grounder up the
middle that deflected off Thompson's hand for an infield single.
Lane drove a 1-1 delivery over the right-center field fence for
a 2-0 lead.
"That (Lane's homer) broke up the pitcher's battle," said
Thompson. "I should have gotten around on that ball (Gorr's
leadoff single). "I couldn't tell if I should barehand it and
then I let it go through my arms. After that I started getting
the ball up and they got it up in the air."
Jeremy Freitas followed with a sharp single to right and came
around to make it 3-0 on Greg Hanoian's single to left.
Ensberg's homer in the sixth gave USC a four-run advantage and
Lane's second shot of the game in the seventh knocked out
Thompson.
Thompson, a 19th-round selection of the Colorado Rockies, gave
up five runs and seven hits over six-plus innings, striking out
six and walking one.
Mike Demouy relieved for the Tigers and, after getting Freitas
to fly out, gave up a single to Seth Davidson, who stole second,
advanced on catcher Brad Cresse's throwing error and scored on
Hanoian's single.
A two-out RBI single by Gorr in the eighth made it 7-0 before
Leaumont's homer gave the Tigers their only runs. Wes Davis
singled on the next pitch to end Penney's day, but Lane came on
to retire Brent Barbier on a foulout before setting down the
side in order in the ninth.
"I was able to get it up in the wind," said Leaumont. "It was
one of the few mistakes he made all game. If you don't think
you can hit a pitch, there is no sense going up there."
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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