Mike Strasinger/Associated Press One ticket to the College World Series championship has been punched. Following a 7-4 defeat of Texas Tech on Wednesday, the Arkansas Razorbacks kept chugging along and nabbed a resounding 5-2 win over the defending-champion Florida Gators to book their spot in the title tilt. Razorbacks starter Isaiah Campbell scattered two hits and struck out eight over 5.1 stellar innings, and he gave way to a bullpen that shut the Gators out the rest of the way. Designated hitter Luke Bonfield and center fielder Dominic Fletcher contributed two RBI apiece, and third baseman Casey Martin provided the icing on the cake with an RBI single in the sixth inning. Arkansas will now face either Oregon State or Mississippi State in the championship series starting Monday. Saturday's Schedule Saturday, June 23: Oregon State vs. Mississippi State, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) Video Play Button Videos you might like Complete bracket available at NCAA.com. College World Series Schedule Game 1: Arkansas vs. Mississippi State/Oregon State; Monday, June 25, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) Game 2: Arkansas vs. Mississippi State/Oregon State; Tuesday, June 26, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) Game 3*: Arkansas vs. Mississippi State/Oregon State; Wednesday, June 27, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) *denotes if necessary Preview Oregon State stayed alive and forced Saturday's do-or-die clash behind dominant performances on the mound and at the plate. The Beavers had four different players register at least two RBI in the 12-2 win, and pitcher Brandon Eisert proved masterful in relief of Bryce Fehmel. After OSU's starter allowed four hits and two earned runs over 3.2 innings, Eisert came in and shut down Mississippi State's bats to the tune of a single hit over 5.1 innings. He also registered three strikeouts compared to a single walk. In order for the Beavers to come up with another win, though, they're going to need a stronger effort out of their starter: On Saturday, the onus is likely to be on Kevin Abel, according to D1Baseball.com's Aaron Fitt. To date, the freshman has gone 5-1 with a 3.50 ERA, 90 strikeouts and 41 walks over 64.1 innings, numbers that suggest he should be up to the challenge. On the flip side, the Bulldogs will lean on sophomore Ethan Small to help them punch a ticket to the championship series. After missing the 2017 season because of Tommy John surgery, the southpaw has posted a 2.89 ERA, 117 strikeouts and just 32 walks across 96.2 innings. With those two in action, there's real potential for a pitcher's duel. The bet here is that Small dazzles while the Bulldogs experience an awakening at the plate after falling into something of a slumber Friday afternoon. Prediction: Mississippi State 6, Oregon State 3<doc-sep>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Isaiah Campbell limited Florida to two hits over 5 1/3 innings, Arkansas scored four times in five innings against first-round draft pick Brady Singer, and the Razorbacks earned a spot in the College World Series finals with a 5-2 win over the defending champion Gators on Friday night. Campbell more than atoned for his worst performance of the season when he faced the Gators in the teams’ Southeastern Conference opening series in March. He was at his best this time, matching his career high with eight strikeouts and leaving with a 5-2 lead. Arkansas (47-19) has never gone to the CWS finals since the NCAA Tournament went to its current structure in 1999. The Razorbacks were runner-up in 1979 in their only appearance in a championship game. Florida (49-21), the No. 1 overall seed, lost for the first time in eight NCAA elimination games. The Gators were looking to get to the finals for the second straight year and fourth time since 2005. Casey Martin went 4 for 5 and Dominic Fletcher homered for the second straight game to lead the Razorbacks’ offense against Singer (12-3) and Tommy Mace. The Gators managed only three hits against Campbell (5-6), Jake Reindl and Matt Cronin — the fourth time this season they were held to three or fewer and first since May 13. Campbell’s performance was the highlight so far in his comeback from bone spurs in his right (throwing) elbow, which forced him to take a medical redshirt in 2017. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior’s fastball touched the mid-90s and his slider mid-80s, and he struck out six of the first nine Florida batters and held the Gators hitless until there was one out in the fourth. Austin Langworthy laced a ball over shortstop for the Gators’ first hit, Campbell hit Blake Reese with a pitch, and Brady Smith singled in Florida’s first run. Another run came home on a wild pitch to cut it to 4-2. The Razorbacks were up three runs when Campbell went to the mound for the sixth. When Reindl came on to relieve, Razorbacks fans gave Campbell an ovation as he strode to the dugout. Hunter Wilson ran out to give him a hug and the rest of his teammates greeted him at the top of the steps. Campbell’s outing was in stark contrast to his outing at Florida on March 24. That night, the 24th-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels lasted one inning and was rocked for six runs in a game the Razorbacks lost 17-2. Singer, the No. 18 overall draft pick by the Kansas City Royals, took both of Florida’s losses in the CWS and was beaten for the second time this season by Arkansas. Martin’s double and Fletcher’s 10th home run of the season preceded Singer’s departure in the fifth. The four earned runs against Singer were the most he’s allowed since Arkansas got to him for six on March 23 in what was his first loss of the season. The Razorbacks won three of five meetings with the Gators this season. NOW THAT’S DEFENSE Arkansas right fielder Eric Cole reached into the seats along the right-field line to catch JJ Schwarz’s foul ball to start the bottom of the ninth. The play was upheld on review. The Razorbacks also got a big play from second baseman Carson Shaddy, who went far to his right to backhand Wil Dalton’s grounder and threw across his body to get Dalton by a step at first. *** Final: Oregon St. 12, Mississippi St. 2 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — It has been decades since an offense at the College World Series has been as prolific as Oregon State’s. The good times — and the runs — kept rolling for the Beavers in a 12-2 win over Mississippi State on Friday. Oregon State used a five-run second inning to build a big lead, batted around twice and never were threatened thanks to Brandon Eisert’s season-long 5 1/3 innings of one-hit shutout relief. Oregon State joined 1995 Cal State Fullerton as the only teams in CWS history to score 11 or more runs in three consecutive games. The Beavers’ 43 runs is the highest total by a team through four games since 2001. “When you’re swinging the bat well, you have a lot of confidence going up and down the lineup,” coach Pat Casey said. “We’ve got a team approach to swinging. I think they have a lot of trust in one another. I’ve been through spells during the year when we haven’t swung the bat well. They’re swinging it well at the right time. Certainly it’s something I’m excited about.” The Beavers (51-11-1) have staved off elimination three times since losing their CWS opener to North Carolina last Saturday. They beat Washington, North Carolina and now Mississippi State. Another win over the Bulldogs (39-18) on Saturday would send Oregon State to the best-of-three CWS finals for the first time since 2007. The Bulldogs, trying to return to the CWS finals for the first time since 2013, are not in unfamiliar territory. They were down to their last strike in regionals before beating Florida State in a win-or-go-home game, and this will be the sixth time in 11 games they’ll be playing to fight off elimination. “We’ve come back many, many times, this group has,” MSU interim coach Gary Henderson said. “We’ll respond well.” Oregon State won the first of two straight national titles in 2006 after losing its first game in Omaha. The only other team since then to make it to the finals after a loss in its opener was the 2010 South Carolina championship team. The Beavers’ offensive tear continued against a Mississippi State that came into the game having allowed just two runs in 18 innings. Oregon State is batting .377 and averaging 10.8 runs in Omaha after collecting 15 hits and scoring in double digits for the third time in four games. “I don’t think any of us really pay attention to stats,” left fielder Kyle Nobach said. “We go out there and we want to play for each other. I think that raises your level of play, when your focus is not on yourself and it’s on the team, and I think everybody feels that way.” The Beavers sent 11 batters to the plate while breaking it open in the second inning. Mississippi State starter Jacob Billingsley (5-4) left after he walked the bases loaded. Keegan James walked the first batter he faced to force in a run. Adley Rutschman, batting .500 (7 for 14) with a CWS-leading nine RBIs in Omaha, followed with a two-run single as the Beavers built a 6-1 lead. Oregon State put the game out of reach when it batted around in a four-run seventh go up 11-2. Nick Madrigal and Trevor Larnach had three hits apiece for the Beavers. “The margin of error when you’re facing them right now is not very good,” Henderson said. “You have to be really, really good. We just weren’t sharp enough today to earn a victory.” Eisert (5-3) took over for starter Bryce Fehmel with two outs in the fourth and allowed only a walk in the fifth and a single in the eighth. Mississippi State, coming off a 12-2 win over North Carolina on Tuesday, managed just five hits against Fehmel and Eisert. “Kind of odd that we haven’t gotten a real quality, quality start yet,” Casey said. “Eisy was obviously lights out.”<doc-sep>
Nati Harnik/Associated Press Arkansas and Oregon State will play each other in the finals of the 2018 College World Series having outlasted six other teams at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, and another 56 when counting college baseball's national postseason tournament that started on June 1. Now nearing the end of a furious month of tournament baseball, all that's left is a best-of-three games series to decide the sport's ultimate college program. The Razorbacks are looking for their first College World Series title, while the Beavers are going for their third after winning back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007 under current head coach Pat Casey. The Beavers were wholly expected to win it all last year after coming into the CWS with a 54-4 record, but they lost twice to LSU and didn't even make the final, which Florida won. Here's how to watch the finals. College World Series Finals Times, Viewing Info Video Play Button Videos you might like Game 1: Monday, June 25 at 7 p.m. Game 2: Tuesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. Game 3: Wednesday, June 27 at 7 p.m.* TV: ESPN Live Stream: Watch ESPN *if necessary Arkansas is looking to become the sixth Southeastern Conference team to win the CWS since 2009. If the Razorbacks are to extend the SEC's run of dominance—the conference has also had five runners-up in that same timeframe—they will have to quell the white-hot bats of Oregon State. Nati Harnik/Associated Press After dropping their first game in Omaha to North Carolina 8-6, the Beavers have been on a tear, scoring 42 runs in four games to get to the final. They've done it with home runs, like Tyler Malone's three-run shot on Saturday that helped Oregon State beat the Bulldogs 5-2 and move them to the final. They've also done it by simply amassing a huge amount of hits, as evidenced by their win the day prior when the team combined for 15 hits (only four of them for extra bases) in a 12-2 victory. Catcher Adley Rutschman has been phenomenal all season long with a .393 batting average, but he has truly outdone himself in the CWS. He's hitting .529 in five games with nine hits (one home run) and 10 RBI. He's received well-deserved praise from the likes of NBCSN Northwest's Jason Quick and ESPN's Chris Burke: The Razorbacks will counter with some great arms on the mound. In three CWS games, no Arkansas starter has given up more than two runs. Blaine Knight is the best of them all. He's a staggering 13-0 this year with a 2.88 ERA and should be ready to go right away as he last pitched on June 17. Arkansas will provide a tough test with their pitching staff, but runs could still be a common thing in the final games at TD Ameritrade. As SI.com's Eric Single noted, the venue has been kind to hitters: "TD Ameritrade Park has been decidedly hitter-friendly this year, with at least 14 runs scored in seven of the 13 games played so far. Expect another shootout or two in the championship series, which pits two of the 18 Division I teams that hit .300 or better this season." The series could turn out to be a hitter's delight, as the Arkansas offense has produced 23 runs in their perfect 3-0 run in Omaha. Third baseman Casey Martin has been particularly prolific batting second in the lineup, going 8-for-13 with two RBI and six runs scored. Center fielder Dominic Fletcher has provided the pop, with two home runs in three games. As ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman pointed out, the team jumped all over Florida's excellent ace Brady Singer on Friday, gashing him for four runs in five innings in a 5-2 victory. "We're not really scared of anybody," Arkansas second baseman Carson Shaddy said, per Sherman. If you asked them a couple weeks ago, the Razorbacks might have been more worried about Oregon State's pitchers, but there have been some signs of weakness. Beavers ace Luke Heimlich (16-2, 2.80 ERA) has been roughed up in his past couple of starts, though he should be rested for Game 1 if coach Casey calls upon him. This series is shaping up to be an excellent duel. Both teams have plenty of MLB-caliber talent and should be supremely confident after playing great baseball over the past few weeks.