OMAHA, Neb. — Cesar Carillo pitched eight solid innings Saturday night to earn his 12th win in 12 decisions and Miami launched a pair of two-run homers as the top-ranked Hurricanes defeated sixth-ranked LSU, 9-5, in a College World Series first-round game.
The game was played before 26,530 fans, the largest crowd in College World Series history.
Miami (50-11), which won its 13th straight game, advanced to a winners’ bracket contest against Cal State Fullerton at 6 p.m. Monday.
LSU (46-18), which saw its five-game win streak end, plays an elimination game versus South Carolina at 1 p.m. Monday.
“We knew we had to come out early and swing the bats,” said LSU coach Smoke Laval. “We knew Carillo would get stronger as the game goes on. We matched them early. We scored runs and then they scored runs, and then broke it open late.”
The Tigers erupted for three runs against Carillo in the top of the first inning. The outburst began when J.C. Holt led off the game with a double and scored on Ryan Patterson’s single.
Blake Gill followed with another single, sending Patterson to third before Jon Zeringue delivered a sacrifice fly. Gill later scored on Ivan Naccarata’s two-out RBI single.
Miami, however, struck back for three runs of its own against LSU starter Nate Bumstead.
Adam Ricks doubled with one out before Ryan Braun unloaded his 10th homer of the season to cut the deficit to 3-2. Singles by Jim Burt, Brian Barton and Gaby Sanchez helped Miami tie the game before Bumstead retired the side.
LSU regained the lead in the second with a pair of runs as Holt contributed a sacrifice fly and Zeringue drove in a run when he was hit by a Carrillo pitch with the bases loaded.
Again, Miami tied the game in the bottom of the second as Jon Jay lined an RBI single and later scored on Braun’s double-play grounder.
Bumstead was lifted in the top of the third after he issued a walk to start the frame. In two innings, he allowed five runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Jason Determann pitched effectively in relief for the Tigers, holding Miami scoreless until the fifth, when the Hurricanes grabbed a 6-5 lead on an RBI single by Sanchez.
The Hurricanes broke the game open with a three-run sixth as Jay lifted an RBI triple to left field and Ricks deposited a Determann pitch beyond the left-field wall for a two-run homer, his 11th of the season.
Carillo (12-0) was nearly unhittable for the remainder of his outing, allowing just two hits from the third through the eighth innings.
“As the game went on, (Carillo) got a lot better,” Holt said. “He got a lot quicker. I don’t think his stuff got that much better. He kept the ball down a little more than he did in the early innings.”
Carrillo, who fired 136 pitches, exited the game after the eighth, as he was charged with five runs (two earned) on seven hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
Reliever Danny Gil pitched a scoreless ninth inning for Miami.
Determann (6-5) took the loss, as he surrendered four runs on four hits in five innings with one walk and five strikeouts.
Miami 9, LSU 5 (Jun 19, 2004 at Omaha, Neb.)
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LSU…………….. 320 000 000 – 5 7 0 (46-18)
Miami…………… 320 013 00X – 9 12 2 (50-11)
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Pitchers: LSU – Bumstead; Determann(3); Smith, G.(8). Miami – CARRILLO; GIL(9).
Win-CARRILLO(12-0) Loss-Determann(6-5) T-2:43 A-26530
HR MIA – RICKS (11); BRAUN (10).
Bumstead faced 1 batter in the 3rd.