UA Baseball on Verge of National Championship
Thanks to more outstanding pitching, this time from JC Cloney, the Wildcats defeated Coastal Carolina in the first game of the best-of-three finals at the College World Series. A second victory over the Chanticleers would give the UA its fifth NCAA title.

University Relations – Communications
June 27, 2016

2AZA1276.jpg

UA pitcher JC Cloney was impossible for Coastal Carolina to solve in Monday's 3-0 victory for the Wildcats.
UA pitcher JC Cloney was impossible for Coastal Carolina to solve in Monday's 3-0 victory for the Wildcats. (Photo: Stan Liu/Arizona Athletics)


If they score early, it's over.

That has become the postseason story for the Arizona Wildcats, who moved to within one win of a fifth NCAA baseball championship with Monday night's 3-0 victory over Coastal Carolina in the first game of the best-of-three finals at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Arizona scored a run in the first inning and added two more in the seventh to back the brilliant, four-hit pitching of junior lefthander JC Cloney, who went the full nine innings in recording his second win of the CWS.

The two teams meet again at 5 p.m. MST Tuesday. A third game, if necessary, would be played at the same time on Wednesday. Arizona will be going for its 50th win of the season under first-year head coach Jay Johnson.

Encouraged by cheers of "U of A! U of A!" from a large fan contingent at TD Ameritrade Park, the Wildcats wasted no time in scratching out a run. Cody Ramer led off the game with a double, went to third base on Zach Gibbons' groundout and scored on Ryan Aguilar's single.

In the seventh, Arizona scored two runs on only two hits. Cesar Salazar singled, then went to second on Louis Boyd's sacrifice bunt and to third on a wild pitch. He scored on Gibbons' sacrifice fly. Another clutch hit by Aguilar scored Ramer with the inning's second run.

This postseason, Arizona is 6-0 when scoring in the first inning and 9-0 when scoring first in the game. The Wildcats are also 10-0 when scoring first at TD Ameritrade Park, where they last won the CWS in 2012.

Cloney handcuffed a potent Coastal Carolina lineup that came into the game with a .297 team batting average and 95 home runs to its credit. The Chanticleers had runners at first and second base with no outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Cloney — who has pitched 16 scoreless innings at the CWS — got Connor Owings to hit into a double play and then struck out G.K. Young to end the game.

On Saturday, the Wildcats worked their formula of early offense and dominant pitching to defeat Oklahoma State, 5-1, and advance to the finals. It was a third consecutive elimination-game victory at the CWS for Arizona, which improved to 6-0 in the postseason when facing elimination. The Wildcats had defeated Oklahoma State, 9-3, on Friday after losing to the Cowboys, 1-0, earlier in the week.


Starting pitcher Bobby Dalbec was strong on the mound, improving his season record to 11-5 with a seven-inning performance in which he allowed only one run on four hits. He struck out six and worked around two walks. Arizona opened the game by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first and added two more in the second to provide an early cushion that proved to be enough.

Extra info

What

College World Series finals (best of three) vs. Coastal Carolina

Where

TD Ameritrade Park, Omaha, Nebraska

When

5 p.m. MST Tuesday and (if necessary) 5 p.m. Wednesday; telecast by ESPN

THE ROAD TO OMAHA

How the Wildcats made it to the finals of the College World Series:

NCAA Regional, Lafayette, Louisiana

  • Sam Houston State, won 7-3
  • Louisiana Lafayette, lost 10-3
  • Sam Houston State, won 6-5
  • Louisiana Lafayette, won 6-3
  • Louisiana Lafayette, won 3-1

NCAA Super Regional, Starkville, Mississippi

  • Mississippi State, won 1-0
  • Mississippi State, won 6-5 (11 innings)

College World Series, Omaha, Nebraska

  • Miami (Fla.), won 5-1
  • Oklahoma State, lost 1-0
  • UC Santa Barbara, won 3-0
  • Oklahoma State, won 9-3
  • Oklahoma State, won 5-1

Share

Resources for the media