Fun Lovin' Criminals: The swift afoot Wildcat outfield of Johnny Field, Joey Rickard and Robert Refsnyder proved today why they could be the nation's best in the meadow.

DAY SEVEN IN OMAHA.

This was the first time since 2010 where we saw three games in one day at the CWS, starting with South Carolina eliminating Kent State 4-1 on Michael Roth’s gem, followed by Arizona’s onslaught on a beleaguered Florida State pitching staff in a 10-3 rout and ultimately the Gamecocks second win of the day, a 2-0 clampdown of Arkansas. So we’ll have one more game on Friday with a return engagement of Arkansas and South Carolina.

So here’s a quick spin around the games today.

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GAME TEN

The Michael Roth Show continues. Brought in after pitching the Gamecocks’ first game on Friday, Roth was efficient again, retiring the final 22 straight batters to end the game, the best streak of his career. Roth is now 18-0 when his teammates give him four runs or more. That’s pretty simple. And as ESPN’s Mike Patrick would say, “Brilliant is the only word I can think of.” Very apropos. Back to back RBI singles from Grayson Greiner and Chase Vergason answered back a KSU early run and would be all that the Cocks would need. But just to make sure, LB Dantzler went ahead and parked a two-run homer in the 3rd inning to give SoCar some insurance runs.

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LINESCORE:

Kent State – 010 000 000 – 1  2  0

South Car – 022 000 00x – 4  7  0

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PITCHING.

WP: Michael Roth, 9-1

LP: Tyler Skulina, 11-3

Save: None

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TOP HITTERS.

KSU:

- Sawyer Polen, 1-for-3, RBI

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South Carolina:

- LB Dantzler, 1-for-3, 2RunHR

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KNEE-JERK REACTION.

It’s Michael Roth. We can’t be surprised at his dominance. My first thought was, “How quickly is Ray Tanner going to bring him back?… the night game?” (Yes Keith Law just went on suicide alert). Because of him, Carolina cruised in this one without a lot of effort.

Kent State says goodbye to a groundbreaking season. Not just for their own program going 47-20 and reaching the CWS for the first time ever, but also for Northern baseball in total. Teams in the Midwest and North, including the MAC, Big 10 and Big East know that the dream of getting to Omaha is for real, no matter where you sit in the pecking order. It all depends on the draw and how hot you get at the right time. But even with that, this is still a Cinderella story that was great for the sport. Especially since this was a team that wasn’t as good as their 2011 unit who lost out in the Regionals at Texas. Scott Stricklin is a masterful guide for that Golden Flashes program. And yes, you heard correctly during the game, KSU had a perfect 1000 in the APR, the best academics of any team in the field of eight.

Very impressed with Tyler Skulina as well. The Golden Flashes starter K’d nine batters, the highest total so far for any pitcher in the CWS.

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NOTES:

- The last time a team played two complete games in one day was in 1980, when both Michigan and Cal were forced to do so. The Bears played Michigan and Clemson on June 1st – losing 9-8 in 12inns and winning 6-4, respectively. The Wolverines turned the trick on June 2nd taking on Miami and Arizona – they lost both 3-2 and 8-0 respectively.

- Kent State finished the season with a remarkable 28-5 record in games away and neutral games this year.

- Going into the game, the Flashes had won each of the last 12 games that Tyler Skulina had started, the 3rd-longest streak in the country behind Utah Valley’s Jeremy Gendlek and Stony Brook’s Tyler Johnson, who both won 13 straight.

- South Carolina has now allowed four runs or fewer in all eight of its NCAA tournament games.

- In 11 career NCAA tournament starts, Roth is now 8-0 having never allowed more than three earned runs. Roth also was making his 19th start of the season, second most in the country behind Ty Blach of Creighton, who started 21 games this year.

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GAME ELEVEN.

Looks like the freshman jitters may have finally caught up with Florida State. After a decent first start vs. Arizona (giving up two earned runs in 4.1 innings) in their first matchup, Brandon Leibrandt had zero luck in this one. After sailing a potential double-play ball into centerfield in the first inning, he went on to give up six runs in his one-third of an inning of work. From there, Arizona put it on cruise control to boatrace the Seminoles in a breeze. Not much more to write about it.

Kurt Heyer was "a bulldog" according to FSU's Mike Martin, throwing 123 pitches, scattering nine hits in 7.1 innings of work for his 13th win.

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LINESCORE:

F.S.U. – 000 100 101 -  3  11  4

UofA. – 600 400 00x -  10  15  0

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PITCHING.

WP: Kurt Heyer, 13-2

LP: Brandon Leibrandt, 8-3

Save: None

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TOP HITTERS.

FSU:

- Sherman Johnson, 2-for-3, 2walks

- Justin Gonzalez, 3-for-4, RBI double

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Arizona:

- Robert Refsnyder, 3-for-5, HR, RBI, walk

- Bobby Brown, 2-for-2, HR, 2RBI, 2walks

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KNEE-JERK REACTION.

Of course, the college baseball media is going to be all abuzz about how this marks the 15th trip to the College World Series for FSU’s Mike Martin and he’s still looking for his first national title. Look, give the guy a break, guys like Rod Dedeaux and Skip Bertman have made national titles look easy. But that’s as far from the truth as it gets. “11″ is a great coach who just hasn’t gotten the right break at the right time. That’s it. He’ll be back here in Omaha again and who knows… he is certainly due, that’s for sure. Otherwise, this was a great season for coach Martin, considering all the young dudes he had to lean on, including both his Friday and Saturday starting pitchers.

But on the flip-side, how cool is it to see Andy Lopez make it to the championship round? I have to say, in all my dealings with coaches across the country, that dude is one of the coolest. As i’ve said many, many… maybe even TOO many times over the years, Beano Cook says as you get older you start to cheer for people more than you do for teams. Andy Lopez is one of the people you should cheer for. The dude is totally down to Earth and totally legit.

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NOTES:

- Top Five Things Mike Martin said in the postage:

1- Sometimes you’re the dog, sometimes you’re the fire hydrant.

2- About the easiest way to sum it up is say we got taken to the woodshed today.

3- Our goal now is to try to get back out here in 2013.

4- I’ll tell you exactly how I feel, like it’s Christmastime. I feel like King David because I am on top of the world.

5- Thanks to you folks (looking at the media in the room) for publicizing college baseball and making this such an event. You people do such a wonderful job of providing such great information and insights.

- The last time Arizona defeated Florida State twice in the College World Series was 1986. The Cats went on to win the national championship under Jerry Kindall.

- Arizona has gotten at least 7.0 innings from its starting pitchers in every game of the NCAA tournament so far.

- So far in this NCAA tournament, the Desert Cats have earned 37 walks while their pitchers have issued just 11. UofA got seven free passes in today’s win.

- And yes, you knew this was coming, with FSU’s elimination today, the ACC will go another year without winning a national title. Wake Forest in 1955 was the last time. Miami has won titles but only as an independent.

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PICS

Some images from the second game of the day.

Robert Refsnyder (#2) trots home after banging out his 7th yard call of the season.

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FSU 3rd sacker Sherman Johnson and 3rd base umpire Jeff Henrichs watch a double tumble down the line from the bat of Seth Mejias-Brean.

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The familiar slow gait: Mike Martin made this lumbering walk to the mound many times today, looking for the right combination. He would use eight pitchers in all.

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For example, I'm really glad I took this shot of Brandon Johnson, 'coz he was only in the game for one batter before coach Martin pulled him.

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Arizona shortstop Alex Mejia and 2nd base umpire Phil Benson share a light moment during a mound visit.

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With his buddies laughing at him, this young fan went head over tea kettle trying to retrieve a foul ball. Luckily a grounds crew dude was able to offer to help him back into the stands.

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Senior All American James Ramsey, a recipient of the LOWES Senior Class Award earlier in the day, didn't have his mojo with him today. Here, he pops up harmlessly with the bases loaded in the 7th inning.

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Their body language says it all: The rout was on and the end was imminent, Justin Gonzalez comforts Sherman Johnson .

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A touching moment: Seniors James Ramsey and Sherman Johnson hug it out one last time in the dugout causing the bat girls to get a little choked up too.

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GAME TWELVE

Alice Cooper would like this South Carolina team, because they act like Mr. Welcome-to-my-Nightmare’s boa constrictor. They cut off the air and suffocate you. The Gamecocks got a pair of runs in the 2nd inning and then went into DefCon 9, allowing few hits and making plays in the field all game long. Back to back doubles from Erik Payne and Tanner English scored one run and then an RBI single from Chase Vergason would be all the scoring the Cocks would need.

Great effort from Jordan Montgomery, who went 8.0 innings, giving up just three hits and no runs, giving his teammates more than enough solid pitching. He also added to the South Carolina lore of players stepping up out of the blue and helping them win a title.

Again I ask, anyone wanna bet against these guys?

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LINESCORE:

South Car – 020 000 000  – 2  8  0

Arkansas – 000 000 000 -  0  3  1

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PITCHING.

WP: Jordan Montgomery, 6-1

LP: Randall Fant, 2-3

Save: Matt Price, 13

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TOP HITTERS.

South Carolina:

- Christian Walker, 2-for-4

- Tanner English, 1-for-4, RBI double

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Arkansas:

- None.

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KNEE-JERK REACTION.

Just like any typical SEC weekend, this one could’ve gone either way, and same goes for the game tomorrow. But one that you have to like if you’re a South Carolina fan is that these two wins today have given those boys confidence out the ying-yang now. And you KNOW how this Gamecock team when they’re playing with confidence? It could be curtains for the Hogs. But don’t turn the lights out on these Razorbacks either. One thing they’ve got going for them is they’ll probably be able to turn to either of their studs in D.J. Baxendale or Ryne Stanek, since they threw on Saturday and Monday respectively. Carolina has burned Roth for tomorrow, though they’ve got some depth in the staff to work with. Coach Tanner hinted at

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PICS

Yeah, the usual visuals and stuff…

Nolan Belcher's pre-game flip has become all the rage. Note all the photogs around the circle.

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As Mark Etheridge noted, Jordan Montgomery's performance was almost MichaelRothian tonight giving up just three hits in 8.0 innings.

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The long-winged Trent Daniel was one of four Razorback arms tonight that held the Gamecocks in check.

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I was down in the 1st base photo well so I'm not sure if the ESPN cameras showed this Gen Ad fan running onto the field tonight. Here's the procession of pics to let you know what happened, just in case you missed it.

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Seeing the grounds crew guys giving chase, the perpetrator gets away briefly and tries to made a hard cut in the damp grass in his bare feet.

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Eventually he slips down and the grounds crew starts to converge.

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Down for the count. Now the grounds crew starts to pile on, one of them even threw a haymaker punch into his spleen.

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... and just for good measure, Chief Thunderfoot comes sliding into the melee hoof-first to inflict a little more pain.

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Then, curiously, he's given a leisurely walk off the field. No arm crunched up above his shoulder-blade, no zip-ties around his wrists. Hell, they should've offered him tea and crumpets with the laissez faire walk they gave him. C'mon guys, get a few more shots in, quit being so damned civil.

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Soon after that, Matt Price got the final out of the game and none other than Michael Roth (#29) was the first one there to do the hug-it-out with him.

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Coach Tanner and the boys give Jordan Montgomery some light-hearted shit for going to be Jessica Mendoza's post-game interview instead of taking part in the team huddle.

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That’s it guys and dolls. We have one more game between Arkansas and South Carolina to decide the opponent for Arizona in the CWS Championship Series, which starts on Sunday night.

G’night.