The second day of the College World Series kicked off on Saturday, with the team’s in Bracket 2 hitting the diamond for the first time.
Friday’s action saw Tennessee defeat Florida State and North Carolina take down Virginia. The ACC and SEC were back on display once again on Saturday, with Kentucky, NC State, Texas A&M and Florida all in action.
Here’s how the day’s action has gone.
Bracket 2
Kentucky def. NC State, 5-4
Texas A&M def. Florida, 3-2
Kentucky 5, NC State 4
Nine innings weren’t enough to determine a winner in the day’s early tilt.
Kentucky was seeking its first win at the College World Series in program history, and a home run from Mitchell Daly in the bottom of the 10th allowed the Wildcats to secure it in style.
KENTUCKY WALKS IT OFF IN ITS FIRST EVER <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCWS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MCWS</a> GAME IN PROGRAM HISTORY 👏 <a href="https://t.co/q6igsD384n">pic.twitter.com/q6igsD384n</a>
WHAT A DEBUT <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreUK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreUK</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCWS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MCWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/3JuRfKhlrc">pic.twitter.com/3JuRfKhlrc</a>
The home run was one of four that the Wildcats and Wolfpack combined for on the day.
Kentucky opened the scoring in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead after an RBI single from Nick Lopez. NC State would tie it at 1-1 after a Jacob Cozart single in the third, and that score held until the bottom of the fourth when Nolan McCarthy got a hold of a pitch.
BIG GAME NOLAN 💣💥💪<br><br>💻<a href="https://t.co/mAFE1UQyNj">https://t.co/mAFE1UQyNj</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPN</a>)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreUK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreUK</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCWS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MCWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/js7OGKdsfq">pic.twitter.com/js7OGKdsfq</a>
The two-run blast gave the Wildcats a 3-1 lead, but Alec Makarewicz tied the game for NC State with a two-run home run of his own in the seventh inning.
.<a href="https://twitter.com/Alec_mak99?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Alec_mak99</a> bombs hit different in Omaha🤯 <a href="https://t.co/AQ2ixnH0pE">pic.twitter.com/AQ2ixnH0pE</a>
The Wolfpack took the lead for the first time after a wild pitch brought Garrett Pennington in.
The lead belongs to the WOLFPACK🤪 <a href="https://t.co/76C0XXE8Lv">pic.twitter.com/76C0XXE8Lv</a>
This meant that NC State had a chance to close it out in the bottom of the inning, but that hope didn’t last for very long.
POSTSEASON RON MADE IT TO OMAHA 💣💥💪🙀<br><br>WE ARE TIED!!!!!!!<br><br>💻<a href="https://t.co/mAFE1UQ0XL">https://t.co/mAFE1UQ0XL</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPN</a>)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreUK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreUK</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCWS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MCWS</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/rynicholson25?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rynicholson25</a> <a href="https://t.co/HzpMeUYQEU">pic.twitter.com/HzpMeUYQEU</a>
The opposite field home run from Ryan Nicholson evened the score once again and then Daly’s extra inning home run sealed the victory for the Wildcats.
Kentucky advanced within the winner’s bracket and will face the winner of Texas A&M and Florida. NC State will look to avoid elimination against the loser of that matchup.
Texas A&M 3, Florida 2
Jace LaViolette robbed a Cade Kurland home run in the top of the ninth inning, spurring a 3-2 win for Texas A&M on Saturday.
Kurland’s deep fly to right would have given Florida a 4-3 lead in a game that was dominated by pitching.
HOME RUN ROBBERY❗️❗️❗️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCWS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MCWS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SCTop10?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SCTop10</a> x 🎥 ESPN / <a href="https://twitter.com/AggieBaseball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AggieBaseball</a> <a href="https://t.co/9JOCLc40uX">pic.twitter.com/9JOCLc40uX</a>
“I got a total wrong read off the bat, I’m not going to lie,” LaViolette told reporters after the game. “I looked up and thought this might be a homer, and my heart dropped for a second and then I was at the wall. I give a little credit to the wind. This ballpark plays a lot bigger than what it is, and the wind knocked it down a little bit. It was a real cool play.”
Justin Lamkin, Chris Cortez and Evan Aschenbeck combined to strike out 16 batters while allowing two runs on eight hits. Each of the three Texas A&M pitchers went three innings.
“Evan had to make really good pitches to get out of it,” Schlossnagle said of jams in the eighth and ninth innings. “Really good [opponent], playing in the College World Series with your season on the line, we trust Evan. You’re going to ride or die with your best.”
The Aggies did all of their damage offensively in the first three innings, running Liam Peterson out of the game after he gave up three runs in 2.1 innings of work. Three Florida relievers allowed just two hits the rest of the way.
Texas A&M plays Kentucky on Monday in the winners’ bracket, while Florida faces NC State in an elimination game.
College World Series 2024: Saturday Scores, Winners and Bracket Results – Bleacher Report
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