Box Score LOS ANGELES---CSU Bakersfield stayed alive in the 2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament by defeating Ole Miss 2-1 in an elimination game Saturday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
A two-out David Metzgar (So., Lancaster, Calif., Paraclete HS) throwing error on a Connor Cloyd grounder to second kept the Rebels' second alive. Cameron Dishon smacked a single to right that Chance Gusbeth (So., Lancaster, Calif., Desert Christian HS) field and threw home to cut down J.B. Woodman at the plate for the final out.
Gusbeth recorded CSUB's first hit to lead off the bottom of the third. Logan Trowbridge (Sr., Santa Cruz, Calif., College of San Mateo) walked to bring up Joey Sanchez (So., Pico Rivera, Calif., El Rancho HS). Sanchez failed to get the sacrifice bunt down and he struck out. Brady Bramlett, the Ole Miss starter, retired Jordie Hein (So., Scottsdale, Ariz., Chapparal HS) and Ryan Grotjohn (So., Cave Creek, Ariz., Brophy College Prep) with a fly out and strike out respectively.
Metzgar led off the CSUB fourth with a double to left. Soloman Williams (Sr., Long Beach, Calif., Golden West College) blasted a Bramlett fastball, landing near the UCLA batting cages an estimated 385 feet away, to give the Roadrunners a 2-0 lead.
Errol Robinson's third hit of the game, a double to left, got the Rebels' fifth underway. Will Golsan grounded out to second which allowed Robinson to advance to third. Colby Bortles hit a ball to the wall in centerfield that Hein leaped and made a spectacular catch. Robinson tagged and scored on what proved to be a sacrifice fly.
Cameron Dishon was hit by a pitch to start the Ole Miss seventh. Robinson, who was 3-for-3, coming to bat, failed on two attempts at a sacrifice bunt. Robinson struck out looking on a Carter split-finger that hit the outside corner. Dishon attempted to steal second, but he was thrown out by Trowbridge. Golsan's grounder to short was the final out.
Sikes Orvis singled to right with one out in the top of the eighth. Kyle Watson pinch-ran for Orvis prior to Austin Knight coming to bat. Knight flew out to Metzgar down the right field line. Woodman flew out to left. Carter retired the Rebels in order in the ninth to secure the victory.
Carter reset the CSUB school record with his eighth complete game of the season. He held the old mark of seven with Jonathan Montoya (2011). He scattered seven hits, striking out two and walking two. Carter threw 117 pitches, 69 for strikes. Max Carter (So., Bakersfield, Calif., Stockdale HS) was the lone CSUB player with multiple hits (2-for-3). In addition to Robinson, Woodman had more than one hit for Ole Miss. He was 2-for-4.
CSU Bakersfield, the fourth seed in the regional, improved to 37-23-1, tying the 2013 school record for most wins in a season. Ole Miss, seeded second in the regional, ends 2015 with a 30-28 record.
CSUB will play the loser of Saturday night's game between the No. 1 seed UCLA and the No. 3 seed Maryland at 4 p.m. The winner of that game will play the winner of Saturday's game at 8 p.m. in the first championship contest of the tournament. The Roadrunner game will be televised by ESPN U and can be seen online on ESPN 3 or the WatchESPN app. You can listen to the game on 1230 ESPN as well.
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