Super plans on hold: Walk-off single lifts UConn over Clemson, forces deciding game
CLEMSON -- The ending for Connecticut on Sunday night is what Clemson hopes for today.
The Huskies rushed to celebrate in the center of the Doug Kingsmore Stadium infield late Sunday night after L.J. Mazzilli slid across home with the winning run, scoring on a Ryan Fuller ninth-inning single to lift UConn to a 7-6 victory, forcing a deciding game at 7 p.m. today.
No. 2 seeded Connecticut will start 10-game winner Gregg Nappo today in the NCAA regional. No. 1 seeded Clemson has not named a starting pitcher.
If Clemson wins today it will mark its sixth trip to the super regionals in seven years. And if South Carolina can win its regional, a Clemson victory will set up a Columbia Super Regional showdown this weekend.
But first, Clemson (43-19) must defeat Connecticut (44-18-1), which advanced from the losers' bracket with a 12-6 win against Coastal Carolina earlier in the day Sunday.
Clemson has been here before. It won a deciding game against Alabama to advance to the College World Series last season. The Tigers came from the losers' bracket in 2009 against Oklahoma State.
"This team has been through a lot," Clemson shortstop Brad Miller said. "We have a bunch of veterans that have had their backs to the wall in elimination games before."
Clemson closer Scott Weismann thought he had pre-empted Fuller's heroics moments before with a strikeout, but the pitch was called a ball and received an argument from Clemson coaches after the game.
But as Clemson coach Jack Leggett said afterward, it was not just one pitch that accounted for Clemson losing a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning.
Justin Sarratt, who earned the starting assignment due to Jonathan Meyer's knee strain, pitched effectively into the sixth before allowing a two-run home run to Doug Elliot, trimming the Clemson lead to 4-3.
Sarratt was relieved by Kevin Brady, who entered the NCAA tournament having thrown just four scoreless innings, striking out six, since returning from a forearm strain that had kept him out since early March.
Brady's strength is his mid 90s fastball and his pinpoint control. It was there in the sixth and seventh but left him in the eighth, when UConn's George Springer rifled a single to right, was bunted to second and later scored on a squeeze play to tie the game.
Brady was replaced by Alex Frederick, who earned one out. Frederick was relieved by Weismann, who allowed a two-run single to give UConn a 6-4 lead entering the ninth. UConn's own lights-out closer Keith Vance allowed a two-run single to Spencer Kieboom to tie the game in the ninth before Fuller's heroics against Weismann, who entered having pitched 14 consecutive scoreless innings since being removed from the starting rotation.
"I think everyone in the dugout is all-in," Fuller said. "We want it so bad I think we have the momentum."
The unsung hero was UConn starter Brian Ward, who pitched eight innings against Coastal, saving UConn's bullpen arms for Clemson. UConn relievers David Fischer and Dan Feehan combined for three shutout innings in relief of Elliot Glynn (5 IP, 6H, 4R, 3ER, 5BB, K).
"Fuller finds a hole there and gets it done," UConn coach Jim Penders said. "It's a memorable win for our team, our program." Trumped only by another win today.
