Gauchos make a grand entrance

Pinch-hit homer gets

UC Santa Barbara into

College World Series

Associated Press

UC Santa Barbara, Miami, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech won their best-of-three super regionals Sunday to join Arizona in reaching the College World Series.

Santa Barbara will make its first CWS trip to Omaha, Nebraska, after a dramatic road sweep over No. 2 national seed Louisville. Sam Cohen’s walk-off pinch grand slam off star closer Zack Burdi in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 4-3 victory stands as the biggest hit in the history of a program that had made nine previous NCAA Tournament appearances but never got out of regionals.

No. 3 Miami advanced to a second straight CWS and 25th overall with a 9-4 win over Boston College in Game 3 in Coral Gables, Florida. Edgar Michelangeli hit a three-run homer and grand slam, with the second blast leading to a confrontation between the teams after Michelangeli flipped his bat at the start of his trot and an exchange of words between him and BC catcher Nick Sciortino.

Oklahoma State defeated South Carolina 3-1 to post a sweep in Columbia, where the Gamecocks were 30-3 in the regular season but 4-3 in the national tournament. The Cowboys, who are in the CWS for the first time since 1999, scored all three of their runs in the fifth inning on two hits and two errors.

No. 5 Texas Tech bounced back in from a Game 1 loss in Lubbock to win two straight over East Carolina, with Erikson Lanning and Hayden Howard combining on a two-hit shutout in an 11-0 victory Sunday. The Red Raiders are in their second CWS, all in the last three years.

In Sunday night games, it was Florida State at No. 1 Florida, TCU at No. 4 Texas A&M, and Coastal Carolina at No. 8 LSU. Florida State and Coastal Carolina led 1-0, and TCU and A&M played a Game 3. Arizona was the first to make the CWS after sweeping No. 6 Mississippi State on Saturday.

Around the country:

BIG BATS

UC Santa Barbara’s Cohen had just 26 at-bats this season before stepping to the plate in the bottom of the ninth Sunday and delivering his second career home run.

Michelangeli, who didn’t homer his first two seasons at Miami, has hit three of his five this season since May 26.

Boston College’s Donovan Casey 2 for 5 with three RBIs.

Louisville’s Blake Tiberi was 3 for 4 Sunday and 5 for 8 in the super regional.

Texas Tech’s Hunter Hargrove was 3 for 5 with a double and four RBIs.

South Carolina’s Marcus Mooney went 3 for 4.

MARVELOUS ON MOUND

Louisville’s Drew Harrington pitched seven shutout innings and struck out 12.

UC Santa Barbara’s James Carter, Trevor Bettencourt and Kevin Chandler combined on 32/3 innings of shutout relief after Louisville took a 3-0 lead.

Oklahoma State’s Tyler Buffett pitched seven innings, allowing one run on eight hits and a walk.

South Carolina’s Tyler Johnson struck out four of seven batters in two innings of relief.

Miami’s Bryan Garcia worked the last 11/3 innings for his third save of the tournament and 18th of the season.