Will Scott is in Fort Worth covering the TCU Regional. Here are his recaps from day 1:
(2) Virginia 6, (3) Dallas Baptist 3
DBU hit 3 home runs and the Hoos didn't go yard once, but that didn't keep Virginia from coming out on top in a 6-3 victory in a long anticipated game 1 here in the Fort Worth regional, one that was played 28 hours later than expected due to inclement weather.
UVA pitcher Derek Casey won his first career NCAA tournament start, and made coach Brian O'Connor very happy with his performance.
"So proud of Derek. He was tremendous, really. Best outing of the year. Best outing of his career, really", he said in the postgame press conference. "Certainly, Dallas Baptist is the kind of team that you play that you are on the edge of your seat pitching to those guys because they have so many threats that can hit the ball out of the ballpark, and they're very aggressive, and I thought Derek did a tremendous job. Even though they got three home runs, they were all solo home runs, and just kind of limited the damage."
Casey exited the game to a raucous ovation from the UVA fan base that made the trip to Texas. I asked him what that meant to him after the game: "We didn't expect that many fans to make the trip...their support means so much."
Virginia racked up 10 hits, many of which were when the batter was facing two strikes. O'Connor stressed that storyline after the game, "What makes our lineup special is our two strike approach. Our hits with two strikes."
The Hoos, many of whom thought deserved to be hosting a regional, will take on TCU today in the winners bracket at 4:00 CT at Lupton Stadium.
As for the losing Patriots, they will take on Central Connecticut State at noon CT in the elimination game.
"Virginia is exactly what we thought they were. We tip our cap to them but we wanted to play better," head Coach Dan Heefner said after the game. "That's one thing we need to do a better job of...having quality at bats." The Patriots were 0-7 with runners on base.
"[Derek Casey] did a really good job of mixing. We kind of struggled staying on top of the ball," DBU center fielder Hannah Jameson said in the press conference.
Casey (5-2) was awarded the win for the Hoos, and DBU's Jordan Martison (9-4) was the losing pitcher.
(1) TCU 9, (4) Central Connecticut State 6
The 4 seed from New Britain, Connecticut just wouldn't go away. They were in the game most of the night, only trailing 3-1 in the 8th, but faced a 9-1 deficit entering the 9th. They made it VERY interesting, scoring five to make it 9-6 and even sent the tying run to the plate, but the Frogs held off the late rally to advance to the winners bracket.
"Nobody at this time is going to cash in down 9-1. Central Connecticut certainly didn't. You have to give them some credit too," TCU head coach Jim Schollsnagle said. He referenced the Horned Frogs 2015 regional elimination game, when they rallied from an 8-1 deficit in the 8th inning to win 9-8. "The game is not over until the 27th out is made."
Mitchell Traver was dominate for the Frogs, as he went 7 innings only allowing 1 run and 1 hit, striking out 9. "Obviously the #1 job was to go out and give the team a chance to win, and any time you can pitch deep into a ballgame in the first game of a regional, you feel good about that," Traver said after the game. "I'm thankful for a great night and glad we got the win."
The regional host will take on Virginia tomorrow in the winners bracket game at 4 CT.
"It will be a ridiculously awesome game. Incredibly talented players and big leaguers all over the field...I mean, it's what you want man," Schlossnagle told me.
Central Connecticut will play Dallas Baptist in the elimination game at noon.
"I felt we played hard. We battled as hard as we could. We obviously know that we were playing a high quality team and a well coached team. We got ourselves to 3-1 in the 8th inning. I would take that at the beginning of the year every year," Central Connecticut head coach Charlie Hickley said in the postgame press conference.
When I asked CCSU's Dean Lockery what coach was telling them going into the 9th inning, he said, "Coach was telling us to breathe...and act like it was your last at bat. To keep fighting." They did keep fighting, and made Frog fans anxious until the very end.
Will Scott will continue to cover the Fort Worth regional for CSM. Follow him on Twitter for complete coverage and analysis: @WScottSports
(2) Virginia 6, (3) Dallas Baptist 3
DBU hit 3 home runs and the Hoos didn't go yard once, but that didn't keep Virginia from coming out on top in a 6-3 victory in a long anticipated game 1 here in the Fort Worth regional, one that was played 28 hours later than expected due to inclement weather.
UVA pitcher Derek Casey won his first career NCAA tournament start, and made coach Brian O'Connor very happy with his performance.
"So proud of Derek. He was tremendous, really. Best outing of the year. Best outing of his career, really", he said in the postgame press conference. "Certainly, Dallas Baptist is the kind of team that you play that you are on the edge of your seat pitching to those guys because they have so many threats that can hit the ball out of the ballpark, and they're very aggressive, and I thought Derek did a tremendous job. Even though they got three home runs, they were all solo home runs, and just kind of limited the damage."
Casey exited the game to a raucous ovation from the UVA fan base that made the trip to Texas. I asked him what that meant to him after the game: "We didn't expect that many fans to make the trip...their support means so much."
Virginia racked up 10 hits, many of which were when the batter was facing two strikes. O'Connor stressed that storyline after the game, "What makes our lineup special is our two strike approach. Our hits with two strikes."
The Hoos, many of whom thought deserved to be hosting a regional, will take on TCU today in the winners bracket at 4:00 CT at Lupton Stadium.
As for the losing Patriots, they will take on Central Connecticut State at noon CT in the elimination game.
"Virginia is exactly what we thought they were. We tip our cap to them but we wanted to play better," head Coach Dan Heefner said after the game. "That's one thing we need to do a better job of...having quality at bats." The Patriots were 0-7 with runners on base.
"[Derek Casey] did a really good job of mixing. We kind of struggled staying on top of the ball," DBU center fielder Hannah Jameson said in the press conference.
Casey (5-2) was awarded the win for the Hoos, and DBU's Jordan Martison (9-4) was the losing pitcher.
(1) TCU 9, (4) Central Connecticut State 6
The 4 seed from New Britain, Connecticut just wouldn't go away. They were in the game most of the night, only trailing 3-1 in the 8th, but faced a 9-1 deficit entering the 9th. They made it VERY interesting, scoring five to make it 9-6 and even sent the tying run to the plate, but the Frogs held off the late rally to advance to the winners bracket.
"Nobody at this time is going to cash in down 9-1. Central Connecticut certainly didn't. You have to give them some credit too," TCU head coach Jim Schollsnagle said. He referenced the Horned Frogs 2015 regional elimination game, when they rallied from an 8-1 deficit in the 8th inning to win 9-8. "The game is not over until the 27th out is made."
Mitchell Traver was dominate for the Frogs, as he went 7 innings only allowing 1 run and 1 hit, striking out 9. "Obviously the #1 job was to go out and give the team a chance to win, and any time you can pitch deep into a ballgame in the first game of a regional, you feel good about that," Traver said after the game. "I'm thankful for a great night and glad we got the win."
The regional host will take on Virginia tomorrow in the winners bracket game at 4 CT.
"It will be a ridiculously awesome game. Incredibly talented players and big leaguers all over the field...I mean, it's what you want man," Schlossnagle told me.
Central Connecticut will play Dallas Baptist in the elimination game at noon.
"I felt we played hard. We battled as hard as we could. We obviously know that we were playing a high quality team and a well coached team. We got ourselves to 3-1 in the 8th inning. I would take that at the beginning of the year every year," Central Connecticut head coach Charlie Hickley said in the postgame press conference.
When I asked CCSU's Dean Lockery what coach was telling them going into the 9th inning, he said, "Coach was telling us to breathe...and act like it was your last at bat. To keep fighting." They did keep fighting, and made Frog fans anxious until the very end.
Will Scott will continue to cover the Fort Worth regional for CSM. Follow him on Twitter for complete coverage and analysis: @WScottSports
