LSU clinches spot in College World Series final after Arkansas botches game in most brutal fashion
An already insane game between LSU and Arkansas in the College World Series had a fitting ending as the Tigers advanced to the championship series for the second consecutive time.
Down 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday night in Omaha, Neb., it looked as though the Razorbacks were on the verge of victory, but a misplayed ball with two outs kept LSU alive and led to its eventual win.
Luis Hernandez lined a two-out ball into left field, and it looked as though Charles Davalan was going to make the catch for the final out.
Advertisement
4 Razorbacks center fielder Justin Thomas Jr. looks on dejectedly as LSU Tigers players celebrate their 6-5 win at Charles Schwab Field on June 18, 2025.
Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
Nevertheless, Davalan seemed to misread where the ball was going to go and was forced to scramble as he raced to try to make a catch, unsuccessfully diving as it hit off his glove and rolled away.
It allowed Ethan Frey and Steven Milam to score and tie the game at five as the crowd in Omaha went ballistic at what had just occurred.
Advertisement
4 Charles Davalan misplayed the ball in left field with two outs in the ninth.
But the dramatics weren't done there.
Jared Jones, who had already hit a game-tying solo home run in the eighth inning, then stepped up to the plate and hit one off the glove of Arkansas second baseman Cam Kozeal that went into the outfield and allowed the game-winning run to score.
Advertisement
4 Tigers catcher Luis Hernandez signals the bench in celebration after driving in two runs with a double during LSU's comeback win over Arkansas at Charles Schwab Field.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
4 Tigers catcher Luis Hernandez celebrates after LSU's come-from-behind win over Arkansas.
Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
It capped a wild game in which Arkansas let a 1-0 lead slip away in the sixth inning before the Razorbacks got a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning, only to see that disappear in the bottom half.
Advertisement
After the heroics, Jones ran over to where his parents were sitting and hugged his dad and mom.
The win sets the stage for a showdown in the championship series between LSU and Coastal Carolina, which is set to begin on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
37 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area sports calendar, June 20-22
BASEBALL BOXING GOLF MOTOR SPORTS WNBA SATURDAY BASEBALL 9a Detroit at Tampa Bay MLB Net 1p Boston at Giants NBCSBA (680, 104.5) 1p Texas at Pittsburgh FS1 4p N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia Channel 2 Channel 40 4:35p Minors: Glacier Ridge at Ballers (860) 7p Washington at L.A. Dodgers MLB Net 7p Cleveland at A's NBCSCA (960) COLLEGE BASEBALL College World Series 4p Finals, Game 1: Coastal Carolina vs. LSU ESPN ESPNU FOOTBALL Noon Women's NFC Championship: Washington at Texas ESPN2 1p CFL: Ottawa at Calgary CBSSN 4p CFL: Winnipeg at British Columbia CBSSN GOLF HORSE RACING 6a Royal Ascot Channel 11 Channel 3 Channel 8 9:30a America's Day At the Races FS1 MOTOR SPORTS MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY PREMIER LACROSSE LEAGUE 1p New York at Philadelphia ESPN 4p Boston at Maryland FS1 SOCCER 4p CONCACAF Gold Cup: Curaçao vs. Canada FS1 4:30p NWSL: Bay FC at NJ/NY Gotham Ion 5p USL: Oakland Roots at Birmingham Channel 36 6p FIFA Club World Cup: River Plate vs. Monterrey TBS TruTV 7p CONCACAF Gold Cup: Honduras vs. El Salvador FS1 SOFTBALL VOLLEYBALL WNBA 10a Phoenix at Chicago Channel 7 Channel 10 5p Los Angeles at Minnesota NBA TV SUNDAY BASEBALL 8:30a Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees Roku 10:30a Texas at Pittsburgh MLB Net 1p Boston at Giants NBCSBA (680, 104.5) 1p Cleveland at A's NBCSCA (960) 1:05p Minors: Glacier Ridge at Ballers (860) 1:30p Kansas City at San Diego, joined in progress MLB Net 4p N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia ESPN ESPN2 BASKETBALL 10a BIG3: Baltimore Channel 5 Channel 13 Channel 46 12:30p BIG3: Baltimore Vice COLLEGE WORLD SERIES 11:30a Finals, Game 2: Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Channel 7 Channel 10 ESPNU FOOTBALL 2:30p AF1 playoffs: SW Kansas at Nasville Vice 5p IFL: Arizona at Bay Area Panthers NBCSCA (1050) GOLF HORSE RACING 9:30a America's Day at the Races FS1 11a America's Day at the Races FS2 1p America's Day at the Races FS1 MOTOR SPORTS NBA FINALS 5p Game 7: Indiana at Oklahoma City (if necessary) Channel 7 Channel 10 (1050) PREMIER LACROSSE LEAGUE 9a Utah at Denver Channel 7 Channel 10 SOCCER SOFTBALL VOLLEYBALL WNBA Noon Indiana at Las Vegas ESPN 4p New York at Seattle NBA TV 5:30p Connecticut at Valkyries Channel 44 (95.7)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pirates' Dennis Santana suspended four games, fined for fan altercation
Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana has been suspended four games and fined for his altercation with a fan during an 8-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on June 19. The altercation between Santana and the fan came in the seventh inning of the Pirates' game at Comerica Park and included Santana jumping into the air to take a swing at the fan, who was sitting behind the Pirates' bullpen. Advertisement "Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana has received a four-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his aggressive conduct toward a fan near the bullpen during the second game of Thursday's doubleheader at Detroit's Comerica Park," Michael Hill, MLB's Senior Vice President for On-Field Operations, said in a statement. The statement said Santana has elected to appeal the suspension and fine, meaning he remains eligible to pitch for the Pirates until the appeal process comes to a close. REQUIRED READING: Pirates reliever Dennis Santana involved in fan altercation in win over Tigers When asked after the game about the situation and what escalated it, Santana told reporters via an interpreter that he didn't want to "get into" the details of what caused it but said the fan "crossed the line" a few times throughout the night. The fan was removed from the game by Tigers' security, while Santana had to be walked back by a member of the Pirates' bullpen staff. Advertisement "Like I said, you guys know me and you know my temper. I'm a calm person and they crossed the line a few times. I would like to leave it at that," Santana said on June 19 through Pirates interpreter Stephen Morales. Santana entered the game in the ninth inning with the game tied 4-4 but was only able to pitch to one hitter before the game was sent into its second rain delay of the evening. In that at-bat, Santana got Tigers right fielder Zach McKinstry to fly out to center. The 6-foot-2 right-hander holds a 1.72 ERA in 31⅓ innings of work this season across 32 appearances. The Pirates started their three-game weekend series against the Texas Rangers 15½ games back of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Advertisement The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dennis Santana fan altercation: Pirates pitcher suspended, fined
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Alec Burleson's sacrifice fly
Why Arkansas's elimination from College World Series is 'heartbreaking' | Baseball Bar-B-Cast Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst Jake Mintz and senior MLB analyst Jordan Shusterman react to Arkansas blowing a 5-3 lead in the 9th inning of their second game against LSU in the College World Series semifinal. Hear the full conversation on the 'Baseball Bar-B-Cast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. 2:38 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
