OXFORD, Miss. — Eighth-ranked Ole Miss (43-18) got a dominating pitching performance from ace Drew Pomeranz to claim the rubber match with Western Kentucky University (42-20) 4-1 in the 2009 NCAA Oxford Regional winner-take-all championship game in front of 8,255 fans at Oxford-University Stadium on Monday night. The two teams split their first two meetings in the tournament. The Rebels will now host Virginia in the best of three Super Regional beginning Friday at 1:00 PM.
WKU closes out a remarkable, record-setting campaign that witnessed the program's first-ever Sun Belt Regular Season Championship, the deepest NCAA Tournament run ever, and just the fifth 40-win season in 90 years of Hilltopper baseball.
Pomeranz (8-4), a Southeastern Conference Second-Team selection, saved the performance of his life for one of the biggest stages in college baseball. The tall lefthander struck out 16 of the 29 Hilltoppers he faced, giving up just one unearned run on two hits and one walk in the complete game victory.
"Drew Pomeranz, what a special night. He pitched like a big leaguer and certainly deserved that most outstanding player award for the tournament," said WKU head coach Chris Finwood. "He was definitely the difference. Our guys might be a little tired from playing 18 innings yesterday, but you really have to tip your hat to him. Having said that, we had them 1-1 in a two inning game and that is what we were trying to do because anything can happen. We walked the leadoff guy in the eighth and that led to a three-run inning, and that was the end of it."
Overshadowed by Pomeranz career-night was a superb outing from Hilltopper hurler Matt Ridings. Working on just two days rest for the first time in his three-year college career, the junior from Franklin, Tenn. scattered seven hits over 7.0 innings, not walking a batter and giving up just one run, fanning four in the no decision.
"I thought Matt was just outstanding coming off two days rest and 118 pitches against Missouri, going out there and giving up just one run in seven innings," said Finwood. "He worked out of a couple of jams and made some big time pitches when he had to to save runs. I couldn't be prouder of him, pitching in that venue in that atmosphere on short rest, which is outstanding."
WKU's first threat came in the bottom of the third when Jake Wells led off the frame by reaching on a throwing error by the shortstop. He then advanced to second on a wild pitch, but with no one out, Pomeranz struck out Jared Andreoli and Matt Payton while getting Jeremy Coleman to fly out down the line in right to end the inning.
In the fourth, Wade Gaynor drew a one-out walk, the only one issued by Pomeranz, stole second base, and was advanced to third on an groundout by Chad Cregar, but Terrence Dayleg lined out to Zach Miller at third for the third out.
Ole Miss finally broke the scoreless tie in the sixth with a one-out, RBI double to right center by Kyle Henson, scoring Matt Smith from first base. Smith had a 3-for-4 night with two RBI and two runs scored while Matt Snyder had the other multi-hit night going 2-for-4.
WKU was able to scratch across a run in the home half of the seventh to knot the game up 1-1. Cregar, the Oxford, Miss. native, singled through the right side of the infield with one out to end Pomeranz' no-hitter. After stealing second, Cregar came around to score as Matt Hightower smoked a comebacker that ricocheted off the pitcher's leg and deflected out to the second baseman. As Evan Burton mishandled the deflection, Cregar alertly rounded third and scored.
The eighth inning, which proved to be the Rebels undoing in yesterday's 10-9 come-from-behind win by WKU, was the difference maker once again, only this time, it went in favor of Ole Miss. Chad Adcock came on in relief of Ridings to start the eighth and walked Logan Power. A Snyder single through the right side put runners on first and third with no outs, setting up Smith's game-winning triple to right center, making it a 3-1 Rebel lead. David Phillips added an RBI double to score Smith before WKU worked out of the inning trailing 4-1.
Adcock (1-3), the winner in last night's historic victory, suffered the loss, charged with three runs on two hits and one walk while not recording an out.
Matt Rice, Cregar, and Gaynor earned spots on the NCAA Oxford Regional All-Tournament team, the most selection since the 1980 team placed four.
TEAM NOTES:
• WKU falls to 3-5 all-time against Ole Miss including 2-2 in the postseason at Oxford
• WKU falls to 64-120-2 all-time against the Southeastern Conference (SEC)
• The Hilltoppers two hits was a season low while the one run scored tied a season low set previously in a 3-1 loss to Florida Atlantic
• WKU completed its single season school record of runs scored at 538
• With 42 wins on the season, WKU passed the 1981 team for fourth most victories in school history
• WIth one error tonight, WKU committed just two errors in five NCAA Tournament games (45 innings)
• With a .980 fielding percentage, WKU set a new Sun Belt Conference single season record
• WKU falls to 1-4 on the season against ranked opponents
• WKU falls to 15-9 in night games this season (27-11 in day games)
• WKU falls to 13-8 against lefthanded starters
• WKU falls to 15-11 when opponent scores first (27-9 when WKU scores first)
• WKU falls to 9-15 when out-hit by opponent (30-4 when out-hitting opponent)
• WKU falls to 0-4 when scoring two runs or less and 16-20 when scoring nine runs or less (26-0 when scoring 10 runs or more)
• WKU falls for just the third time in 32 games this season when their opponent scores five runs or less (31-3)
• WKU falls to 5-15 when trailing after six innings
• WKU falls to 3-3 when tied after seven innings
• WKU falls to 0-18 when trailing after eight innings
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
• Junior pitcher Matt Ridings made the first start of his three-year college career coming off two days rest
• Junior pitcher Shane Cameron made his first career relief appearance when he came in in the eighth inning
• Sophomore catcher Matt Rice failed to get a hit for just the fifth time in 61 games played in 2009
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES:
• WKU was trying to become the first Sun Belt Conference team since FIU in 2001 to advance to an NCAA Super Regional, and only the fourth in history (Louisiana-Lafayette in 1999 and 2000)
• In addition to playing in front of a crowd of 8,255 tonight, the total attendance for the NCAA Oxford Regional was 55,984
• WKU scored 37 runs in their five NCAA Tournament games in 2009, besting their previous postseason record of 31 scored in 1980 in four games played at the Tallahassee Regional (went 2-2)
• With three wins in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, that equals the previous NCAA win total in the program's 90-year history
• WKU falls to 6-8 all-time in NCAA Tournament play (fourth appearance)
• WKU participated in the program's first-ever winner-take-all NCAA Regional Championship game
• WKU was making the program's first-ever at-large appearance in the NCAA Tournament
• WKU falls to 6-5 all-time versus the regional field: Mississippi (3-5), Missouri (3-0), and Monmouth (0-0)
• Senior outfielder Chad Cregar returns to his hometown of Oxford, Miss. for NCAA Tournament play
• WKU entered the game batting .366 and averaging 9.0 runs per game
POSTGAME QUOTES:
Junior Third Baseman Wade Gaynor
On the team’s slow start:
“We knew before the game that Pomeranz was really good. It was just a battle every time you got in the box against him tonight, and he was really good tonight.”
On level of pitching compared to Sun Belt:
“Tonight what we saw from a starting pitcher was the best starting pitcher I have seen all year. He was really good. Irwin and Pomeranz were both good this weekend.”
Junior RHP Matt Ridings
On his performance:
“I think Drew (Pomeranz) was on the same page I was. We both threw on Friday and we knew coming in that we might be on a limited pitch count. We both just filled up the zone. There weren’t that many walks tonight. You don’t know how many innings you are going to throw or what your pitch count is. You just have to go out there and throw strikes.”
Senior Outfielder Chad Cregar
On Drew Pomeranz’s performance:
“He mixes pitches really well with a really good curveball. He has one of the best curveballs that we have seen all year. He was just painting in and out with his fastball. He had a heavy fastball all night, and his curveball was really sharp. He seemed like he was the same pitcher the last inning as he was in the first inning. He was amazing tonight.”
On WKU’s overall season:
“If you would have told me that we would have been here on my recruiting visit, I would have kind of laughed, but it has been amazing what we have been able to do. This is the best ballclub that I have played for. It’s been a great year and the best two years of my life.”
