Freshman takes no-hitter into ninth as Arkansas advances

Freshman Drew Smyly had a no-hitter broken up with one out in the ninth inning, and Andy Wilkins went 5-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs as Arkansas advanced to the super regionals with an 11-0 win over Oklahoma on Sunday night.

Smyly’s bid to throw the first NCAA tournament no-hitter in 18 years ended on an infield hit by Trey Sperring with one out in the ninth. Shortstop Ben Tschepikow fielded the ball, but couldn’t throw over to first base in time.

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn then took Smyly (3-1), and the left-hander received a standing ovation.

Second-seeded Arkansas (37-22) posted its second win over top-seeded Oklahoma (43-20) in as many nights, and its third this season.

Ohio State 13, Georgia 6: On the mound, at the plate and in the field, Ohio State made all the timely plays Sunday, eliminating Georgia in the Tallahassee NCAA Regional.

The third-seeded Buckeyes (42-18) got a pair of home runs from Michael Stephens, including a three-run blast that highlighted a game-breaking, six-run, seventh inning.

Ohio State closer Jake Hale came on for Drew Rucinski in the seventh to preserve a 7-5 lead. Hale struck out Georgia slugger Rich Poythress with runners at first and third and got a groundout to escape the jam.

“We had our guy up with runners on the corners and their guy, Jake Hale, did a better job,” Georgia coach Dave Perno said. “When he struck Poythress out, I thought the game switched at that time. Youve got to win those types of moments in these kind of games and we didnt do that.”

Zach Cone homered in his first two at-bats as the second-seeded Bulldogs (38-24), who played for the 2008 College World Series championship, built a 5-0 lead that they could not hold.

“When it came time to play the short game and do the little things to give us a chance to keep putting pressure on them, we were able to do it and they couldnt handle the pressure,” Buckeyes coach Bob Todd said.

Ohio State scored three in the home second and pulled even in the third when Stephens legged out an inside-the-park home run and Justin Miller scored on a two-out throwing error. The Buckeyes took the lead for good in the fourth as Dan Burkhart and Ryan Dew drove in runs for a 7-5 lead following a one-out error.

“We just didn't pitch well and we didnt play good defense,” Perno said.

LSU 10, Minnesota 3: Louis Coleman pitched into the eighth inning as the Tigers advanced.

Florida 16, Miami (Fla.) 5: Preston Tucker and Matt den Dekker drove in three runs apiece as the host Gators advanced for the first time in 11 tries in regional play when grouped with the four-time national champion Hurricanes.

Vanderbilt 8, Louisville 4:Brian Harris, Steven Liddle and Andrew Giobbi each drove in two runs as the Commodores forced a deciding game. Earlier, Vanderbilt eliminated MTSU, 6-0.

Clemson 10, Tennessee Tech 0: Tigers freshman Scott Weismann threw eight scoreless innings to help knock out Tech.

W. Kentucky 10 Ole Miss 9: Wade Gaynor hit two home runs to key an eight-run rally and Jake Wells’ go-ahead homer in the ninth enabled Western Kentucky to force a deciding game.

E. Carolina 8, S. Carolina 6: The Pirates held off the Gamecocks’ late rally to force a deciding game.