OMAHA, Neb. -- The Arkansas Razorbacks benefited from a controversial call from second base umpire Chris Coskey that took an Oregon State run off the board Tuesday in the fourth inning of the first game of the College World Series championship series.
With runners at first and third and no outs, Oregon State designated hitter Tyler Malone hit a sharp grounder to Arkansas first baseman Jared Gates, who opted to throw to second base in an attempt to start a double play.
Shortstop Jax Biggers got the throw and touched second with Beavers catcher Adley Rutschman well off the bag and starting to go into a crouch as Biggers waited for someone to cover first. Second baseman Carson Shaddy eventually caught Biggers' relay while colliding with pitcher Blaine Knight, but Malone beat him to the bag.
However, Coskey ruled Malone out on runner's interference against Rutschman, a call that forced Larnach back from the dugout after he had crossed the plate.
The decision immediately brought Oregon State Coach Pat Casey onto the field to argue, to no avail.
Casey discussed the play with ESPN field reporter Laura Rutledge before the top of the fifth inning.
"[Coskey] told me that the runner ran into the fielder, said he went right into him," Casey said. "I watched it on the video and it appeared to me he tried to stop and duck and avoid anything. He couldn't get there because the ball was hit so hard, so I don't understand the call."
ESPN analysts Kyle Peterson and Eduardo Perez debated the call in the broadcast booth.
Peterson read from the rulebook, saying, "On any force play, the runner must slide on the ground directly toward the base."
Perez's stance was that Coskey's explanation did not make sense and that he should have cited the rule that the runner must slide.
Top play
Akransas first baseman Jared Gates has made a series of great plays during the postseason, but perhaps none better than his diving catch of a foul ball off the bat of Oregon State's Zak Taylor for the second out of the fifth inning.
Taylor's flare was headed toward the stands past the photo well beyond the first base dugout when Gates laid out horizontally and made the catch while skidding on his stomach on the red dirt.
The play went to the video replay booth, which confirmed the call by first base umpire Perry Costello.
Last lefty
The last left-handed starter Arkansas had faced prior to Tuesday's championship series opener against Oregon State's Luke Heimlich was Southern Miss' Stevie Powers on June 2.
The Razorbacks dealt the Golden Eagles a 10-2 loss that day, touching Powers for 7 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks on 61 pitches over 1 2/3 innings.
Heimlich shut out the Razorbacks over four innings before his wildness cost him in the fifth. Arkansas scored 4 runs in the inning and forced him out after he gave up 3 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks, with 2 hit batters on 87 pitches in 4 1/3 innings.
Overturned
Video replay officials overturned a call on the field by right field umpire Barry Chambers in the bottom of the fifth inning, giving Cadyn Grenier a single on a ball that was ruled to have hit the chalk down the line.
Chambers ruled the play foul in live action. Oregon State's Steven Kwan, who had reached on a two-out single, might have been able to score on the play, but he was given third base after the replay decision.
Oregon State Coach Pat Casey maintained Grenier should have been given second base by the replay crew.
Arkansas pitcher Blaine Knight wriggled out of danger by getting Nick Madrigal to line out to second baseman Carson Shaddy to end the inning.
Hurler comparison
Arkansas left-hander Kacey Murphy (8-5, 3.15 ERA) will start Game 2 of the championship series today.
The junior from Rogers has started four games this postseason and is 2-1 with a no-decision in the Razorbacks' 7-4 victory over Texas Tech at Omaha on June 20. Murphy has a 4.37 ERA in 22 1/3 postseason innings in the postseason and has allowed 11 earned runs on 15 hits and 9 walks with 14 strikeouts.
The Razorbacks are 3-1 in Murphy's postseason starts this season and 5-2 in his career.
Oregon State is likely to start right-hander Bryce Fehmel. The 6-1 junior has made two starts at Omaha and had no-decisions in both while lasting a total of 7 2/3 innings. He has allowed 6 runs on 11 hits, with no walks and 3 strikeouts and has an ERA of 7.04 at the CWS.
In the sun
Arkansas left fielder Heston Kjerstad lost Trevor Larnach's deep fly ball in the sun to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. Larnach launched the ball into the high sunny sky and Kjerstad tentatively tracked down the left-field line trying to shade his eyes, though he never spotted the ball.
"He was completely lost and it's a bad feeling, a really bad feeling," said ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez, whose advice was to watch the batter with naked eyes and sunglasses down the nose, then quickly push the shades close to the eyes when the ball leaves the bat.
Big second
Oregon State added to its second-inning dominance Tuesday against the Razorbacks.
The Beavers improved their scoring differential to 68-17 in the second inning this season by pushing across a run on a Michael Gretler single that scored Trevor Larnach, who doubled to open the inning.
None in first
Arkansas did not score a run in the first inning for the first time in five games, since Game 2 of the super regional against South Carolina.
In their previous four games, the Hogs scored 5 in the first vs. South Carolina, 1 vs. Texas, 2 vs. Texas Tech and 1 vs. Florida.
On Tuesday, Luke Heimlich induced a grounder to shortstop from Eric Cole on seven pitches, then struck out Casey Martin and Heston Kjerstad on three pitches each.
Double time
Trevor Larnach's fourth-inning double was his second of the game and a record fifth for the Oregon State outfielder at the College World Series.
The left-handed hitting Larnach became the 20th player to hit four doubles when he led off the second with a two-bagger and scored on a single by Michael Gretler.
Kwan can
Oregon State center fielder Steven Kwan started for the first time since he tweaked his left hamstring in a 14-5 victory over Washington on June 18.
Kwan appeared as a pinch hitter in the Beavers' 5-2 Bracket 1 clinching victory over Mississippi State, and he remained in the game on defense.
Nod to troops
TD Ameritrade Park celebrated military appreciation day at the CWS, including a pregame flyover by a trio of F16 Fighting Falcons during the national anthem. Additionally, several other members of the military were honored before the game.
No. 1 down
Only Miami, in the first year of the current seeding system in 1999, has won the College World Series as the No. 1 seed. Florida, the top seed this year, could not defend its CWS championship. The Gators made it to Omaha and were eliminated by Arkansas with a 5-2 loss and a 2-2 record.
Six No. 1 seeds have not made the CWS. The best efforts by by No. 1 seeds since the Hurricanes have come from Texas, which went 3-2 in Omaha in 2004 and 4-2 in 2009. Florida has twice made it to the CWS as the No. 1, in 2010 and 2016, but did not win the championship.
Around the horn
• The TD Ameritrade Park public address announcer committed the first error of the game, announcing the starting lineups for "Arizona" before correcting himself to say "Arkansas."
• Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn and players Carson Shaddy and Isaiah Campbell were featured on the large video board welcoming Razorbacks fans to the park and Dominic Fletcher did a Hog call during pregame festivities.
• Arkansas fans in the outfield stands threw back home run balls hit by the Oregon State players during pregame batting practice.
Sports on 06/27/2018
