NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Kumar Rocker struck out 11 in 72/3 innings, while allowing just three hits, and Vanderbilt held off East Carolina 2-0 on Friday to begin a best-of-three series in the Nashville Super Regional.
Vanderbilt (44-15), the No. 4 overall seed, can secure its fifth trip to the College World Series -- all coming since 2011 -- with a win over East Carolina (44-16) today.
Rocker (13-3) and ECU starter Gavin Williams combined for 24 strikeouts.
Rocker threw 117 pitches, the last leading to Connor Norby's two-out single. Nick Maldonado got the final out of the inning and Luke Murphy picked up his eighth save.
"I just think he gives us what we need at the time that we need it," Vanderbilt Coach Tim Corbin said. "And this is certainly a situation at the end of the year where games are important and they're closely contested and there's very little difference between teams. So you need guys that are willing to to get out there and leave it on the field, and he's done that continually."
Williams (10-1) lost for the first time this season despite tying a career high with 13 strikeouts in 71/3 innings.
East Carolina was shutout for just the second time this season.
STANFORD 15, TEXAS TECH 3
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Brendan Beck set a career high with 13 strikeouts in 71/3 innings, Christian Robinson had four RBI, and Stanford beat Texas Tech to begin a best-of-three series.
Stanford (37-15) is seeking its first appearance in the College World Series since 2008. Texas Tech (39-16) needs to win the next two games to go to its fifth CWS in the last seven completed seasons.
Beck, who entered with a 1.69 ERA over his last four outings spanning 32 innings, allowed just two runs on six hits.
Tim Tawa, named the most outstanding player of the Stanford Regional last week, homered in the first to start a four-run inning, and Nick Brueser made it 5-1 in the sixth with his 11th home run of the season.
Kody Huff hit his second double of the game in the seventh with the bases loaded, scoring two for an 8-2 lead. Robinson added two RBI on a single in the five-run inning.
Robinson's two-RBI double in the eighth followed Brock Jones' RBI double as Stanford added three runs.
Texas Tech starter Chase Hampton allowed four runs in 32/3 innings. Cole Stilwell was 2 for 4, including his eighth home run of the season, and Nate Rombach hit his fourth home run in the last eight games.
ARIZONA 8, MISSISSIPPI 3
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Leadoff hitter Donta Williams went 3-for-5, hitting a home run his first time up and a three-run double his last, and Tony Bullard hit two home runs and a triple as Arizona showed off its power in rallying for a victory over Mississippi in Game 1 of the Tucson Super Regional.
Ole Miss (44-21) jumped on Wildcats starter Chase Silseth for three runs in the top of the first inning, scoring on an RBI double by Justin Bench and a two-run single by TJ McCants.
Bullard followed Williams' first-inning home run with home runs in the second and fourth innings to pull Arizona (44-15) even. Freshman Jacob Berry hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the fifth after Williams led off with a single. Bullard tripled leading off the sixth, scoring on Ryan Holgate's RBI groundout for a 6-3 lead. Williams put the finishing touches on the win with a bases-loaded double in the eighth.
