LSU defeats Texas 11-4 to win NCAA Title

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FROM NCAA RELEASE
The LSU Tigers scored five runs in the sixth inning to break open a tie game and roll to an 11-4 victory over Texas in Game 3 of the CWS Championship Finals and claim the NCAA Division I Championship.

It’s the sixth national championship for LSU and the first under head coach Paul Mainieri. LSU ties Texas for the second-most national championships for any school, behind only Southern California’s 12 titles. It’s also the first national championship for the Tigers since 2000.

After a two-out home run by Texas’s Kevin Keyes in the bottom of the fifth inning tied the game at 4-4, LSU took over the game in the top of the sixth. After a leadoff walk by CWS Most Outstanding Player Jared Mitchell, Mikie Mahtook doubled to right center, driving in Mitchell and giving the Tigers a 5-4 lead. An error and sacrifice fly scored Mahtook. A walk and two hit batsman scored another LSU run to make the score 7-4, and Sean Ochinko’s single scored two more to cap the scoring in the sixth.

The Tigers (56-17) added a single run in the eighth and another in the ninth to cap the scoring.

Starter Anthony Ranaudo got the win on the mound to move to 12-3 on the season. Brandon Workman (3-5) took the loss for Texas which finished the year 50-16-1.

The Tigers got the scoring started early with three runs in the top of the first. After the first two batters were retired, Blake Dean was hit by a pitch, Ochinko hit a single to set up Mitchell’s three-run home run just inside the right field foul pole. LSU added another two-out run in the second when Ryan Schimpf’s single knocked in Micah Gibbs from third.

Texas took advantage of three walks in the third to score a pair of runs and followed that with Keyes’ two-run homer in the fifth to tie the game before LSU’s big five-run sixth.

Offensively, Ochinko went 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored for LSU while Gibbs and DJ LeMahieu each added two hits. The LSU bullpen closed the door on Texas late in the game, as Chad Jones and Louis Coleman combined for 3.2 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief.

For Texas, Michael Torres and Travis Tucker each had two hits.

Mitchell, whose three-run homer sparked the LSU in the first inning, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and he was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates LeMahieu, Schimpf and Renaudo. Also on the all-tournament team were Cameron Rupp, Russell Moldenhauer and Taylor Jungmann of Texas; Dustin Ackley and Kyle Seager of North Carolina; Kole Calhoun of Arizona St., and Tyler Cannon of Virginia.

Wednesday’s attendance of 19,986 ran the total CWS attendance for 2009 to a record total of 336,076 breaking the previous record of 330,099 set in 2008.

MCWS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME 3 NOTES

*-The 2009 MCWS broke the all-time attendance record for the second straight season with a mark of 336,076, breaking the previous mark of 330,099 set in 2008.
*-The 27 homers by the two teams playing for the championship are the most ever. The previous high was in 1998 when USC (17) and Arizona State (9) combined for 26 homers. This year is only the third time (also 1995) when the two finalists combined for 25 homers.
*-The 12 combined homers (Texas 8, LSU 4) breaks the MCWS Championship Finals record of nine set in 2008.
*-Texas’ 14 homers ties for third all-time in a MCWS series, while LSU’s 13 homers ties for sixth all-time (complete list on page 103 of MCWS Guide). The two teams combined for 27 for the 45 homers in the 15 games at the MCWS.
*-LSU’s 56 wins is the most by a national champion since Texas in 2005.
*-The one save (by Arkansas in the opening game) is the lowest save total in a MCWS since 1993, when no saves were recorded.
*-LSU’s .991 fielding percentage is the second-best total by a MCWS national champion, trailing LSU’s .993 fielding percentage in 1991, while the Tigers’ 4.18 ERA during the MCWS is the highest by a champion since 2002 (Texas, 4.25).

*-LSU has now won six national titles (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2009), tying Texas for second place among all Division I baseball programs. The Tigers improve to 35-20 (.636) all-time in the MCWS.
*-The Tigers closed out the season by winning 15 of their final 16 games dating back to the SEC Tournament.
*-With LSU’s title tonight, Southeastern Conference schools have won seven national titles (six by LSU and also Georgia in 1990) and the league’s first baseball title since LSU won in 2000.
*-The Tigers finished the year with a national-best 56 wins, the most by a Tiger squad since winning a school-record 57 games in 1997.
*-LSU is the first national seed to win a national title since Rice in 2003 and the first national champion to come out of Bracket One since Miami (Fla.) in 1999.
*-The Tigers hit .313 during the MCWS, averaging 8.5 runs per game en route to going 5-1.
*-LSU scored seven of its 11 runs tonight in two-out situations and plated 26 of their 51 runs during the MCWS in two-out situations.
*-LSU has scored in the first inning of five of its MCWS contest. The only time they did not score was in the opening frame was Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the Longhorns. The Tigers have outscored foes, 9-2 in their six games in Omaha.
*-LSU’s Anthony Ranaudo fanned four Texas hitters on Wednesday, raising his season total to 158, which leads the SEC. The 158 strikeouts is second on LSU’s single-season list, matching Doug Thompson in 1997. Only Ben McDonald, who fanned a school-record 202 hitters in 1989, has fanned more hitters in a season. Ranaudo is the first Tiger to lead the SEC in strikeouts since Kurt Ainsworth in 1999. Ranaudo finishes the year third nationally in strikeouts, trailing only San Diego State’s Stephen Strasburg and Arizona State’s Mike Leake.
*-Anthony Ranaudo has pitched five or more innings in 18 of his 19 starts, as he went six innings against LSU. With today’s win, Ranaudo has won his last seven decisions dating back to May 8.
*-Anthony Ranaudo finished the MCWS with a 2-0 with a 3.68 ERA in his three starts at the MCWS, fanning 12 over 14.2 innings of work.
*-Sean Ochinko ‘s four-hit game was his second of the season, as he also had four hits against Central Florida on Feb. 27.
*-DJ LeMahieu’s two hits tonight gave him 12 for the series, as he led all players in hits (12) and runs scored (nine), while his .444 average (12-for-27) was the best of any LSU regular in the MCWS.
*- LSU’s Jared Mitchell and Chad Jones are the first two student-athletes to win a BCS National Title and a College World Series title and are the second and third athletes in LSU history to win national titles in multiple sports.
*-Jones went a career-long 1.2 innings against Texas on Wednesday and did not allow a run in his three appearances, spanning 3.0 innings. He threw just 3.1 innings entering the MCWS and didn’t allow a run in eight of his nine appearances on the mound.
*-Jared Mitchell belted his second homer of the MCWS against Texas on Wednesday and finished the MCWS with a .348 average with two homers and seven RBI.
*-With four strikeouts tonight, Louis Coleman now has 303 career strikeouts, a total that moved him into ninth place on LSU’s career list. Coleman’s 129 innings is the most by a Tiger pitcher since 2002 (Lane Mestepey, 142.1 IP). Coleman finished with a series-best 18 strikeouts over 15 innings.
*-Texas falls to 82-55 all-time at the MCWS, as UT leads all programs in MCWS in wins (82) and games played (137).
*-Texas has now finished second six times in the MCWS, the most of any program. The Longhorns broke a tie with Arizona State and Oklahoma State, which had five runner-up showings apiece.
*-Texas’ 14 homers ties for third on the MCWS single-series list and is Texas’ most homers in a single MCWS.
*-Texas has accounted for nearly half of its offense via the home run, as 17 of the Longhorns’ 36 runs in Omaha have been off homers. In all, 12 of Texas’ 14 homers in the MCWS were been solo homers.
*-Cole Green made his 20th start of the season for Texas, a total that leads all starting pitchers nationally, while Anthony Ranaudo made his 19th start, matching Texas’ Chance Ruffin for second nationally.
*-Austin Wood made his national-best 41st appearance on Wednesday, tying Randy Boone (2007) and Clayton Stewart (2005) for third on Texas’ single-season list. Wood finishes his career with a school-record 118 appearances.
*-Texas went just 2-for-21 (.095) with men on base on Wednesday and hit just .151 (8-for-53) during the MCWS Championship Finals.
*-Texas finishes with 50 wins, the third-highest win total in the country.
*-Miami (Fla.) is the last No. 1 overall seed to win a national title, when the Hurricanes accomplished the feat in 1999 (1st-year of 64-team bracket).
*-The 11 runs allowed by Texas marks only the fourth time in 67 games that the Longhorns have allowed 10 or more runs in a game. The 11 runs is the most runs Texas allowed since surrendering 14 to Baylor in 14-9 loss in the Big 12 Tournament on May 20.
*-Texas’ Russell Moldenhauer led all players in homers (four, matching MCWS series record) and total bases (20).