College World Series 2015 bracket update: LSU survives, Vanderbilt squeaks past TCU

An inning into Tuesday’s first game, it looked like LSU was headed for another embarrassing loss and an early exit from the College World Series. Cal State Fullerton came out hammering Alex Lange, lighting the freshman phenom up for three runs and four hits in the bottom half of the first.

Then Lange decided he’d had about enough of that, dominating the rest of the game to keep LSU alive in Omaha with a 5-3 win.

Over the final eight innings of what turned into a complete game masterpiece, only three more Titans reached base. Lange’s power curve became nearly unhittable, and he mixed his fastball in with deadly results. Fullerton’s stupefied hitters struck out 10 times, the third time this postseason that Lange has fanned double digits.

With their ace dialed in, the Tigers snatched back the lead with a four-run third. LSU bunched six singles in an eight-batter span to knock Fullerton starter Connor Seabold out of the game, then tacked on an insurance run in the seventh. Two days after TCU shut down the LSU offense, the Tigers racked up 13 hits on Tuesday, seven of which came off the bats of star shortstop Alex Bregman (4-for-5) and outfielder Mark Laird (3-for-4).

It’s a tough way to go for Fullerton, who follows Arkansas out the door as the second school eliminated from Omaha. The Titans went from being three outs away from the winners bracket to two-and-through in less than 24 hours. That long flight back to the West Coast will give them plenty of time to ponder how things would have turned out without that Sunday night rain delay.

If you ask TCU fans, it’s all Kaylee Hartung’s fault. During an on-field interview with Frogs skipper Jim Schlossnagle, the ESPN dugout reporter mentioned that Alex Young was working a no-hitter through six innings. Frogs fans -- and Schlossnagle -- collectively rolled their eyes at the baseball faux pas.

Sure enough, Vandy’s Zander Wiel broke up the no-no in the very next at-bat, blasting a solo shot into the left field corner for the only run of a tight pitcher’s duel.

Young sparred with Vandy’s Philip Pfeifer for seven innings, with the two combining for just seven hits allowed and 19 strikeouts. The only real trouble that Young faced before Wiel left the yard came in the form of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the third inning. But Young, who had brilliant control all night, struck out back-to-back Commodores to keep things scoreless.

The good news for the Frogs is that they’re still playing baseball, and with their absurd pitching depth, they certainly have the ability to bounce out of the losers bracket and make a run into the finals. TCU gets a rematch against LSU -- who they demolished 10-3 in their first game in Omaha -- while Vandy gets to sit back and wait for the winner of that game on Friday.

via NCAA.com