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College  | Story | 6/22/2016

Cats stave off elimination, again

Patrick Ebert
Photo: Arizona Athletics




CWS Day 1 Recap | CWS Day 2 Recap | CWS Day 3 Recap | CWS Day 4 Recap

OMAHA, Neb. – There were plenty of parallels to draw between the players, coaches and programs as a whole, as UC Santa Barbara faced Arizona in an elimination game on Wednesday at the 2016 College World Series. In the end it was the Wildcats that came out on top, 3-0, to advance to Friday in a re-match against Oklahoma State. UCSB on the other hand saw their season come to a close.

However, the Gauchos know they still have plenty to be proud about. Andrew Checketts has quickly changed the demeanor of the program in just five years, guiding UCSB to Omaha for the first time ever. While they quickly entered the losers’ bracket with a game one loss to Oklahoma State, they managed to win a game, sending Miami home in an elimination game while claiming their first-ever CWS victory.

“It's so difficult to get here,” Checketts said after the game. “And having never been here, once you get here, you can understand why people kind of get it in their blood and want to come back because the experience is so special. So for us to be able to get here and have some guys that will return and really understand … I think it's going to be a little bit different and have a little different meaning for myself and the guys that are on our team next year.”

Neither squad may have a big, bruising offense, but both are capable of picking teams apart as they both know how to push the right buttons, often at the right time, to manufacture runs in a variety of ways. The batters on both teams take a ton of pitches and their hitters one through nine embrace the importance of advancing baserunners.

The similarities continued with the two starting pitchers, Justin Kelly of UC Santa Barbara and J.C. Cloney of Arizona. Both are lefthanders who worked mostly in the mid-80s with their fastballs, touching higher, while hitting their spots and changing speeds. Both also exhibited the ability not only get movement on their fastballs but to move that pitch around the zone.

Kelly was making just his second start of the year and his first appearance since June 5. His first start came during the third game of the year on February 20, a game he exited in the fifth inning with an injury and didn’t return to the mound until May 1. His most impactful appearance of the year was a relief outing that lasted 2 2/3 innings against Xavier in Regional play in which he allowed just one walk and struck out seven.

UCSB is Kelly’s third school, starting his career at Bakersfield College before moving onto Virginia Tech and finally making his way back to California to play for the Gauchos.

Cloney was also making his first appearance since June 5, as the Wildcats haven’t needed much past Nathan Bannister, Bobby Dalbec and Cameron Ming lately. This is Cloney’s first year for Arizona after beginning his college career at Long Beach State (where he never played) before spending two successful seasons at College of Canyons, the first of which (2014) he was named the Western State Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Unlike Kelly, Cloney has been a stalwart for Arizona all season long, as Wednesday’s start marked his 17th of the year. Coming into the game he boasted a 6-4 record with a 2.86 ERA and picked up his seventh win by constantly dancing in and around the zone with his full three-pitch repertoire.

“J.C. was outstanding,” Arizona head coach Jay Johnson said of his Wednesday starter. “We're not in the College World Series without him. We're not in the NCAA Tournament without him. The quality wins that he has had this year have been special. And I don't think we've had a performance that good all year that he gave us tonight.”

Kelly ran himself in and out of trouble in the first two innings but didn’t get through the third unscathed. Cody Ramer led off the frame with a single and Zach Gibbons followed him with a walk. A booming flyout off the bat of Bobby Dalbec – which Andrew Calica caught crashing into the wall in center field – allowed Ramer to advance to third. That allowed Ramer to score as the next batter, Ryan Aguilar, hit a sacrifice fly to put the Wildcats on the board.

Then on the very next pitch sophomore center fielder Jared Oliva blasted a two-run home run into the bullpen over the left field wall to give Arizona a much more commanding three-run lead. That blast was Oliva’s second game-changing hit in Omaha, as he hit a two-run single as part of the team’s three-run first inning against Miami to open the CWS on Saturday.

“I'm just more relaxed,” Oliva said of his impact in the lineup in Omaha. “The last month or so come in more developed as a hitter, just trying to stay relaxed, not trying to do too much. It sounds that simple, but stick to my game plan, basically, and whatever happens happens. It's out of my control. Control is getting a good pitch to hit (and put a) good swing on it. And so for us it just kind of happens.”

Kelly pitched to one batter in the fourth, Kyle Lewis (who singled), before being lifted for Trevor Bettencout. Bettencourt did a really nice job holding the Wildcats bats in check, going the rest of the way with five shutout frames, allowing just one hit and striking out seven thanks to an upper-80s fastball and a sharp curveball.

Cloney on the other hand followed the paths that both Bannister and Dalbec had taken in the first two games, neutralizing the pesky Gauchos offense through seven innings before finally being lifted in the eighth after allowing a leadoff pinch hit single by Ryan Cumberland. Cloney allowed just five hits and two walks while striking out two in yet another masterful performance by a member of the Wildcats starting staff.

“Based off what Dalbec and Banny have done, I just want to go out and kind of match them,” Cloney said of his performance. “All year that's kind of what we've done is the Friday night guy will set the level, and the next two guys just have to either reach it or go beyond it.”

As he was in their previous two College World Series games, Cameron Ming was called upon late in the game, and promptly induced a 6-4-3 double play.

However, the Gauchos made things interesting the ninth, as Clay Fisher led off the inning with a double and Devon Gradford reached on a walk. Ming apparently just wanted to make things interesting as he struck out the next three batters – Austin Bush, J.J. Muno and Dempsey Grover – all swinging on upper-70s sweeping breaking balls.

“Yeah, I would say it's getting easier,” Ming said with a smile of his newfound closer’s role. “You just kind of have to not think. I just don't think. And you just know that if you execute your pitches good things are going to happen. And so I put the drama to the side and just pretty much know that I'm going to hit my spot and let the rest (take care of itself).”

Ming made his seventh appearance of the postseason as Jay Johnson’s most trusted arm out of the bullpen. In those games he has allowed just one run on fours hits and two walks, striking out 15 in 11 1/3 innings while recording all three saves he has on the season.

“I think it's awesome. I think it shows toughness,” Johnson said of his team winning their fourth straight elimination game in the postseason. “To me our character has been on display, like I said, from the first pitch of the season. There isn't a challenge that this team has not met. And the byproduct of that toughness is, you know, they can totally, as crazy as it sounds, ignore the noise, push away the circumstance and focus on the play.

“And we have good players, don't get me wrong. We have six guys that were drafted. But our team has an elite mindset. And I'm very proud of them for that because that doesn't happen overnight. It's taken some work, and they've done a great job at staying in the moment and playing it one pitch at a time.”

With the victory Arizona will look to win their fifth straight game while facing elimination against Oklahoma State on Friday in the earlier of the two games set to be played (2:00 p.m. CT). The Cowboys will be the home team in that contest, and pitching once again could rule the day as both Thomas Hatch and Nathan Bannister are expected to take the mound for a second time during this year’s College World Series after their dominant performances on Saturday.
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