For the first time in College World Series history, a program has won back-to-back 1-0 games. That program just so happens to be the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Behind stellar pitching performances, the folks from Stillwater control their own destiny after a win over the Arizona Wildcats. However, it did not come without a bit of controversy.
Producing 18 shutout innings in the CWS, the offense continues to find a bit of wiggle room. Scoring the only run of the game in the fourth inning, Donnie Walton crossed the plate on a Garrett Benge single giving the Cowboys the lead.
While it seemed as though every pitch from Tyler Buffett was on point, the starter walked off the bump after eight innings of work. During his time on the mound, the junior allowed a mere three hits to six strikeouts, keeping batters off balance with a flurry of pitches. The eight inning outing marked the longest of Buffett’s career who improved to 9-3 on the year. Trotting out in relief, Trey Cobb took over.
Looking up at one out on the board, the Wildcats appeared to put Zach Gibbons on first. The initial ruling determined that Dustin Williams foot left the bag when making the catch. Hosting a conference on the field, home plate umpire Scott Cline presented evidence to the other officials. After a short discussion, the ruling was overturn sending Gibbons to the dugout.
The overturned call left Arizona with a single out to produce a run but Coach Jay Johnson praised the work of the Cowboy’s pitching staff.
If I talk about umpiring, that is taking away credit from Buffett. That’s how it goes. Those guys are human. They’re going to make mistakes. They’ve gotten way more right than they’ve gotten wrong over the last three or four weeks.
Arizona must now face UC Santa Barbara in an elimination game on Wednesday. The winner of those two then takes on Oklahoma State on Friday for a spot in next week’s final.