OMAHA — Michael Roth pitched a three-hitter in his first start in 14 months, and South Carolina scored in five of the first six innings to beat Clemson 5-1 on Friday night and force a second Bracket 2 final at the College World Series.
South Carolina (51-16) and Clemson (45-24) meet again today, with the winner advancing to the best-of-three championship round that starts Monday.
Roth (2-1) has been a short reliever his entire career, logging more than three innings in only two of his previous 48 appearances. The sophomore left-hander struck out four, walked one and hit two batters.
Kyle Enders hit his third homer and had an RBI single, and Jackie Bradley drove in two runs for the Gamecocks, who have staved off elimination in three straight games.
Clemson starter Dominic Leone (3-2) took the loss, allowing three runs, four hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings.
Roth was efficient, throwing 109 pitches. He allowed a double to Richie Shaffer leading off the third, then retired 15 of the next 17 before Wilson Boyd reached on an error.
After Clemson’s Brad Miller singled to right with two outs in the ninth, Roth struck out John Hinson. He pounded his glove with his left hand as he walked off the mound, then chest- bumped Enders, his catcher.
Roth was making his first start after pitching 26 1/3 innings over 35 relief appearances.
TCU 6, UCLA 2. Undefeated freshman Matt Purke won his nation-leading and school-record 16th game, combining with Tyler Lockwood to hold the Bruins to four singles as the Horned Frogs staved off elimination.
TCU (54-13) forced a second Bracket 1 title game against UCLA today.
Purke, with his 97 mph fastball, is a strikeout pitcher if there ever was one. But of the 19 outs he recorded against the Bruins, 14 came on groundballs and just two were strikeouts. It was his fewest strikeouts in an outing of three innings or longer.
“This place is an adventure,” Purke said. “You never know what’s going to happen here. . . . But hey, I’ll take groundball outs all day and no balls in the air. So not bad.”
Taylor Featherston hit the biggest of TCU’s three home runs, going deep off Garett Claypool to give the Horned Frogs a three-run lead in the bottom of the seventh inning after the Bruins (50-15) had closed to 3-2.
