OMAHA — Whit Merrifield’s RBI single with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning gave South Carolina its first baseball national championship with a 2-1 victory over UCLA in the College World Series on Tuesday night.
The Gamecocks (54-16) won six straight games after losing their CWS opener against Oklahoma. They also won the last championship played at Rosenblatt Stadium, the CWS’s home since 1950.
“I don’t know how I feel,” coach Ray Tanner said. “I’ve never been in this situation. I know one thing, I’m extremely proud of these guys and my coaches. It’s unbelievable. I’m off the ground right now.”
It was the fifth championship decided in an extra-inning final, and first since Southern California topped Florida State — also 2-1 — in 15 innings in 1970.
Scott Wingo drew a leadoff walk and took second when catcher Steve Rodriguez, perhaps distracted when Evan Marzilli squared to bunt, let an inside 1-0 pitch get past him. Wingo moved to third when Marzilli got a bunt down and scored when Merrifield drilled a 2-0 pitch by Dan Klein past the pulled-in outfield of the Bruins (51-17) and into right field.
Matt Price (5-1) got the win, allowing one hit over 2 2/3 innings for the Gamecocks, who also went to the CWS finals in 1975, 1977 and 2002.
Klein (6-1) took the loss after working 3 1/3 innings for the Bruins (51-17).
Each team had plenty of scoring chances but had difficulty converting.
Price worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth, then allowed only one baserunner the rest of the way.
South Carolina had runners in scoring position in four of the first six innings, including loading the bases in the second, but could push nothing across until the eighth.
The Bruins loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, but Price struck out Niko Gallego to get out of trouble.
The Bruins broke through in the fifth when Trevor Brown hit a leadoff single, moved over on a sacrifice and scored on Gallego’s two-out single to left.
Rob Rasmussen started for the Bruins and went six innings, allowing no runs and six hits and walking four.
