Arizona got all that they needed out of pitcher Koley Kolberg, except a win. He threw 124 pitches, three wild pitches, faced more than 30 Bulldog batters, and allowed 12 hits and 6 earned runs.
Yet, The Wildcats stuck with him hoping that he would give them enough innings so that if they won their pitching staff would be as set up as needed to take on Texas and deeper into the week.
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Adam McDonald made his first appearance in a significant game since the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament nearly a month ago when he replaced Justin Holmes in the 6th inning. Holmes was thrown out of the game after a collision with Arizona catcher Nick Hundley.
Holmes said that he had not been thrown out of a game since “AAU games when I was fourteen probably.”
Holmes will return for the game against Texas as the NCAA rule does not allow a base runner to make contact with a catcher if it is avoidable at all. The rule specifies that the base runner be ejected from the game. However, Holmes was not thrown out for fighting and therefore he will return for the game against the Horns.
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Will Startup shut the door on Arizona in the 7th and 9th innings but his bases loaded 8th inning scare had the Rosenblatt Stadium crowd on its feet. The attendance for the game was 14,697.
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Friday’s temperatures were unseasonably cold for the College World Series. Rain helped temperatures get as low as the upper 50s during the day yesterday.
The weather caught Georgia off guard. Only Bulldog pitchers had long sleeved shirts with them. “I was trying to call Easton all day to get them to send us some sleeves,” said Holmes.
“It was freezing out there,” he said.
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Georgia will throw starting pitcher Sean Ruthven (7-1, 2.94) against mighty Texas tomorrow. The Longhorns powered to a 13-2 win over Co-SEC Champions Arkansas in the 2nd game of the day.
Georgia Head Coach David Perno said that Michael Hyle will pitch in Georgia’s 3rd game of the CWS.
Perno said that he went with Paul Lubrano against Arizona “because he was the freshest and he had to give us some innings.”