Freshman pitcher Kevin Abel threw a complete game, two-hit shutout on Thursday night to lead the Oregon State Beavers to their third College World Series title in a 5-0 Game 3 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The title is Oregon State’s first since winning back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007.
Abel Goes the Distance
Abel (8-1) won four games in the College World Series, including getting credit for both of the Beavers’ wins in the championship series, having also earned the win in Game 2 after pitching an inning in relief.
But that was nothing compared to what Abel did for his team on Thursday. The right-hander struck out 10 batters and threw 129 pitches to go the distance in the decisive game.
“I just kept making pitches and kept getting outs you know,” Abel told ESPN after the game. “It felt better as the game went on and just kinda rode it out. You know I was gonna give it everything I had and I really appreciate that they let me go out there.”
The Beavers jumped on Arkansas starting pitcher Isaiah Campbell (5-7) right off the bat. A single by Adley Rutschman knocked in the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning, while a throwing error allowed another run to score later in the inning. Campbell was removed after two innings, but by then it was too late: with Abel in complete command, the Razorbacks never seriously threatened to get back in the game.
Rutschman Wins Most Outstanding Player
Rutschman, who went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, was awarded with the College World Series Most Outstanding Player award. The catcher set a CWS record with 17 hits, batting .567 with 13 RBIs in eight games in Omaha.
After the game, though, Rutschman wanted to talk more about Abel’s performance than his own.
“No one would have thought that he’d do that coming in,” Rutschman told reporters. “He was getting pulled from starts. He comes out and throws a complete game in the most important game of the year. Pretty special to me.”
For Arkansas, even the fact that they had to play Game 3 was a heartbreaking disappointment. The Razorbacks had a chance to win the series when they held a 3-2 lead with two outs in the ninth inning of Game 2, when a pop foul fell between three defenders. Instead, the Beavers rallied, and Arkansas is left to wonder what might have been.
“It’s human nature,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said about the possibility of an emotional hangover from Game 2. “Who’s to say? I don’t think we’ll ever know. If Abel hadn’t thrown so well, maybe it’s a little different story, but he didn’t give us a chance.”
Oregon State finished the season with a 55-12-1 record. Over the past two seasons, the Beavers have won 111 of their 130 games.
Meanwhile, Arkansas suffered their first shut out in 100 games. The Razorbacks finished the season with a 48-21 record.