Tiny freshman comes up big again, Virginia wins 7-5 to knock Cal St. Fullerton out of CWS

Virginia ousts Titans from CWS with 7-5 victory

OMAHA, Neb. — Virginia eliminated second-seeded Cal State Fullerton from the College World Series, beating another ace by chasing Daniel Renken in a 7-5 victory Monday.

The Cavaliers (49-14-1) won the elimination game and next play the loser of Monday night’s game between Arkansas and LSU. Fullerton (47-16) has lost five straight in the CWS.

Renken (11-3) gave up a season-high six runs and left in the sixth inning. The Cavaliers tagged another one of college baseball’s top pitchers, having defeated San Diego State ace and No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg in the regionals.

Virginia, in the CWS for the first time, took the lead for good in the second inning by scoring four times. Keith Werman, the Cavaliers’ ninth-place hitter, singled home the tying run and Danny Hultzen hit a two-run single past diving right fielder Gary Brown.

Werman continued his key hitting in the College World Series, going 2 for 4 and driving in two runs. The 140-pound freshman is 6 for 9 with two doubles and three RBIs in two CWS games.

Fullerton, 21-9 in NCAA tournament elimination games since 1999, tried to come back against closer Kevin Arico in the ninth.

Joey Siddons had an infield single and Christian Colon reached on an error before Brown’s RBI single.

Arico struck out Josh Fellhauer, but then Virginia shortstop Tyler Cannon’s backhand flip to Werman pulled the 5-foot-7 second baseman off the bag as he tried to get the forceout, allowing another run to score.

Cannon redeemed himself moments later when Khris Davis grounded to him. This time Cannon made a perfect flip to Werman for the final out.

Dustin Garneau’s two-run homer off Virginia starter Robert Morey put Fullerton up 2-0 in the second. But the Cavaliers came back with four runs in the bottom half.

Colon homered to make it a one-run game in the third. The Cavs were able to stretch their lead with Phil Gosselin’s RBI double in the fifth and run-scoring singles by Werman and Cannon in the sixth.