? Photos from Austin
AUSTIN ? Augie Garrido wasn?t sure he had reason on his side. He didn?t know if he had the right interpretation of the rule book or the correct argument. When he left the Texas dugout to confront an umpire in the fourth inning of Sunday?s super regional championship game at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, he relied primarily on something that had proved invaluable through more than 1,800 career victories.
He had faith that things would somehow go his way.
?Prayer was in order,? the UT coach said. ?And it was answered.?
In a 4-2 victory over Arizona State that sent them to their record 34th trip to the College World Series, the Longhorns received plenty of positive responses. They got them from umpires who gave them the benefit of two highly controversial ? if not inexplicable ? calls. They got them from four pitchers who overcame a rough start to shut out the Sun Devils for the final eight innings.
And they got them from an offense that wasted one prime scoring opportunity after another until finally breaking through with three consecutive two-out hits in the decisive sixth inning. In the end, the team that spotted Arizona State the first game of the best-of-three series won its fifth elimination game in the past two weeks.
?I can?t really explain how this team works,? said Texas shortstop Brandon Loy, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. ?But we found a way to get it done.?
Florida first CWS foe
The Longhorns (49-17), who will pursue their seventh national championship in Omaha, Neb., beginning against Florida on Saturday or Sunday, trailed 2-1 in the fourth inning when they received their first big break. With one out and Joey DeMichele on first, Sam Stafford walked the Sun Devils? Zach Wilson, and UT catcher Jacob Felts made an errant throw to second, apparently not realizing that DeMichele had a free base.
DeMichele advanced to third on Felts? miscue, and Arizona State (43-18) appeared to have runners on the corners with one out. But Garrido argued Wilson interfered with Felts, even though Felts? throw was unnecessary and Wilson had to cross the plate to get to first base.
In a stunning move, the umpires not only agreed with Garrido?s assertion of interference (which replays showed no evidence of), they also called Wilson out and returned DeMichele to first.
Sun Devils coach Tim Esmay vehemently protested the call, but he politely refused to comment about the umpiring after the game. The NCAA declined to make umpires available to a pool reporter.
?That?s part of baseball,? Esmay said. ?And that?s going to be part of baseball forever.?
After that scoring chance was taken from Arizona State, Texas was awarded another. In the fifth, the Longhorns scored a run on a balk called against Sun Devils pitcher Mitchell Lambson. Again, replays showed no violation, and Lambson (7-4), who took the loss, said he wasn?t made aware of what he did wrong.
?No idea, really,? Lambson said.
Low-key tradition
Still, UT had to capitalize on its good fortune. It did so in the sixth, when Tant Shepherd ripped a two-out double to left, Mark Payton singled him home for the lead and Loy doubled in an insurance run.
The rally made a winner of reliever Hoby Milner (7-4) but didn?t lead to much of a celebration for the Longhorns, who remain proud of their tradition of only dogpiling for national championships.
?It?s the first step,? Loy said. ?Our overall goal is right out in front of us.?
mfinger@express-news.net
Source: http://feeds.chron.com/~r/houstonchronicle/front/~3/0n4VGrBZxkw/7607560.html
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