Omaha magic arrived on Day 1 of the College World Series, and it is all thanks to Oregon State left fielder Gavin Turley.
Facing the first pitch of his at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with a runner on first, Turley laced a line drive down into the left field corner to score Aiva Arquette and give No. 8 Oregon State a 4-3 walk-off win against Louisville at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
It is the first walk-off win for the Beavers in their eight trips to the College World Series, according to the ESPN broadcast.
‘Trying to hit something hard. Hit something over the plate, ‘Turley told ESPN’s Kris Budden after the game. ‘Didn’t try to do too much, to be honest. Just put a good swing on the ball in the zone.
He added on the feel of his heartbeat after the walk-off: ‘It’s off the charts. Can’t believe I’m standing here. I’m still out of breath. That was awesome.’
Turley’s heroics in Omaha at Charles Schwab Field Omaha didn’t come without a wacky top of the ninth inning, which he played a factor into. Leading 3-1 going into the ninth inning, Turley attempted to make a diving catch on a live drive hit to him by Louisville left fielder Zion Rose. However, Turley misplayed the ball, allowing Rose to begin the inning with a lead-off triple.
Rose was then brought home one batter later by Tague Davis, who beat the shift with a single up the middle. Kamau Neighbors plated Alex Alicea to even the score at 3-3 on a single up the middle, after Alicea reached third on a two-error play by Arquette and Oregon State catcher Wilson Weber.
Earlier in the game, Turley set a new Oregon State single-postseason program record for most RBIs that his head coach, Mitch Canham, used to hold. Turley’s first RBI of the night came on a groundout to second that allowed Trent Caraway to come across home for the first run of the night.
The meeting between the Beavers and the Cardinals was the first since both teams met up in the 2013 College World Series, a game that Oregon State also won.
Next up for Oregon State will be No. 13 Coastal Carolina, which defeated Arizona 7-4 earlier in the day to extend its nation-leading 24-game win streak, on June 15 at 7 p.m. ET. A win against the Chanticleers would advance the Beavers to the CWS semifinals.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.