June 22, 2002
OMAHA, Neb. – Chris Carmichael hit a three-run homer in his first start in almost a month as Texas beat South Carolina 12-6 to win the College World Series on Saturday and make Augie Garrido the first coach to win national titles with two schools.
In winning its fifth national title – and first since 1983 – to tie Louisiana State and Arizona State for second on the list of CWS championships, Texas relied on the solid pitching of freshman closer Huston Street.
Street, selected the Most Outstanding Player, became the first player with four saves in a CWS.
He pitched 1 2/3 innings Saturday, allowing one hit and a walk. He got pinch-hitter Jared Greenwood to ground out to first for the final out, then Street and first baseman Jeff Ontiveros started a celebratory dogpile next to the mound.
“At this moment, it still stings and is very disappointing. But there’s only two teams playing baseball today and I’m proud we were one of them.”
USC Coach Ray Tanner
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It was the fourth national title for Garrido, who won three at Cal State Fullerton before coming to Texas in 1996. He took the Longhorns to Omaha two years ago, but they were eliminated in two games.
The Longhorns (57-15) were perfect on this trip as they edged Rice, swept two games against Stanford and beat South Carolina, which hadn’t played in the title game since losing to the Longhorns in 1975.
The loss ended an amazing run for the Gamecocks (57-18), who were shut out by Georgia Tech 11-0 in the opener last Friday, then won four straight elimination games to make it to the championship.
Texas was in its first championship game since 1989, and won the title for the first time since Roger Clemens and Calvin Schiraldi led the 1983 team.
Again, the Longhorns won it with strong pitching.
The Longhorns had a team ERA of 2.80 entering the game. Justin Simmons (16-1), who won a 2-1 decision over Rice in the opening round, picked up his second victory of the CWS.
The Gamecocks took a 1-0 lead in the first, but never recovered after giving up three in the bottom of the first and Carmichael’s homer in the three-run fifth.
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Pitcher Aaron Rawl delivers against Texas in the first inning. |
Five of the Longhorns were on the 2000 team and three were starting Saturday, including Carmichael, who hadn’t started a game since May 25 in the Big 12 tournament.
He was 0-for-1 in the CWS, but Garrido decided to start the senior in his final game. It paid off in the fifth when Ontiveros reached on an error and Brandon Fahey walked, then Carmichael hit a 1-2 pitch from Chris Spigner (7-2) way out to right.
Carmichael leaped when the ball cleared and gave Texas a 7-2 lead. He pointed at teammates as he trotted down the third-base line and finished his celebration by spinning his arms in a windmill as he touched home and was swarmed by teammates.
The homer gave the Longhorns 68 for the season, one more than the school record set in 1988.
Fahey was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including a two-run single in the eighth that put the Longhorns up 10-6.
Dustin Majewski drove in two runs with a triple in the first, and Omar Quintanilla was 4-for-5 with an RBI.
Justin Harris was 2-for-5 with two RBIs for the Gamecocks. South Carolina got two runs in the seventh and cut the lead to 8-6 in the eighth on Harris’ bases-loaded grounder to second that could have been a double play but second baseman Tim Moss dropped the ball before he could throw it to first.
Two runs scored on the play, but the Longhorns put it away in the bottom of the inning with four runs.
By DOUG ALDEN
AP Sports Writer
