TCU eliminates Virginia from College World Series behind strong pitching performances

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Sam Stoutenborough and two relievers limited Virginia to five hits, Cole Fontenelle drove in two runs and TCU eliminated the Cavaliers from the College World Series with a 4-3 win Sunday.

The Horned Frogs (43-23) will try to extend their stay when they play Tuesday against Oral Roberts. ORU beat TCU 6-5 in the CWS opener.

"I think everybody was wondering, after the punch to the gut on Friday, how they were going to respond?" coach Kirk Saarloos said. "I didn’t have any question about how they were going to respond. I could see it on the bus. I could see it on Saturday at our practice. ... We outlasted them."

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TCU pitcher Sam Stoutenborough throws a pitch against Virginia in the first inning of a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 18, 2023.  (AP Photo/John Peterson)

Virginia (50-15) lost a second straight one-run game and went 0-2 for the first time in six CWS appearances. Five of the first six CWS games have been decided by one run.

"Two one-run losses certainly hurts, and I feel for our guys because they’ve had a terrific year," Cavaliers coach Brian O'Connor said. "That said, we didn’t win, and our goal is to win here in Omaha and have a chance to win a national championship. We certainly fell short of that."

The Cavaliers entered the game batting a nation-leading .334 for the season, but they never found a rhythm against Stoutenborough, Garrett Wright (3-2) and Ben Abeldt.

Wright, who typically enters games late and throws fewer than 25 pitches, was called on for middle relief and threw 43, his second most in an outing this season.

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