(Photo by Michelle Bishop)
OMAHA, Neb. – Starting pitcher JC Cloney led Arizona to a complete-game shutout, 3-0, over Coastal Carolina Monday night at TD Ameritrade Park to give the Wildcats a 1-0 advantage in the College World Series finals. Three runs were all the junior needed to top the Chanticleers in the first meeting between the two programs.
Arizona (49-22) claimed an early lead in the first thanks to a couple of hits from leadoff man Cody Ramer and three- spot hitter Ryan Aguilar. Ramer laced the second pitch of the game for a ground-rule double down the line in left to get things rolling, and an Aguilar single to center put the Wildcats up 1-0.
A pitchers’ dual ensued shortly after the one-run first. Coastal Carolina (53-18) starting pitcher Zack Hopeck (3-4) bounced back to strike out the next two batters in the inning to escape trouble, and went on to hold Arizona scoreless until his exit in the seventh inning. The right-hander threw 6.1 frames, striking out a career-best five while allowing just three hits past the first inning.
Arizona’s Cloney (8-4) was lights-out to hold CCU to four hits. The left-hander struck out six and walked three en route to pushing his scoreless-inning streak to 16 innings. Despite allowing six Chanticleers to reach base, just one advanced past first base.
It wasn’t until the top of the seventh that Arizona was able to extend its lead to 3-0 against Chanticleers reliever Cole Schaefer. With two on and two out, Zach Gibbons lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Cesar Salazar. Aguilar followed up with an RBI single to left to plate Ramer from second.
Coastal Carolina’s best scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the ninth. Anthony Marks led off the frame with his first hit of the night, and Zach Remillard slid safely into first base with an infield hit to third. Facing a two-on, no-out situation, Cloney induced a 4-6-3 double play and struck out the final batter of the night to secure the win.
Game two of the best-of-three series is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 28, and will air on ESPN. Arizona has been declared the home team.
