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News Nuggets, 06.22.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Mazey's staff reloaded after 2nd hire in 2 weeks

East Carolina, which recently made its 7th straight appearance in the NCAA baseball regionals, has lured a new batting coach from another team with postseason credentials.

Scott Forbes, previously Winthrop's assistant head coach, has been named to succeed Allen Osborne as the Pirates' hitting instructor. Osborne resigned from the ECU staff in early June.

Forbes is the second new staff member to join the Pirates in the last two weeks. Former Louisburg College head coach Billy Godwin was named the team's pitching coach on June 9, filling a vacancy created with resignation of Tommy Eason.

ECU head coach Randy Mazey, in announcing Forbes' hiring on Tuesday, indicated in a press release that Winthrop's recent baseball achievements are a reflection on Forbes' qualifications.

" ... He is very highly respected in the coaching community and has been a huge part of the success that Winthrop has had over the past several years," stated Mazey.

The most recent example of that success was Winthrop's appearance in the Knoxville regional as the No. 2 seed behind host Tennessee. The Eagles defeated traditional power Wichita State in the first round before being eliminated from the double-elimination event with losses to the Volunteers and the Shockers.

In addition to his duties as hitting coach, Forbes spent the past three years as Winthrop's recruiting coordinator.

During the 2005 season, he served as assistant head coach, helping the Eagles (44-21) to the Big South Tournament Championship and the regional berth.

Mazey observed in the release that his new lineup of aides can help the Pirates' make progress toward their publicly proclaimed No. 1 objective.

" ... I couldn't be more excited about the staff that we have put together with Scott joining Billy Godwin and (volunteer assistant) Ryan Riley," he stated. "I really feel like our baseball program has taken one step closer to Omaha."

Prior to his arrival at Winthrop, Forbes spent four years as an assistant coach at UNC-Chapel Hill and one year as an assistant at North Carolina Wesleyan.

He also served a two-summer stint (1999-2000) as head coach of the Wilmington Sharks of the wood bat Coastal Plain League, being named coach of the year after leading the 1999 team to the league championship.

Forbes played college ball at Middle Georgia College (1994) and N.C. Wesleyan (1995-97). He helped lead the Bishops to a fifth-place finish in the 1997 Division III College World Series.

During that 1999 season, Forbes broke the Division III season record for doubles, a mark since matched by two other players.

Forbes and his wife, Mandy have a daughter, Hannah Brooke.

Compiled from an ECU Athletics release.

CWS: Bears, Sun Devils stage walk-off stunners

BAYLOR 8, TULANE 7

OMAHA — For the second time in two College World Series appearances, Tulane couldn't hold a huge lead. And the way the Green Wave fell couldn't have been more disheartening.

The top-seeded Green Wave led Baylor 7-0 after six innings Tuesday night. But the Bears made a stunning rally that ended on a botched double play grounder, lifting Baylor to an 8-7 victory and sending Tulane home in disbelief.

The final two runs came home after second baseman Joe Holland threw wildly to first trying to complete what would have been a game-ending double play.

``In 30 years of coaching this is the toughest loss I ever had, because of the arena it was in and the way it ended, the guys involved, the kind of year we had,'' Tulane coach Rick Jones said. ``That's why you play nine innings.''

Tulane's loss was reminiscent of its first-round game in its only other CWS appearance. The Green Wave were up 8-0 against Stanford in the second inning on June 8, 2001, only to lose 13-11.

``It's a 27-out game. You can't hold the ball, you can't take a knee,'' Baylor coach Steve Smith said.

In the early game Tuesday, Arizona State got a CWS record-tying three home runs from Jeff Larish before J.J. Sferra hit a bloop single in the 11th inning to eliminate in-state favorite Nebraska 8-7.

It was the first time two CWS games on the same day were decided on the last at-bat since Stanford beat Louisiana-Lafayette 6-4 and Clemson defeated San Jose State 10-6 on June 9, 2000.

The Green Wave (56-12) were up 6-0 in the second inning and 7-0 in the seventh before the Bears (46-23)came back.

Trailing 7-5, Zach Dillon's RBI double against Sean Morgan (6-1) pulled the Bears within a run in the ninth. Brandon Gomes came on and intentionally walked Kevin Russo to load the bases with none out.

Seth Fortenberry popped out to shortstop before Paul Witt hit a grounder to Holland. Holland tagged second base, then threw wide with first baseman Micah Owings unable to come up with the ball.

The tying run scored and then so did a jubilant Dillon from third with the winner as the ball got away — and the Baylor players celebrated wildly in front of their dugout.

Abe Woody (10-3) got the win with 4 1-3 innings of two-hit relief.

Tulane built its lead with a two-run homer from Mark Hamilton in a six-run second inning.

ARIZONA STATE 8, NEBRASKA 7 (11 innings)

Faced with having to play Florida after its emotional extra-inning win over Nebraska, Arizona State coach Pat Murphy had one request.

``Could we get a thunderstorm cooked up here? Is there a chance at all?'' Murphy said.

The Sun Devils (41-24), who came to Omaha with the fewest wins of any team in the field, are in the final four after avenging a 5-3 first-round loss to the Huskers.

Larish, who has 23 homers, tied it 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth when he hit Nebraska closer Brett Jensen's first pitch over the center-field wall.

``Down two in the ninth, a lot of you guys had written your stories,'' Murphy told reporters after the game. ``That thing was over.''

Larish wouldn't let it end, though, and became the third player in CWS history to hit three homers, matching the record set by Florida State's J.D. Drew in 1995 and tied by Stanford's Edmund Muth in 2000.

Larish's third homer also negated Andy Gerch's three-run blast for Nebraska (57-15) in the top of the ninth that gave the Huskers a 7-5 lead.

``I'm still trying to let it set in,'' Larish said. ``We've been responding to adversity all year, and today was no different. I'm more excited about the team's performance than my own.''

Larish, who bats left-handed, led off the game with an opposite-field shot and homered to right in the third.

But it was a blooper in the 11th that won the game for the Sun Devils.

Joey Hooft led off the 11th with a single and moved to second on Seth Dhaenens' sacrifice. Sferra, a 150-pound freshman who was the bat boy when ASU last appeared in Omaha in 1998, then popped Tony Watson's pitch into short right center to score Hooft.

``I was trying to drive the ball somewhere, but I didn't do a good job of driving it,'' Sferra said. ``I just got the barrel on it and slapped it over second. We caught the break, and we'll take it.''

Zechry Zinicola (4-4), who was held out of the starting lineup as designated hitter because of a bloody nose, came on in the 10th and earned the win.

Jensen (3-5) took the loss after the Sun Devils rallied to force extra innings.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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