COLLEGE BASEBALL

• Arkansas, LSU winners on opening day of CWS

  
  

  Omaha, NE (Sports Network) - Arkansas and LSU came up winners on the first day of the 2009 College World Series.

  Sean Ochinko belted the go-ahead three-run homer in the fifth inning and Ryan Schimpf added a two-run shot as the Tigers beat Virginia, 9-5, in the night contest at Rosenblatt Stadium.

  Earlier Saturday, Andy Wilkins finished 2-for-3 with a homer and five runs batted in, as Arkansas upended Cal State Fullerton, 10-6.

  With the double-elimination format in effect, the Titans, who came in seeded second overall in the tournament, will face Virginia on Monday with the loser being knocked out. Arkansas and LSU, powerhouses from the SEC, meet in the winner's bracket Monday night.

  In the night game, DJ LeMahieu added three hits, an RBI and scored twice for LSU (52-16). Micah Gibbs had three hits and a pair of RBI, while Mikie Mahtook tallied three hits and scored once in the win.

  Anthony Ranaudo had a shaky start for the Tigers, as he gave up five hits and two runs over 3 1/3 innings.

  Austin Ross (6-7) yielded four hits and a run over two innings to get the victory for LSU, which began its quest for a sixth national championship. The Tigers last won the College World Series in 2000.

  Conversely, this is Virginia's first trip to the CWS.

  Franco Valdes went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and two RBI for Virginia (48-14-1).

  Keith Werman had four hits and drove in a run, while Tyler Cannon went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

  Danny Hultzen surrendered seven hits and three runs over three innings in the start for the Cavaliers. Matt Packer (3-5) allowed five hits and three runs over three frames to suffer the defeat.

  A sacrifice fly from Blake Dean and an RBI single from Gibbs, both in the third inning, gave LSU a 3-1 lead.

  Valdes singled in a run in the fourth, but the Cavaliers wasted a bases-loaded opportunity later in the inning. They did, however, go ahead in the fifth on Proscia's homer to left-center field.

  In the bottom half of the inning, Gibs and Mahtook singled with one out before Ochinko homered to left field for the 6-4 lead.

  Valdes homered in the seventh, but LeMahieu singled in a run in the eighth before Schimpf cranked a homer to right field for the four-run advantage.

  In the day game, Zack Cox also had two hits, including a homer, and drove in three to help Arkansas (40-22) to its sixth consecutive win.

  Dallas Keuchel (8-3) limited Cal State Fullerton (47-15) to four runs -- three earned -- over six innings and took the win, while Fullerton's Noe Ramirez (9-2) allowed seven runs over 3 2/3 frames in the loss.

  A sacrifice fly from Wilkins and RBI single from Cox gave Arkansas a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and Cox's two-run homer in the third made it a four-run Razorbacks lead. Ben Tschepikow, who finished the game with three hits, scored on both of Cox's hits.

  The Titans got two runs back in the bottom of the third, but Arkansas added five runs in the fourth to take all the game's momentum.

  The Razorbacks loaded the bases on a one-out single by James McCann and walks to Andrew Darr and Tschepikow. Ramirez was then removed for Tyler Pill, who gave up a two-run single to Scott Lyons. Wilkins then crushed a three-run homer for a 9-2 lead.

  "I think any time that a team is playing well it is going to drive in runs with two outs," said Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn. "It's just winning baseball. Timing. Confidence." A run-scoring single from Joey Siddons and a sac fly from Gary Brown trimmed Fullerton's deficit to five in the bottom of the fifth, but the Titans never really got back into the contest.

  Wilkins' RBI single in the top of the eighth made it a 10-4 game, though Fullerton had a chance to substantially cut into Arkansas' lead in the bottom half.

  Facing Mike Bolsinger, who replaced Keuchel in the seventh, the Titans loaded the bases with no outs. But Fullerton only got one run, on a fielder's choice, and the inning ended when Dustin Garneau grounded into a double play.

  Christian Colon had a two-out RBI single in the ninth, but Brown grounded out to end the game.

  "That didn't work out as planned," said Cal State Fullerton head coach Dave Serrano.

  "We didn't play timely baseball today, we gave them too many opportunities.

  We didn't play very well, I don't want to take anything away from Arkansas, but we still had opportunities to win this game.

  In those opportunities I think our guys got caught trying to do too much." There are two more games on Sunday. The afternoon contest will have Arizona State facing North Carolina, while Southern Miss battles Texas in the nightcap.

  06/13 23:28:59 ET