Arizona eliminates Florida State to advance to CWS Finals

Omaha, NE – Bobby Brown hit a two-run home run as Arizona thumped Florida State, 10-3, to advance to the College World Series Finals on Thursday.

Trent Gilbert had a two-run single during a six-run opening inning, while Robert Refsnyder went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored for the Wildcats, who will be looking for their first title since 1986. Kurt Heyer tossed 7 1/3 innings as he gave up two runs on nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Arizona will face either South Carolina or Arkansas in the best-of-three championship series starting Sunday night. The two-time defending champion Gamecocks need a win tonight to stay alive, while a win by the Razorbacks would propel them into the title series.

Jayce Boyd, Devon Travis and Justin Gonzalez each drove in a run for the Seminoles, who saw starter Brandon Leibrandt tagged for six runs -- two earned -- on three hits with two walks while recording just one out.

Arizona took control of the game early. Joey Rickard started the first inning with a single and Johnny Field reached base thanks to an error. A run-scoring single from Alex Mejia was followed by a walk to Refsnyder to load the bases. Seth Mejias-Brean then lofted a sac fly and a walk to Brown was followed by a two-run single from Joseph Maggi. Gilbert had a two-run base hit to left- center later in the frame.

Florida State got on the board in the fourth when Gonzalez's double scored Boyd, but Arizona got four more runs in the bottom of the inning.

Refsnyder got things started with a one-out homer and Brown added a two-run shot two batters later. Rickard's RBI single later in the inning made it a 10-1 game.

Boyd's sac fly in the seventh and Travis' RBI double in the ninth accounted for the final score.

In the earlier game on Thursday, Michael Roth tossed a complete game, LB Dantzler hit a two-run homer and South Carolina eliminated Kent State in a 4-1 final.

Roth gave up just two hits and retired the final 22 batters faced. He struck out eight and did not issue a walk.

Grayson Greiner and Chase Vergason both hit a second-inning RBI single for the Gamecocks.

Tyler Skulina was charged with all four runs over 5 2/3 innings in the loss. He gave up six hits, walked four and struck out nine.

Sawyer Polen gave the Golden Flashes a 1-0 lead with a run-scoring single in the top of the second, but it wasn't enough to stave off elimination.

Polen's line drive to center plated George Roberts, but Roth induced Nick Hamilton into an inning-ending double play and did not allow another batter to reach base for the remainder of the game.

South Carolina went on top for good in the home half when Greiner singled down the third base line, scoring Adam Matthews, and Vergason followed with an RBI poke through the right side.

Dantzler sealed the final margin an inning later when he belted a two-out blast to right on the heels of Christian Walker's double.