Alyssa Utsby and North Carolina beat West Virginia 58-47 to set up Sweet 16 meeting with Duke
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Alyssa Ustby scored 16 of her 21 points after halftime to help North Carolina beat West Virginia 58-47 on Monday night in the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament.
The fifth-year senior's big night included 10 third-quarter points for the third-seeded Tar Heels (29-7), who reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2022. North Carolina will face Duke in a regional semifinal in Birmingham, Alabama — the first meeting between the rivals in the women's March Madness bracket.
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
10 stats tell the story of LSU baseball's dominant super regional sweep of West Virginia
10 stats tell the story of LSU baseball's dominant super regional sweep of West Virginia We saw LSU baseball at its best vs. West Virginia. The Tigers swept the Baton Rouge Super Regional to claim their spot in the College World Series. On Saturday, LSU had two grand slams en route to scoring 16 runs. The offensive barrage continued on Sunday with LSU scoring 12 more runs. LSU aces Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson weren't perfect, but they were good enough. West Virginia made a couple of runs in Game 1 and Game 2, but every time, LSU responded to remain in control of the game. The offensive output kept pressure off LSU pitchers throughout the series. For Jay Johnson and LSU, this marks the second trip to Omaha in three years. The Tigers won it all 2023, led by stars Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews. LSU will kick off its College World Series journey vs. Arkansas later this week. Before we get there, here are 10 stats that tell the story of LSU baseball's super regional win.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Five takeaways from LSU baseball's super regional win vs. West Virginia
Five takeaways from LSU baseball's super regional win vs. West Virginia LSU baseball is headed to Omaha. After sweeping West Virginia in the Baton Rouge Super Regional, LSU punched a ticket to the College World Series. The Tigers erupted for 16 runs in Game 1 before plating 12 more in Game 2. It was just what we wanted to see from the LSU offense after the Tigers' bats were inconsistent at points this spring. Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson didn't pitch at the elite level they did in the regional, but both were good enough to get the wins. Anderson allowed six earned runs, but made it through seven innings in Game 1. Eyanson held WVU to three runs and struck out seven of the course of five innings in Game 2. Tigers' head coach Jay Johnson has now led LSU to Omaha in two of his four years in Baton Rouge. LSU's last CWS trip came in 2023, when the Tigers won it all with Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews. Before LSU continues its quest for another national title, here are five takeaways from LSU's Super Regional win. 1. LSU responded in the seventh inning LSU controlled the game early, scoring six runs in the first two innings. WVU began to stage a comeback. The Mountaineers scored three runs in the fourth and plated another in the fifth. Then, LSU had a response of its own. LSU scored six runs in the seventh inning, putting the game out of reach. It started with a two-run single off the bat of Chris Stanfield. Not long after, Derek Curiel scored on a throwing error. Steven Milam kept the rally going with an RBI double. Jake Brown capped it off with a two-run shot to center field. West Virginia had the momentum entering the seventh, and the Mountaineers were a couple of swings away from tying it up. Good teams respond like LSU did in the seventh. 2. Anderson and Eyanson were good enough Good pitchers find a way to do enough even when they don't have their best stuff. Neither Kade Anderson nor Anthony Eyanson had their best, but they combined to pitch 12 innings and both got the win. Anderson held WVU to one run through five innings, which allowed LSU to build a substantial lead. West Virginia put up some runs in the later innings, but Anderson hung in there and threw 109 pitches, keeping LSU's bullpen rested. On Sunday, Eyanson held WVU to three runs in five innings. Between the regional and the super regional, Eyanson allowed just three runs over 13.2 innings. LSU can't expect eight shutout innings from Anderson and Eyanson every night, but the Tigers proved they can win a different style of game vs. West Virginia. 3. Steven Milam was a star Steven Milam had ups and downs in the regular season, but he's been a star for LSU in the NCAA Tournament. He stayed hot vs. West Virginia. On Saturday, Milam came to the plate with LSU up 3-1 and the bases loaded. Milam put one in the bleachers to give LSU a 7-1 lead. Milam walked twice and scored two runs. On Sunday, Milam had two more extra-base hits with four RBI. Again, he walked twice and scored twice. If Milam is going to hit like this, it changes the outlook for LSU's lineup. It gives the Tigers another all-around bat in the middle of the lineup. "He will play baseball for a very long time if he takes the caliber of at-bats that he has," Jay Johnson said of Milam last weekend. 4. Potential emergence of Cooper Williams Aside from Casan Evans, LSU's bullpen has struggled in recent weeks. Even Zac Cowan has faltered after being one of the nation's most effective relievers for most of the year. LSU needed another bullpen arm to emerge -- it might just be Cooper Williams. Williams, a true freshman, was ranked as the No. 12 left-handed pitcher in the 2024 class by Perfect Game. He began his career without allowing an earned run in his first 12 appearances, but didn't see a ton of high leverage spots in the regular season. After LSU struggled to get outs last Sunday vs. Little Rock, Williams entered and pitched 3.2 scoreless innings. Then, a week later vs. West Virginia, Johnson called on Williams with the tying run at the plate. Williams delivered and gave LSU 2.2 innings, allowing just one run. That'll play. In 19.2 innings, Williams owns a 1.83 ERA this year. LSU will need a strong effort from the freshman in Omaha. 5. LSU looks like a complete team The Super Regional was LSU at its best. The Tigers have not played two straight complete games like vs. a quality opponent all year. Sure, the Tigers have found ways to win, but LSU was dominant in every phase of the game vs. the Mountaineers. This team is good enough to go all the way in Omaha. We had questions about the lineup entering the weekend. Those were answered. We know guys like Derek Curiel and Daniel Dickinson are going to produce, but when Milam, Brown, and Josh Pearson are showing off the power too, it's hard to find outs vs. this group. And Tiger fans should feel better about the bullpen now, too. LSU finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the polls for a reason. When this squad plays to its potential, it's the best in the country.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Recap: LSU baseball beats West Virginia and clinches return to Omaha
LSU baseball entered Sunday with a chance to advance to Omaha with a win vs. West Virginia in Game 2. Another night of offensive firepower accomplished that goal, and the Tigers are headed back to the College World Series with a 12-5 win. LSU was the road team in this one, taking the bats in the top of the first. The Tigers scored a run after Derek Curiel led off the game with a double, he advanced to third on a flyout by Ethan Frey, and then scored on a fielder's choice to make it 1-0 Tigers. Anthony Eyanson was the man on the mound for LSU. He worked a scoreless first inning, and LSU gave him some run support in the top of the second. LSU scored five runs in the top of the second inning. Steven Milam hit a three-RBI double, Jake Brown hit an RBI single, and Jared Jones hit an RBI single to increase the Tigers' lead to 6-0. The bats on both sides got quiet for a few innings until the bottom of the fourth inning. West Virginia scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to cut the LSU lead to 6-3. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Mountaineers would tack on another run to cut the lead to 6-4. Advertisement In the bottom of the sixth inning, Eyanson walked the first hitter he faced and was pulled from the game for Cooper Williams. Eyanson finished the night after five full innings of work. He gave up four runs on five hits, seven strikeouts, and three walks. An error, a walk, and a hit by pitch started the top of the seventh for the Tigers and forced a pitching change by West Virginia. Chris Stanfield made the Mountaineers pay with a two-RBI single to give LSU an 8-4 lead. An error then scored Curiel to make it 9-4. Milam hit an RBI double to score Frey and make it 10-4 Tigers. Jake Brown then hit a two-run blast to dead center to increase the lead to 12-4. Williams remained in the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. In the bottom of the eighth inning, West Virginia scored another run on a solo homer to cut the lead to 12-5. Williams walked the next batter he faced, and he was pulled from the game. Advertisement Chase Shores would enter to pitch for the Tigers. Shores remained in the game to pitch the ninth inning, and he finished the game off and sent the Tigers to Omaha with a 12-5 victory! With the win, LSU advances to Omaha to face off against a familiar foe, the Arkansas Razorbacks. LSU faced Arkansas during the season and took two of three from them, but anything can happen in Omaha. The date and time for that game are to be announced later. This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Instant Recap: LSU baseball beats WVU and secures trip to Omaha
