Leiter follows Rocker's Super Regional gem
As it has been for much of Vanderbilt's season, so it went in NCAA Super Regional play.
After Commodores fireballer Kumar Rocker tossed a gem on Friday, teammate and fellow likely first-rounder Jack Leiter went to the bump on Saturday and punched out 10 over seven innings of two-hit ball, walking three and allowing a run in Vanderbilt's 4-1 win over East Carolina University. The victory makes for a Super Regional sweep, sending the Commodores to the College World Series.
Leiter, MLB's No. 3 Draft prospect, surrendered a leadoff single to Connor Norby (the No. 84 Draft prospect) in the first but did not permit another hit until giving up a homer to Josh Moylan to start the seventh. He shrugged off a walk to the next batter by getting a flyout and inducing an inning-ending double play.
The 21-year-old righty and son of two-time Major League All-Star Al Leiter lowered his season ERA to 2.16 while improving to 10-3 with 156 strikeouts over 96 innings. He was selected out of New Jersey's Delbarton School as a high school senior by the Yankees in the 20th round of the 2019 Draft, and his stock has soared as a Draft-eligible sophomore with the Commodores.
Rocker, the No. 5 Draft prospect, outdueled No. 42 Draft prospect Gavin Williams on Friday, fanning 11 over 7 2/3 shutout innings.
Other top performers and scores from Saturday's Super Regionals:
No. 1 Arkansas 21, N.C. State 2
Left-hander Patrick Wicklander got plenty of run support in Game 1 of their doubleheader, but didn’t need much with a strong six-inning start -- he gave up one run on six hits, walking two and striking out six in the Razorback win.
N.C. State 6, No. 1 Arkansas 5
In Game 2 of the Fayetteville Super Regional, N.C. State salvaged a split thanks in part to shortstop Jose Torres’ two-run homer in the fourth. It was Torres’ second home run of the day -- the No. 72 MLB Draft prospect also launched a solo shot in Game 1. Left-hander Evan Justice tossed 2 2/3 innings of relief for the Wolfpack, yielding an unearned run on two hits while walking none and striking out four.
No. 2 Texas 4, South Florida 3
Right-hander Ty Madden, the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year and No. 9 Draft prospect, threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up just three hits while walking four and striking out nine.
No. 3 Tennessee 4, LSU 2
Right-hander Chad Dallas was fantastic for the Volunteers, turning in six innings in which he gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits, walking none and fanning 12.
No. 7 Mississippi State 9, No. 10 Notre Dame 8
Outfielder Tanner Allen, ranked 149th among Draft prospects by MLB Pipeline, launched his ninth homer of the season to help spark the Bulldogs.
No. 9 Stanford 15, No. 8 Texas Tech 3 (Game 1)
No. 9 Stanford 9, No. 8 Texas Tech 0 (Game 2)
Stanford punched its ticket to the College World Series with a doubleheader sweep, and right-hander Brendan Beck set the tone in Game 1 with a dominant performance. The No. 62 Draft prospect struck out 13 and walked only one over 7 1/3 innings for the Cardinal, allowing two runs on six hits. In the same game, second baseman Tim Tawa belted a solo homer.
No. 12 Ole Miss 12, No. 5 Arizona 3
Left-hander Doug Nikhazy, the No. 67 Draft prospect, got 10 of the 16 outs he recorded via strikeout in a strong 5 1/3-inning start for Ole Miss. He gave up two runs on six hits and walked three.
Dallas Baptist 6, Virginia 5
Second baseman Jackson Glenn led the way at the plate for Dallas Baptist, going 2-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs. The homer was the 21st of the season for Glenn.