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Beavers win College World Series
05:54 PM PDT on Monday, June 25, 2007
Oregon State became the first team in a decade to repeat as College World Series champion, completing a dominant run through the tournament with a 9-3 victory over North Carolina on Sunday night.
The Beavers (49-18) won all five of their CWS games, including a sweep of the Tar Heels in the best-of-three finals, and trailed for only one of 45 innings they played in Omaha.
The Oregon State Beavers returned home on Monday after winning their second straight national championship at the College World Series. They were greeted by some six thousand fans who gathered on the Corvallis campus.
"How sweet it is," said catcher Mitch Canham. "How Sweet it is."
Final game recap: Beavers win 9-3
Print posters: Beaver Nation, Beaver Believer, Back-to-Back
Post messages: Tell the Beavers congrats!
Just the day before, in game 1 of the finals, the Beavers took the lead early and never gave it up, eventually slamming the Tar Heels 11 to 4 Saturday.
Recap: Beavers dominate Game 1 in finals
It's a rematch of last year's battle, when OSU took home the title.
AP Photo/Eric Francis
Oregon State's Joey Wong celebrates after scoring in the fifth inning against UC Irvine at the College World Series.
North Carolina powered its way back to the College World Series finals Thursday night, hitting four home runs on its way to a 7-4 victory over Rice.
Canham had told his teammates that they couldn't have a dogpile until after winning the national championship. The Beavers got their celebration after beating North Carolina 9-3 on Sunday evening.
"It was special. When we got through the regional, and then the super regional, Mitch kept saying, `Let's save it,"' shortstop Darwin Barney said. "So when we finally did it, we were celebrating the whole thing."
Blog: Covering the World Series for KGW
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The victory means the Tar Heels will play defending national champion Oregon State in what will only be the second finals rematch in the entire history of the College World Series.
It was sunny and warm in Corvallis on Monday, when the Beavers arrived for the rally outside the football stadium. Freshman pitcher Jorge Reyes, named the Most Valuable Player in Omaha, carried the trophy.
"It feels pretty good right now," coach Pat Casey told the crowd.
Barney and Canham, the only two position players that returned from last year's championship team, were both drafted and are expected to forego their senior years. The crowd nevertheless implored them by chanting" "One more year!"
Sports blogs from Omaha:
Aaannndd we're off... to Omaha
How the Beavers got this far:
Last Wednesday, Daniel Turpen allowed five hits over eight innings and defending champion Oregon State beat UC Irvine 7-1, ending the Anteaters' dramatic postseason run.
Mitch Canham hit a two-run homer, Darwin Barney had two RBI singles and John Wallace added a run-scoring triple for the Beavers, who scored four unearned runs in the third inning.
The win gave the Beavers two days to rest before their rematch with North Carolina on Saturday.
Recap: Game 3
Slideshow: Game 3 highlights
It was a disappointing ending for the Anteaters (47-17-1), who reinstated their baseball program in 2002 and were making their first CWS appearance.
The Anteaters captured the hearts of local fans by rebounding from an opening loss to Arizona State to win extra-inning games against Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State in their final at-bats.
The 13-inning win over Fullerton took 5 hours, 40 minutes, the longest game in CWS history. The 10-inning win over ASU came after the Anteaters rallied from four runs down in the eighth to win in their last at-bat for the third time in four games.
There would be no magic against Oregon State.
The Beavers completed a 3-0 run through the College World Series tournament of eight teams and earned a return to the best-of-three championship series and the chance to defend the title they won in 2006.
Recap: Game 2
VIDEO: Game 2 highlights
In Game 2, the Beavers pounded the vaunted Arizona State Sun Devils, 12-6.
The Beavers edged Cal State Fullerton, 3-2 in their first CWS Game.
Recap: Game 1
VIDEO: Game 1 highlights
OSU has won 11 of 13 games since a May swoon when the Beavers lost seven of nine, jeopardizing their hopes of returning to the tournament.
More:
Read/Comment in the KGW Sports Blog
Re-live the highlights: Beavers win 2006 College World Series
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