Arizona State was one strike away from Omaha before Arkansas’s Brett Eibner, the guy who picked up the loss in Saturday night’s Super Regional opener, took a hanging slider down the left field line for a game-tying homerun.
Unfortunately, Eibner’s dramatics only delayed the inevitable for the Razorbacks. The top-seeded Sun Devils maintained their composure, took a two-run lead on a Drew Maggi homerun in the twelfth, and held on for the 7-5 win.
With the victory, Arizona State advances to Omaha for the 22nd time, breaking a tie with Southern California for third most all-time behind Texas (33) and Miami (23). A championship for the Sun Devils would be the program’s sixth, matching the Longhorns and LSU Tigers for second most. Southern Cal has won the title twelve times, all between 1948 and 1998.
The final two spots in Omaha will be decided tomorrow. As of right now, it appears Clemson and Alabama will play at 1 PM, with Oklahoma and Virginia playing at 7 PM.
