UC Irvine impressive in three-game sweep

Bryce Stowell struck out a career-high 13 in 7 2/3 scoreless innings and Sean Madigan drove in five runs to key UC Irvine’s 8-0 title-clinching win over Oral Roberts in the NCAA baseball regional in Lincoln, Neb.

The Anteaters (41-16) won three straight to reach the super regionals, where they will play Louisiana State for a chance to go to the College World Series for the second straight year.

Irvine’s pitching staff finished the regional with 15 consecutive shutout innings. Stowell (8-2) struck out four of the first seven batters he faced.

Carlos Luna (13-1) gave up eight hits and a season-high six runs in 6 1/3 innings for Oral Roberts (48-14).

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Stanford 13, Pepperdine 1 -- Toby Gerhart had a career-high four hits, including a home run, and the host Cardinal forced a decisive game today with the Waves.

Stanford (36-22) beat UC Davis, 8-4, earlier in the day. Jason Castro had three hits against Pepperdine, including a three-run home run in the first inning as Stanford had 15 hits in winning its third straight elimination game.

Cord Phelps had two hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs. Zach Jones also drove in a pair of runs.

Matt Aidem had two hits, including a home run, for the Waves (38-20), who gave up a season high in runs and lost for only the fourth time in their last 14 games. Danny Sandbrink (2-1) pitched a six-hitter in his first complete game. He walked one and struck out six.

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In other selected games:

Arizona defeated Kentucky, 5-3, behind a career-high 11 strikeouts by Eric Berger to win the regional in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Wildcats will play top-ranked Miami in a super regional. The Hurricanes advanced with an 11-2 victory at home over Mississippi.

Coastal Carolina won the regional in Conway, S.C., eliminating East Carolina, 24-11. The Chanticleers (50-12) scored 13 runs in the second inning. They play North Carolina in a super regional. The Tar Heels (49-12) used a three-run home run from Mark Fleury in a five-run fifth inning to beat N.C. Wilmington, 7-3, in Cary, N.C.

Clinton McKeever’s 10th-inning grand slam off the right-field foul pole gave Wichita State an 11-7 victory over Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. The Shockers will play the winner of today’s Florida State-Tulane game in a super regional.