Gonzalez’s hit in 12th sends Vandy past Arizona

OMAHA, NEB. • Vanderbilt made it to Omaha with a young team, one almost entirely different from the one that won the national championship here in 2019.

It was one of the Commodores’ old hands, though, who got them off to a winning start at the College World Series this year.

Jayson Gonzalez singled through the infield with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th inning, giving Vandy a 7-6 win over Arizona on Saturday night.

Gonzalez grounded a 1-2 pitch beyond diving shortstop Nik McClaughry’s glove to end the first extra-inning game at the CWS since 2014. It lasted 4 hours, 51 minutes, making it the fourth-longest game in CWS history.

“It’s a dream come true to be here, to be in the situation,” said Gonzalez, one of Vandy’s three seniors. “We’ve all worked so hard to get to this moment, so it’s a pretty special moment.”

Arizona’s Vince Vannelle (5-3) worked out of a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the 11th, but the Commodores (46-15) wouldn’t be denied in the 12th.

Isaiah Thomas led off with an infield single and Parker Noland bunted for a hit before Vannelle walked Javier Vaz. Gonzalez then came through for the second time in the game. He had hit a tying home run in the fourth inning.

“Any time you win a game like that ... it wasn’t easy, it was long, and I think it gives you a certain amount of confidence, as it should,” Vandy coach Tim Corbin said.

Chris McElvain (5-1) held Arizona (4517) scoreless in the top of the 12th after Donta Williams doubled to the wall leading off, getting a flyout and two strikeouts.

The game marked the roughest postseason start for Vanderbilt star Kumar Rocker.

Rocker, projected to be a top-10 pick in the Major League Baseball draft next month, gave up three runs in the first inning and was pulled after Ryan Holgate’s two-run homer in the sixth put the Wildcats up 5-3.

Vandy took a one-run lead in the seventh on Carter Young’s homer into the right-field bleachers, but Williams forced extra innings with a sacrifice fly for Arizona in the ninth.

“The first game is the toughest game to play (here), especially if a lot of guys haven’t played a lot,” Corbin said. “We were in deficit mode several times and had to come back. And we took a gut punch in the ninth when they tied it and we took another gut punch when we had them loaded and couldn’t score. I thought they hung tough, and we hit the ball pretty well at the end of the game.”

Rocker walked none and struck out 10 in 5 2/3 innings, and two of the five runs against him were unearned.

The 2019 CWS Most Outstanding Player entered the game having won all six of his previous NCAA Tournament starts, allowing three runs in 42 2/3 innings.