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Omaha, Neb. • Mississippi State's Wes Rea went to bat in the eighth inning expecting to see a changeup, and Oregon State pitcher Matt Boyd didn't disappoint him.
Rea drove the ball into right-center for a two-run double that gave the Bulldogs the lead, and closer Jonathan Holder worked out of trouble twice to secure a 5-4 victory Saturday in the opening game of the College World Series.
"I'm fortunate enough I've been up at the plate in these situations and have been able to get it done," Rea said. "It's something I take a lot of pride in when there are runners in scoring position."
The Bulldogs (49-18) advanced to a Monday game against Indiana or Louisville. The Beavers (50-12), the No. 3 national seed, are one loss from elimination.
Ross Mitchell (13-0) pitched 2 2-3 shutout innings before turning the game over to Holder.
Oregon State starter Andrew Moore turned in a strong performance after giving up three runs in the second inning.
Indiana 2, Louisville 0 • Joey DeNato threw a four-hitter and Indiana looked right at home in beating Louisville in the Hoosiers' first appearance in the College World Series.
The Hoosiers manufactured their runs early, and DeNato (10-2) made them stand up in a masterful performance in front of a TD Ameritrade Park-record crowd of 27,122.
Indiana (49-18) has beaten the Cardinals (51-13) in three of four meetings, shutting them out twice. The Hoosiers will play Monday against Mississippi State, and the Cardinals will face Oregon State in an elimination game.
DeNato allowed three singles and a double in his second complete game. He struck out eight and walked three.