OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Brandon Waddell limited Vanderbilt to five hits in his first nine-inning complete game, Virginia knocked out first-round draft pick Tyler Beede in the seventh, and the Cavaliers evened the College World Series finals with a 7-2 victory Tuesday night.
Each team will be playing for its first national title in baseball in the winner-take-all Game 3 on Wednesday night.
Virginia (53-15) forced the third game after Vanderbilt (50-21) rode a nine-run third inning to a 9-8 victory in the opener.
Waddell (10-3), who pitched a solid seven innings with no decision against TCU a week ago, was even better against the Commodores. He didn’t allow a hit in the fifth through eighth innings and retired 12 in a row before he issued a walk with two outs in the ninth.
His first official complete game came in a six-inning, rain-shortened game against Monmouth in March.