GARY, Ind. — Evan Campbell broke a scoreless tie with a controversial three-run homer in the eighth inning as Kent State defeated Kentucky 3-2 Sunday night to win the NCAA Regional title at U.S. Steel Yard.
The Golden Flashes (44-17) extended the longest winning streak in the nation to 20 games, completing a three-game sweep in the tournament.
Kent State edged UK 7-6 in Friday's opener — at 21 innings, the second-longest game in NCAA tourney history.
The Flashes knocked off Purdue on Saturday, then got to watch as Kentucky beat Purdue in an elimination game earlier Sunday.
Kentucky (45-18) won that game, but needed to beat Kent State in order to force another game in the double-elimination tourney.
So Kent State, making its fourth consecutive NCAA appearance, advanced to next weekend's Super Regional play at Eugene, Ore., to meet Oregon's Ducks.
The home run was controversial because it was close enough to the yellow railing — which the ball must clear — that there were doubts that the ball carried over.
"I didn't have a clear view in terms of what exactly happened, I guess, because I thought it was in the seats," UK Coach Gary Henderson said. "I looked immediately to the first-base (umpire Ken Durham) and he'd already signaled home run, and I looked at the second-base guy (Adam Dowdy) and he was jogging in the direction looking. So I thought immediately that two of them couldn't have missed it. ... I looked up and the outfielders were conversing with one of the umpires."
Henderson thought Durham had missed two calls earlier, so surely there couldn't be a third.
"The law of averages is staggering for that to happen," Henderson said. "So I just kind of assumed that he got it right. Then, that's obviously on me at that point. There's no doubt about that. I should have been out there jumping up and down and hollering, but I actually thought he got it right."
UK right fielder Cameron Flynn saw it differently.
"I thought it hit the guardrail (below the yellow) and came back," Flynn said. "I turned around to get it and the umpire called 'home run.'"
Henderson said before the game that he'd use his pitching staff similar to the way he did when the Cats met Arizona in a 2008 second-game-of-the-day finale in the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Regional. He used eight pitchers in that game, which Arizona won.
Chandler Shepherd had other ideas, though.
The freshman right-hander, who picked up his first collegiate save Saturday against Valparaiso, merely came out and fired 51⁄3 innings of perfect ball — 16 up, 16 down.
Kent's No. 8 hitter, Joe Koch, broke the perfecto with a line single to left field.
Including Saturday's save, Shepherd retired 19 in a row.
Koch was erased on a fielder's choice, with Derek Toadvine barely beating the double-play relay to first.
Henderson argued the safe call at first, and replays appeared to show the UK coach was correct.
No matter, though, as Shepherd struck out Evan Campbell.
Shepherd worked 72⁄3 innings, gave up four hits and a walk, striking out four.
He left with the game scoreless, but with runners on the corners.
Alex Phillips came in, and Campbell drove the first pitch to the railing above the right-field wall.
It was the only home run of the tournament.
Kent State righty Tyler Skulina was on his game as well.
Blanking the Cats on three hits through seven innings, he finally got chased when J.T. Riddle led off the eighth with a single and pinch-hitter Jeff Boehm drove an RBI double off the center-field wall.
UK added another run on Thomas McCarthy's sacrifice fly, but couldn't push another run across against Casey Wilson.
In the ninth, Wilson set down the Cats in order.
"Obviously disappointed to lose," Henderson said. "Proud of our kids. Proud of the effort. Proud of the concentration. Very impressed and pleased with Chandler Shepherd's effort tonight. ... Really proud of what our returners, specifically were able to do this year.
"They made a decision that they wanted to have a better experience, and I was pleased, motivated, inspired by them all year. I think Luke Maile and Michael Williams were at the core of that. I think a lot of guys contributed, but I think Kentucky baseball is at a place that we're proud of, and we're at a spot where moving forward, we can build on what we did."
Both teams finished with six hits. Riddle was the only player from either team with more than one, a pair of singles.
■ All-tournament team — P Bores and Skulina (Kent), Shepherd (UK). C Plawecki (P); 1B Roberts (Kent); 2B Toadvine (Kent); SS Rider (Kent); 3B McCarthy (UK); OF Zellers and Cousino (UK), Campbell (Kent); DH Bain (Valpo). Most outstanding players: Roberts (Kent).
Mark Maloney: (859) 231-3229. Twitter: @markmaloneyhl. Blog: markmaloney.bloginky.com
Source: www.kentucky.com
Kent State baseball beats Kentucky, advances to Oregon - Cleveland Plain Dealer
GARY, Ind. -- With Kent State shut out for six innings and scoreless through seven, the Golden Flashes' Evan Campbell was calm at the plate in the eighth inning, with two runners on and two outs. Nothing but an NCAA regional championship on the line.
"I wasn't thinking," Campbell said. "I was letting things happen."
It happened quickly, as Campbell hit the first pitch he saw from Kentucky's Alex Phillips for a three-run homer that held up in a 3-2 victory against Kentucky, sending KSU to its first ever NCAA super regional next week in Eugene, Ore., against the Oregon Ducks.
"That was the biggest hit in the history of Kent State baseball," said KSU coach Scott Stricklin of the junior outfielder from Beloit, Ohio.
Kent (44-17) got the job done, as every close call went its way -- all made by first-base umpire Ken Durham. But Stricklin also second-guessed a missed scoring opportunity for the Flashes in the seventh inning. Yet with starting pitcher Tyler Skulina and relief pitcher Casey Wilson getting clutch outs against Kentucky's dangerous cleanup hitter, Michael Williams, in key situations, the Flashes prevailed.
None was bigger than Wilson facing Williams to start the ninth -- Kentucky's last at-bat. Wilson jammed him with a 2-2 pitch that was fouled off and caught near the KSU dugout at U.S. Steel Yard.
"That was a big out," Stricklin said. "Wilson just got stronger after that," as the Wildcats went down in order.
Skulina held up for seven innings in a pitchers' duel with Kentucky's Chandler Shepherd. But once Shepherd was lifted with two on and two out in the eighth, Campbell greeted Phillips with a first-pitch home run.
Kentucky disputed the call after Durham ruled that the ball cleared the yellow railing above the 13-foot wall and fence.
"I hit it pretty good," Campbell said. "I was watching it. I saw it bounce off the chairs."
But in reality, it didn't, as TV replays showed that it hit the yellow rail and bounced back onto the field. Kentucky coach Gary Henderson, already miffed that Durham had ruled a first-base pickoff by KSU catcher David Lyon was good -- and that KSU's Derek Toadvine was safe on a potential inning-ending double play -- didn't challenge the home-run ruling.
"My initial thought was he couldn't have missed three plays," Henderson said. "I assumed he got it right. The law of averages were staggering for that [missed call] to happen."
The 3-0 lead held up, but as with every Kent game in the series, not without some drama.
No. 3 seeded Kent entered the contest on a 19-game winning streak and was looking for a regional sweep after defeating Kentucky in Friday's 21-inning opener, 7-6, then No. 1 seed Purdue, 7-3, on Saturday. It marks Kent's first NCAA baseball regional title in 12 tries.
Skulina, all 6-6, 235 pounds of him, cruised through the first four innings, giving up just two hits, and then survived a rocky fourth with runners at second and third by getting Williams to fly out to second base, followed by a sharp groundout to end the inning.
The problem for Kent was that its offense was suddenly silent. Kentucky's Shepherd was working on a no-hitter through five innings. Kent finally struck in the top of the sixth with a Joe Koch single, but Shepherd continued about his business to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, Kent leadoff hitter Jimmy Rider singled. But catcher David Lyon was allowed to swing away instead of dropping a sacrifice, and he hit into a double play. George Roberts then hit a double into the left-center gap, and Stricklin grimaced in the dugout as a potential run was lost.
"You start to second-guess yourself," he said. "But he hits third for a reason."
No worries, as Skulina cruised through his half of the seventh, leaving the pitching duel statistically a dead heat.
Shepherd, however, didn't make it through his half of the eighth. Kent put runners on first and third with two outs courtesy of a single, a walk and a fielder's choice. Then Campbell launched a three-run home run 335 feet down the right-field line.
Skulina was done after giving up a single and double off the center-field wall to score Kentucky's first run of the game. The Wildcats weren't done, scoring another run off Wilson with another single and two long fly outs, closing within 3-2 going into the ninth inning.
Wilson earned the save.
Source: www.cleveland.com
Kent man's Dunkirk Little Ship to join jubilee flotilla - Kent Online
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Dunkirk Little Ship Hilfranor will take part in the jubilee flotilla
There will be a bit of 'Dunkirk spirit' in the Queen's diamond
jubilee flotilla - as nearly 40 of the Second World War Little
Ships take part in today's pageant.
Simon Palmer, from Tunbridge Wells, owns one of the historic boats
due to set sail in the 1,000-boat seven-mile parade from Battersea
Park to Tower Bridge.
Built in 1935, the Hilfranor - named after the original owner’s
three daughters, Hilda, Frances and Nora - joins the
Dunkirk Little Ships squadron and follows the royal barge, The
Spirit of Chartwell.
On board will be the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Viscount De
L'Isle, who sailed with Simon to Dunkirk two years ago.
The Hilfranor was taking part in the jubilee flotilla
Mr Palmer said: "He knows the ship very well and he said he'd like to use this vessel as his representative boat when on the jubilee pageant."
The Lord Lieutenant's grandfather, FM Viscount Gort VC, commanded the British Expeditionary Force, which was evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk.
The Dunkirk Little Ships transported 338,000 British and French troops to Kent's ports during Operation Dynamo in 1940.
Mr Palmer added: "Because these were smaller boats they
were able to get into the beaches and take the troops off to the
larger ships - the troops were brought into Dover, Ramsgate and
Margate so Kent was a focal point for the evacuation."
The pageant gets under way from 3pm, with an estimated one million spectators and 20,000 people on water.
The flotilla will take around 75 minutes to go past any single point.
Thursday, May 31 2012
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Robster wrote:
Admiration of the rowing boats and the 'Dunkirk little ships'.
Forgot to mention this in 1st comment.03 Jun 2012 7:13 PM
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Robster wrote:
A truly spectacular exhibition of British celebration.
I watched on the television, as did many millions, and enjoyed every moment.
Her Majesty, radiant, but her look of concentration made her look quite serious. A huge smile did occur though, as the orchestra on another boat burst in to 'Land of hope and glory'.
A great day, marred only by the British weather!03 Jun 2012 7:10 PM
Source: www.kentonline.co.uk
Essex: Police appeal following attempted abduction of 10-year-old girl - East Anglian Daily Times
By Laurence Cawley
Sunday, June 3, 2012
9:09 AM
DETECTIVES are appealing for information following the attempted abduction of a schoolgirl.
The 10-year-old was walking along Great Plumtree in Harlow at 3.30pm on Fridaywhen she was approached by the male passenger of a small blue saloon who grabbed her by the hood.
The man’s friend, the car driver, then shouted at him which forced the man to let go of the girl. She ran off to her nearby home and alerted her mother. The car followed the girl a short way, but then drove off.
Investigating officer Ds Steve Jones, said: “This incident left the girl very frightened and upset. S
“he has been brave and spoken to us, providing a good description of the man who accosted her. We would urge people who saw the incident or a car matching the description we have given to contact us.
“Furthermore, given the distinctive description of the man, we are confident somebody can give us a name so, again, we urge them to contact us so that we can establish what happened on Friday afternoon.”
The man who grabbed the girl was white, in his late 20s or early 30s, of average build with muscular arms, spoke with a foreign UK accent, had a scar on his top lip and has Roman numeral tattoos on his left forearm.
At the time of the incident he was wearing a blue T-shirt, black jogging bottoms and black trainers. The car is described as a small four-door saloon with blacked-out front and rear side windows.
Anyone with information in connection with this attempted abduction is urged to contact detectives at Harlow police station on 101.
Source: www.eadt.co.uk
Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrated in Kent - BBC News
Thousands of people in towns and villages across Kent have taken part in street parties to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
In Dover, visitors joined in the Big Lunch and watched events in London on the BBC's big screen.
More than a dozen Kent boats - including World War II supply ship Vic96 - have been among the hundreds of vessels in London's Jubilee Pageant.
Skipper Derek Gransden said: "It's all very exciting."
His vessel was part of the Avenue of Sail which features boats that are too tall to travel under bridges and stretches from London Bridge to Wapping.
Before the event started, he said: "We're just between Tower Bridge and London Bridge opposite the Belfast, we're lined up with lots of Thames barges.
“Start Quote
End Quote Barbara MacnabThe Queen's done a marvellous job considering how young she was when she started”
"Believe it or not the banks have been jam-packed with people since about six o'clock this morning despite the fact that it's been pouring with rain.
"We get the luxury of watching it [the pageant] all go up, as it has done this morning to get on station, and then watching them come back this afternoon."
Floating parliamentA replica of the Houses of Parliament has also been unveiled in Goudhurst.
The 30ft-long (9m) plywood structure, which includes a 14ft (4.3m) high Big Ben bell tower, was created over four weeks and is now floating in the village pond.
Hundreds of small wooden boats made by local schoolchildren were placed in the water on Sunday at 15:00 BST to recreate the pageant taking place in London.
A replica of the Houses of Parliament was floated on the pond to mark the Queen's Coronation in 1953.
In Tunbridge Wells, young and old braved the weather to enjoy a picnic and slices of Jubilee cake.
Barbara Macnab, 44, of Ticehurst, said: "We came down because we wanted to join in the celebration of the Jubilee and there wasn't anything in our village.
Bruce Forsyth's daughter Julie was among the hundreds of people dancing on Ramsgate seafront
"It's a big thing for the children because they won't see anything like this again. I want them to remember it and be able to tell their grandchildren. It's nice to see everybody getting involved and celebrating - united."
She added: "The Queen's done a marvellous job considering how young she was when she started."
A tea party and mass zumba dance challenge involving 1,000 people was held in Ramsgate.
Meanwhile people in Gillingham were invited to dress up as as a famous personality from the past 60 years to mark the Queen' Diamond Jubilee at the town's Big Lunch event.
See all the latest Diamond Jubilee news and features at bbc.co.uk/diamondjubilee
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Jubilee pageant recreated in miniature in Goudhurst - BBC News
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant has been recreated in miniature form on a Kent village pond.
School children placed 300 individually decorated boats on the pond in front of a 30ft-long (9m) floating replica of the Houses of Parliament in Goudhurst.
The plywood structure, which includes a 14ft (4.3m) high Big Ben bell tower, was created over a four-week period.
A replica of the Houses of Parliament was floated on the pond to mark the Queen's Coronation in 1953.
'Jubilee superb achievement'Chairman of the Goudhurst Diamond Jubilee Committee, Richard Hillier, said: "We're British, so we are used to the rain. It doesn't bother us.
"Everyone is going to have a great time and have a bank holiday to remember. We had a fantastic 50s themed night the evening before where everyone had a fantastic time and we continue today."
“Start Quote
End Quote Peter HoskinsI've never seen anything like it. It's just so life-like”
Steve Fox, 43, who lives in Tunbridge Wells, said: "It's a superb community event. Everyone is in a good mood and has got a smile on their face, and it's nice to see.
"I'm not much of a royalist but I think it's right we mark the jubilee. It's a superb achievement, both for the Queen and for our country. Things wouldn't be same in this country without her."
Peter Hoskins, 56, said: "I've never seen anything like it. It's just so life-like. It's a brilliant bit of work."
See all the latest Diamond Jubilee news and features at bbc.co.uk/diamondjubilee
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
