Lankas captain Charith Asalanka with a good return

OMAHA, Neb. -- Gary Gilmore, the Coastal Carolina coach of the past 21 seasons who ushered the Chanticleers from their infancy in Division I to a national title-clinching, 4-3 victory Thursday over Arizona in the decisive Game 3 of the College World Series finals, could not hold back any longer.For two weeks here, Gilmore stuck to baseball -- lineups and pitching moves and other strategy. But as he clutched the trophy moments after securing the first NCAA championship in school history, Gilmore thought primarily about his father.Richard Gilmore died two years ago early in the spring.He taught Gary everything about the game and about life. He taught him to stay the course in the most frustrating times, and there were plenty as the coach of a Big South program in a state dominated by two national powers.Id give a gazillion, millions of dollars to give him one hug right now, Gilmore said Thursday, standing in shallow right field at TD Ameritrade Park, the CCU logo spinning behind him alongside a championship emblem on the big scoreboard.It was Gilmores one regret, that his father could not celebrate with him.Everything else about this day was nearly perfect. At the end of the longest CWS ever -- 17 games over 13 days, ending some seven hours before the calendar flips to July and Coastal Carolina leaves the Big South for the Sun Belt Conference -- the Chanticleers accomplished a once-unthinkable feat.Some people are still going to say we got lucky, senior Anthony Marks said. And thats fine. They can say whatever they want. It aint luck. This is blood, sweat and tears.From Conway, South Carolina, to Omaha, Marks words resonate to the thumping beat of a celebration like none this university has triggered in its 62-year history.The past two weeks, in fact, unfolded as a dream for the Chanticleers. They landed at Eppley Airfield on June 16 and bused straight to this ballpark, walking through the double doors adjacent to 13th Street at 3:30 p.m. -- two weeks to the moment, almost the exact second, that Alex Cunningham fanned Ryan Haug on a full-count pitch with Wildcats at second and third base.The final pitch ignited a rush to the pitchers mound, with Cunningham buried by more than a dozen bodies.To say, Coastal Carolina, national champions, Gilmore said, its got a great ring to it. But did I really think that was going to happen when we started back in February?Shoot, I thought we had a chance to be good.The Chanticleers were more than good in Omaha, closing this CWS with a nation-high 55 wins as ace right-hander Andrew Beckwith earned his nation-best 15th victory for 5? innings of work.It wasnt vintage Beckwith, but Bobby Holmes bailed him out of the sixth inning after Arizona scored twice. And Cunningham pitched the final two innings, giving up one run in the ninth on two hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly.Arizona coach Jay Johnson held Cody Ramer, who raced from first base, at third on Ryan Agulilars two-out double to the left-field corner.A good throw from shortstop Michael Paez would have surely nailed Ramer. And to that point, Coastal made every play when needed. The win Thursday marked its sixth this postseason in elimination games.It came back in the ninth to beat North Carolina State on the road in regional play, then won two straight at powerful LSU in a super regional. The Chanticleers beat TCU twice to reach the championship series and won Tuesday to force a winner-take-all final.After stormy weather postponed the final game until Thursday afternoon, Coastal capitalized on Ramers two errors on the same ground ball hit by Zach Remillard in the sixth inning. Paez and David Parrett scored on the misplay before designated hitter G.K. Young hit a laser into the right-field bullpen for a two-run homer.It wasnt always a golden path, Remillard said. But this is a grinding group. To say we were worried, I dont think so.After the dogpile, the Chanticleers lingered on the field for an hour. A few players scooped dirt from the first-base line into empty water bottles.Theres been nothing bigger than this for our university, athletic director Matt Hogue said. We keep telling people across the country, globally, anybody who will listen, This university is a special place. Theres a special force, a special energy.Sometimes that message doesnt resonate. Sometimes, in our state, it doesnt resonate, but we knew this day was going to come.Gilmore clutched the trophy before passing it to his players and administrators.I hope he keeps it in his office, Marks said, then keeps it in his house when hes done coaching.A party on Myrtle Beach awaits the Chanticleers in South Carolina. Gilmore will partake, then he said he wants to take this weekend to reflect. Hes going to turn off his cellphone and talk to no one.I need two days to put this in perspective, the coach said. Im numb.No doubt, hell think about his father and the inspirational figures who drew this team together -- like the wife of pitching coach Drew Thomas, Jaymie Thomas, who has battled breast cancer this year, and the son of associate head coach Kevin Schnall, Jayden Schnall, who faced life-saving surgery after a series of recent strokes.All the things that have happened to us, I just have to know in my heart, there are bigger things at work, Gilmore said.It sure looked like it over the past two weeks in Omaha. Dodgers Jerseys 2019 . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Los Angeles Dodgers Gear . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/ . 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England U-19s 208 and 24 for 1 trail Sri Lanka U-19s307 (Vithanage 80, Daniel 52) by 75 runsScorecard Seamers George Panayi and Ed Barnes led an England fightback on the second day of the second Under-19s international against Sri Lanka in Northampton.While their counties Warwickshire and Yorkshire were squaring up in a Championship match at Headingley, Panayi and Barnes each took three wickets. Gloucestershires George Hankins provided good support with four slip catches - although the tourists still claimed a first-innings lead of 99 thanks to half-centuries from lower-order batsmen Navindu Vithanage and Jehan Daniel.England then suffered another blow in a gloomy evening session as captain Max Holden, who had carried his bat for 111 in the first innings, was bowled off an inside edge driving at Lahiru Kumara. They will resume on Friday on 24 for 1, still 75 behind.England needed early wickets when Sri Lanka resumed on 48 for 1 in reply to a below-par total of 208, and after a frustrating start Panayi and Aaron Beard delivered with three in consecutive overs.Panayi, who signed a professional contract with Warwickshire earlier this year and is one of two Shrewsbury School products in the team with the Worcestershire opener Olly Westbury, had taken the first wicket on Wednesday, annd added the important scalp of Sri Lankas captain Charith Asalanka with a good return catch.ddddddddddddThen Beard, who made his first-class debut for Essex earlier this season, had Wanidu Hasaranga edging to Surreys Ollie Pope, who produced a tidy performance in front of the England wicketkeeping coach Bruce French.When Panayi bowled Shammu Ashan for a duck as he tried to withdraw his bat, Sri Lanka had lost three wickets for six runs and stumbled to 79 for 4.They recovered with a fifth-wicket stand of 51 before Barnes claimed two wickets in three overs in a fine spell from the Wantage Road end, as first Avishka Fernando, then Ashen Bandara edged into Hankinss safe hands at second slip.That was 153 for 6, but England were then frustrated by a seventh-wicket stand of 94 between Daniel and Vithanage.It was finally broken by Amar Virdi, a Surrey offspinner who had a net session with Monty Panesar on Wednesday, as Daniel edged a cut and Hankins claimed his third catch.Holden confirmed the value of his occasional offspin by taking the eighth wicket in a tidy nine-over spell, and then Beard and Barnes polished off the tail in four overs with the new ball. 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