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CARY, N.C. – The eighth-ranked Columbus State University baseball team turned in another strong performance on Tuesday night, downing No. 22 UC San Diego 6-0 at the Division II College World Series. The game was played at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.
 
Columbus State (47-13) will now have Wednesday off before returning to the diamond on Thursday. The Cougars will face the winner of Wednesday's elimination contest between Florida Southern and Texas A&M Kingsville. CSU needs just one win to advance to the national championship. First pitch Thursday is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
"That was a really good UC San Diego team we beat," head coach Greg Appleton said. "Again though, we were able to get hits at the right time and had another great outing on the mound, and that's the recipe for success."
 
For just the second time in eight NCAA Tournament games, the Cougars didn't put a run on the board in the first inning on Tuesday night. However, the Cougar bats went to work in the second to jump on top.
 
Chase Brown drew a four-pitch walk with one out to start the second inning rally, and Robert Brooks hammered a double into the left field corner to put two runners in scoring position. A strikeout left them standing there, but Gunar Drinnen delivered with two away with a double down the left field line to plate the first two runs.
 
The scoring with two outs continued in the third for the Cougars. Austin Pharr pulled a single into right to move Garrett Kirkwood into scoring position, and Brown poked a single through the left side to stretch the margin to 3-0.
 
Columbus State kept adding on, putting two more on the board in the fifth. Kirkwood and Pharr were on the bases again after a single and double, and it was Brown that came through again. This time, the junior dumped a soft fly into right to score both runners and break the game open.
 
With two outs in the sixth, Grant Berry lined a single into right, and Kirkwood beat the shift with a hard ball through the infield and into right-centerfield. Berry raced around from first and beat the throw to the plate to extend the lead to six.
 
Meanwhile, Perez Knowles was rolling on the mound, putting up seven scoreless frames on the night. The senior worked a perfect first inning, but dealt with at least one baserunner in each of the next six. However, Knowles buckled down on each occasion and kept putting zeros on the board.
 
UC San Diego (43-16) had its best scoring chance of the evening in the eighth, loading the bases with only one out. Payton Phillips was able to tie up the hitter though, inducing an inning-ending double play to send the game to the ninth.
 
After walking the first two in the ninth, Phillips sat down the next three to close off the victory.
 
Knowles (8-3) allowed just three hits over his seven shutout innings. Cougar starting pitchers have not given up a run in 15 innings through two games at the World Series.
 
Kirkwood led the 11-hit attack with three of his own on Tuesday. Brown and Pharr each had a pair, with Brown driving in three runs.
 
The Cougars scored four of six runs in the win with two outs, and have now scored 11 of 14 runs in the World Series with two already retired.