It was the third time in four games the Anteaters won in their final at-bat. This time they rallied from four runs down in the eighth inning to extend their first appearance in the CWS.

They became the first team in the CWS' 61-year history to win extra-inning games on consecutive days. They beat Cal State Fullerton, 5-4 in 13 innings, yesterday in a 5-hour, 40-minute game, the longest in CWS history.

The Anteaters (47-16-1) must beat defending champion Oregon State tomorrow and again Thursday to win their bracket and reach the best-of-three championship round.

The Sun Devils (49-15) lost consecutive games for the first time since March.

Matt Morris singled, Bryan Petersen was intentionally walked and Sean Madigan singled to load the bases with one out in the 10th and the game tied at 7-all.

The pro-Irvine crowd began chanting "Let's Go Eaters" as Linton walked to the plate. After he sent Mike Leake's 2-2 pitch into right field, he was mobbed by teammates near first base and the fans' chants turned to "Oll-ie, Oll-ie."

The Anteaters got out of trouble in the top of the 10th after the Sun Devils loaded the bases with one out.

Scott Gorgen (13-3) beaned Rocky Laguna leading off — the CWS-record 37th hit batsmen — before Andrew Romine singled and Raoul Torrez reached on a fielder's choice. Then Pacific-10 player of the year Brett Wallace, hitless in 11 CWS at-bats, grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Irvine's last three wins have come with dramatic flair.

Petersen was the hero in the first two, doubling in the winning run to clinch the Super Regional against Wichita State, and he singled in the winning run to end the marathon with Fullerton.

The Sun Devils weren't going to let Petersen beat them, too. After Morris stole second base during Petersen's at-bat in the 10th, Leake (13-2) intentionally walked him. Madigan singled to load the bases for Linton, a .347 batter who was just 2-for-12 in the CWS.

The Anteaters trailed 7-3 when they tied it in the eighth after reliever Jason Jarvis couldn't find the strike zone. Jarvis walked three straight hitters to open the inning, hit Ben Orloff with a pitch to force in a run and then gave up an RBI single to Cody Cipriano.

Leake relieved, and Morris tied it with a two-run double into the gap in right-center. Cipriano rounded third on the play as if he was going to run through third-base coach Greg Bergeron's stop sign. But Cipriano stopped suddenly, touched Bergeron and was called out for coach's interference.

Leake got out of trouble when Arizona State turned its fourth double play on Madigan's grounder.

Arizona State's Brian Flores held UC Irvine to five hits over six innings in his second start in two nights. He was the losing pitcher in the 12-6 loss to Oregon State yesterday. The junior left-hander worked one inning against the Beavers, allowing two runs and four hits.

He was the fourth pitcher since 1965 to start on consecutive days in the CWS and the first since Fullerton's Dave Weatherman in 1979.

Flores, who struck out three and walked none, didn't come out for the seventh after Cipriano's school-record 14th homer put the Anteaters up 3-2.