OMAHA, Neb. -- Paul Mainieri approached Alex Lange after the seventh inning and asked if he could give him one more batter. Absolutely, Lange said.
The groundout by Oregon State's Steven Kwan ended an outing for Lange that lasted 7-1/3 masterful innings and included only two hits allowed, the last with one out in the fourth.
His only trouble came in the third, when the only run scored against him came on a two-out walk with the bases loaded.
Lange came into the game with a desire to preserve the bullpen for as much as he could knowing that usual reliever Caleb Gilbert would get a start in a winner-take-all semifinal Saturday.