Jun 19, 2019 3 min read

At The Meadows

Miss Stunner and It’s Academic, a pair of Uncle Peter freshman trotters making their career debuts for trainer Ron Burke Wednesday at The Meadows, not only scored handily but also became the season’s fastest 2-year-olds in their respective divisions on a five-eighths-mile track. Dave Palone guided both youngsters to victory.

Miss Stunner moved powerfully first over from fourth and drew away from the field, triumphing by 6 lengths in 1:59. Saratoga Gia and Alittlebitofsugar completed the ticket. Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Jason Melillo and J&T Silva-Purnel&Libby campaign the daughter of Pilgrims Stunner.

The journey of It’s Academic was nearly a carbon copy, as the son of Annapolis moved first over from fourth and blew away the field by 5-3/4 lengths in 1:57.1. Willing Spirit and Town Victor were second and third, respectively. It’s Academic competes for Burke Racing Stable, William Donovan, Joe Sbrocco and Hatfield Stables.

Palone garnered five wins, Burke four and Jim Pantaleano three on the 13-race card.

In college baseball

Two Louisville relievers survived anxious moments to hold Auburn to two runs over five innings and the Cardinals eliminated the Tigers from the College World Series with a 5-3 win, completing a game suspended by rain one day earlier.

The No. 7 national seed Cardinals (50-17) improved to 32-1 all-time when scoring five or more runs in an NCAA Tournament game. Auburn (38-28) went 0-2 in its first CWS appearance since 1997.

Louisville led 4-1 when the game was suspended after four innings Tuesday.

It was 5-2 in the eighth when the Tigers mounted their biggest threat against closer Michael McAvene, who took over for Adam Elliott (3-2) to start the seventh inning.

The bottom of Auburn’s order produced three straight singles to load the bases with two outs, and McAvene ran the count full against leadoff man Judd Ward. But Ward swung and missed on a 96-mph fastball on the outside half of the plate and finished 0 for 10 in the CWS.

Michael Kirian came on in the ninth and gave up Conor Davis’ one-out home run off the top of the fence in left center, cutting the lead to two. Steven Williams hit a two-out double into the right-field corner before Kirian struck out Rankin Woley to end the game and record his fifth save.

• Kumar Rocker
• followed up his no-hitter in the super regionals with another strong start in his College World Series debut, and Stephen Scott homered twice and drove in four runs in Vanderbilt’s 6-3 victory over Mississippi State.

No. 2 national seed Commodores (56-11) gained the inside track to the best-of-three finals next week. They need a victory Friday or Saturday to advance.

Rocker, the 6-foot-4, 255-pound freshman star who struck out 19 in his no-hitter against Duke on June 8, held the No. 6 Bulldogs (52-14) scoreless until Rowdey Jordan’s two-out RBI single in the sixth inning. That ended Rocker’s 19?-inning shutout streak.

Rocker (11-5) limited the Bulldogs to five hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out six before Patrick Raby took over to start the seventh. Rocker won his fifth straight start and is 9-1 over his last 10.