NCAA Baseball Playoffs : Clemson Goes 19 Innings to Top Fordham

Rusty Charpia singled home Dave Tripp with two out in the 19th inning to give Clemson to a 3-2 victory over Fordham in the longest National Collegiate Athletic Assn. playoff game ever played Thursday in the Northeast Regional at New Britain, Conn.

The game broke the NCAA tournament record of 16 innings set in 1972 when Connecticut beat Harvard, 8-5, and equaled in 1979 when Miami (Fla.) beat The Citadel, 3-1.

Because of the game’s length, the game between St. John’s and Stanford was postponed until noon today. A Double-A Eastern League game between the Albany Yankees and New Britain Red Sox was scheduled for Thursday night at Beehive Field.

Paul Darrigo of Fordham (36-13-1) pitched nine scoreless innings before allowing the winning run. Tripp (4-0) got the victory for Clemson (53-12) in his first relief appearance of the season.

In the Central Regional at Austin, Tex., California scored eight runs in the first four innings and routed Pennsylvania, 13-3. In the West I Regional at Fresno, Steve Webb hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to carry Washington State past Santa Clara, 8-5.