May 30, 2003

Around the Regionals

Stetson stops Georgia Tech 5-4

Southern stops Southern Miss; Florida State, Texas A&M survive

Atlanta Regional

#2 South Carolina 4,  #3 East Carolina 0

#4 Stetson 5,  #1 Georgia Tech 4

In Atlanta, top-seeded Georgia Tech was dealt a rough regional by the NCAA selection committee. The Yellow Jackets got a taste of how tough Friday night. Stetson's Adam Blair allowed five hits in a career-best 8.1 innings as fourth-seeded Stetson edged top-seeded Georgia Tech 5-4 at Russ Chandler Stadium. Brian Snyder and Andy Wilson hit back-to-back homers in the sixth inning, and Pete Rasmusen hit a two-run homer later in the inning as the Hatters (40-22) went from down 2-0 to Micah Owings (9-3) to up 4-2. In the eighth, Ian Church reached on a two-out error and scored on John DeStefano's infield hit for a 5-2 lead. Clifton Remole homered to make it 5-4 in the bottom half of the inning. Roger Lincoln earned his ninth save, preserving the win for Blair (3-2), who struck out a career-best 10 batters. Blair entered the game with 37 strikeouts in 61.1 innings. Stetson will meet South Carolina next. The Yellow Jackets, fresh off their miraculous ACC Tournament title, fell to 44-17 and will meet East Carolina in an elimination game.

Also in Atlanta, Chris Hernandez tossed a five-hit shutout to lead No. 2 seed South Carolina to a 4-0 win over third-seeded East Carolina. Kevin Melillo provided all the offense Hernandez would need by going 3 for 4 with a homer and two RBI. Hernandez (5-4) allowed five hits and struck out six. Brian Buscher and Bryan Triplett went 2 for 4 for the Gamecocks (40-20), who meet Stetson next. ECU (33-26-1) plays Georgia Tech next.

Houston Regional

#1 Rice 3,  #4 McNeese State 2 (10)  CBI Live

#3 Wichita State 4,  #2 Mississippi 2  CBI Live

Wilson Regional

#2 Virginia Commonwealth 6,  #3 Western Carolina 0

#1 North Carolina State 8,  #4 Le Moyne 2  CBI Live | Notes

Tallahassee Regional

#2 South Alabama 14,  #3 Rutgers 1

#1 Florida State 6,  #4 Jacksonville 0

In Tallahassee, Fla., Matt Lynch fired a three-hit shutout as top-seeded Florida State topped No. 4 Jacksonville 6-0 before a crowd of 5,440 at Dick Howser Stadium. Lynch (13-3) extended his string of scoreless innings to 22.2 innings and retired 21 straight after a double in the first inning. He struck out eight in helping the Seminoles (51-10-1) to a date with South Alabama. Jerrod Brown went 2 for 4 with a homer and three RBI for FSU. Tony Richie had three hits - his fourth three-hit game in the past six games. The Dolphins (32-29) will meet Rutgers in an elimination game.

In the early game in Tallahassee, Tony Neal made his first start since March 29 memorable by tossing eight strong innings, and Ryan Mulhern went 4 for 5 with three runs and three RBI as No. 2 South Alabama hammered No. 3 Rutgers 14-1. Neal (10-5) allowed six hits and struck out four for the Jaguars (41-18) who face Florida State Saturday. The Scarlet Knights (36-21) have an elimination date with Jacksonville.

College Station Regional

#2 Alabama 9,  #3 Houston 3

#1 Texas A&M 6,  #4 Oral Roberts 3

In College Station, Texas, Kyle Parcus fanned a career-high 11 as top-seeded Texas A&M defeated No. 4 Oral Roberts 6-3 in front of 6,401 fans at Olsen Field. Parcus (6-3) went seven innings with three runs on seven hits. Closer Scott Beerer worked out of trouble in the eighth and finished the ninth for his 13^th save. Justin Ruggiano’s two-run homer in the fourth gave the Aggies (44-17) a 2-0 lead. John Infante went deep in the bottom of the fifth to put A&M ahead 3-0. Andy Hargrove belted a three-run homer in the sixth for the Golden Eagles (41-19) that knotted the score at 3. Freshman Kevin Whelan hit his first collegiate home run in the bottom of the seventh to put the Aggies on top for good. A&M added two insurance runs in the eighth for the final margin of 6-3. The Aggies will face Alabama on Saturday at 2 p.m., following the elimination game with Houston and Oral Roberts at 10 a.m..

In Friday’s first game at College Station, second-seeded Alabama got a complete game from junior lefty Brent Carter as the Crimson Tide stopped No. 3 Houston 9-3. Carter (10-5) allowed eight hits, but just two after the second inning. He surrendered three runs with no walks and seven strikeouts. Adam Pavkovich smacked a two-run homer in the three-run bottom of the first to give Alabama an early lead.  Cole Bruce’s home run in the top of the second ignited a three-run rally for the Cougars that tied the contest at 3-3. The Crimson Tide took the lead for good in the third on Al Hecklinski’s RBI single.

Hattiesburg Regional

#3 Southern 5,  #2 Southern Miss 3

#1 Baylor 7,  #4 Murray State 6

In Hattiesburg, Miss., this wasn't supposed to happen. Second-seeded Southern Miss sold out its home park for its regional date with Southern. Coach Corky Palmer was given the key to the city by the mayor earlier in the week. The pesky Jaguars didn't cooperate, beating the Golden Eagles 5-3 behind three RBI from all-world Rickie Weeks. Weeks went 2 for 3 with a two-run homer for Southern (46-5), which moves on to face top-seeded Baylor. Duwon Day allowed only three hits over 8.2 innings to improve to 10-0. The Golden Eagles (45-15) meet Murray State in an elimination game Saturday.

Later last night in Hattiesburg, fourth-seeded Murray State score four runs in the seventh inning to take a 6-4 lead, but top-seeded Baylor came back and scored a run on a throwing error to claim a 7-6 win. Mark Saccomanno, who earlier had a two-run triple, had an RBI groundout, and Trey Webb had an RBI single to tie the game at 6 in the seventh inning for Baylor (42-21). In the eighth, Kevin Sevigny walked and scored from first when Chris Durbin bunted and catcher Charlie Ward sailed the throw to first. Webb had two RBI, and David Murphy went 2 for 4 for the Bears, who meet Southern next. Brett McCutchan had a two-run double for the Thoroughbreds (25-30), who face Southern Miss Saturday

Lincoln Regional

#1 Nebraska 16,  #4 Eastern Michigan 11

#3 Southwest Missouri State 8,  #2 Coastal Carolina 3

In Lincoln, Neb., Matt Hopper homered twice and Daniel Bruce added a three-run shot as top-seeded Nebraska outscored No. 4 Eastern Michigan 16-11 in front of 6,057 fans at Hawks Field. Hopper’s home run in the first and two-run homer in the fifth helped the Huskers (45-16) build an 8-2 lead. EMU’s Ryan Goleski went deep in the sixth and blasted a three-run shot in the seventh to narrow the margin to 8-7. Bruce’s three-run homer in the seventh highlighted a five-run outburst for the Huskers. Nebraska will now face Southwest Missouri State on Saturday, while Eastern Michigan (32-27) tangles with Coastal Carolina in an elimination game.

Also in Lincoln, Dant’e Brinkley had two home runs and five RBI as third-seeded SMS defeated No. 2 Coastal Carolina 8-3. Scott Nasby had three hits and three runs for the Bears (36-23). Adam Pernasilici’s two-run homer in the bottom of the second gave the Chanticleers (45-17) a brief 2-0 lead. Brinkley’s first bomb in the bottom of the fifth tied it at 2. Mike Costanzo went deep to leadoff the bottom of the fourth and gave Coastal a 3-2 advantage. SMS took control in the top of the fifth. Brinkley’s RBI single tied the game at 3. A bases-loaded walk to Greg Mathis snapped the tie and Chad Wheeler’s sacrifice fly put the Bears on top 5-3. Tony Piazza added an RBI single to make to 6-3.

Coral Gables Regional

#2 Florida Atlantic 4,  #3 Florida 3

#1 Miami 10,  #4 Bethune-Cookman 5

In Coral Gables, Fla., Jeff Fiorentino and Rusty Brown each homered as No. 2 Florida Atlantic edged No. 3 Florida 4-3 at Mark Light Stadium. Derek Hutton had an RBI double, and Fiorentino had an RBI grounder in the third for the Owls (47-14), who meet Miami Saturday. Danny Core worked six innings for his 10th win, and Chris Pillsbury, a former starter, picked up his fifth save. Jonathan Tucker just missed a homer, settling for a two-run double for the Gators (34-20-1), who meet Bethune-Cookman Saturday.

In the nightcap at Coral Gables, top-seeded Miami got a four-hit, three-RBI day from Ryan Braun in a 10-5 win over fourth-seeded Bethune-Cookman. Vince Bongiovanni (7-4) allowed seven hits and two runs in six innings for the Hurricanes (40-14-1), who meet Florida Atlantic Saturday. Miami led 2-0 when Juan Figueroa blasted a homer that landed on top of the parking garage in right field to tie the game. The Hurricanes scored three times in the bottom half of the inning, with Erick San Pedro plating two with a double. John Gragg went 3 for 5 with a homer for the Wildcats (30-27), who meet Florida Saturday.

Long Beach Regional

#3 Washington 5,  #2 Minnesota 3

#1 Long Beach State 6,  #4 Pepperdine 1

In Long Beach, Calif., Abe Alvarez allowed four hits and struck out six as top-seeded Long Beach State got by No. 4 Pepperdine 6-1 before 3,139 fans at Blair Field, the largest crowd ever to see a 49ers game. Todd Jennings hit a solo homer to lead off the game to stretch his hitting streak to 24 games, and he finished 2 for 4 with three RBI. Clean-up man Troy Tulowitzki went 3 for 4 with two RBI for Long Beach (39-18), which meets Washington Saturday. Alvarez improved to 11-1. Ty Harper went 2 for 3 for the Waves (36-24), who will face Minnesota in an elimination game.

In the early game at Long Beach, Tila Reynolds went 2 for 5, including a clutch two-out hit in the eighth inning, as No. 3 Washington squeaked past No. 2 Minnesota 5-3. Aaron Hathaway went 3 for 5 with an RBI, and John Otness went 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI for the Huskies (41-16), who will face Long Beach State Saturday. Scott Welch went 2 for 4 for the Golden Gophers (39-21), who meet Pepperdine. Glen Perkins suffered the loss, falling to 10-2.

Baton Rouge Regional

#1 LSU 11,  #4 Northeastern 8

#2 Tulane 8,  #3 UNC Wilmington 3

In Baton Rouge, La., J.C. Holt went deep twice and had career highs with four hits and five RBI as top-seeded LSU held off No. 4 Northeastern 11-8 in front of 6,242 fans at Alex Box Stadium. Holt homered in the bottom of the first to give the Tigers (41-19-1) the early lead. The Huskies (27-23) tied it in the top of the fourth on Omar Pena’s RBI double, but a pair of strikeouts kept it at 1-1. LSU reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Ivan Naccarata singled and scored. Holt added a three-run shot to push the lead to 5-1. The Tigers added five in the fifth for a 10-1 advantage. LSU led 11-4 in the ninth before Northeastern tallied four to make it close. The Tigers will face Tulane at 3 p.m. on Saturday, while the Huskies will meet UNC Wilmington at 11 a.m. in an elimination game.

In the second game at Baton Rouge, Wes Swackhamer’s three-run homer capped a five-run eighth as second-seeded Tulane recorded an 8-3 victory over No. 3 UNC Wilmington. The Green Wave (44-17) stranded 11 runners in the first seven innings and was tied with the Seahawks (38-22) at 3. Brian Bormaster led off the bottom of the eighth with a single and Jonny Kaplan followed with a double to left. The throw to third hit Bormaster and caromed into the dugout, allowing Bormaster to score. Tony Giarratano’s single brought home Kaplan to make it 5-3. Swackhamer followed Michael Aubrey’s single with a three-run homer, pushing the lead to 8-3.

Fullerton Regional

#3 Notre Dame 13,  #2 Arizona 4

#1 Cal State Fullerton 3,  #4 San Diego 1

In Fullerton, Calif., Chad Cordero pitched the final 1.2 innings to earn his school-record 33rd career save as top-seeded Cal State Fullerton edged fourth-seeded San Diego 3-1 at Goodwin Field. The Titans (44-13) scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to take a 3-0 lead. P.J. Pilittere’s sacrifice fly started the scoring. Richie Burgos added an RBI double in the fifth and Jason Corapci came home in the sixth on a mishandled bunt. The Toreros (31-29) got on the board in the seventh as Freddy Sandoval homered off the foul pole in right. Fullerton will meet Notre Dame on Saturday following San Diego’s elimination game with Arizona.

Earlier in Fullerton, third-seeded Notre Dame used a seven-run second to springboard to a 13-5 victory over No. 2 Arizona. The Wildcats (35-22) tallied a pair in the first on Trevor Crowe’s two-run single. The Fighting Irish (44-16) responded by sending 10 batters to the plate in the second. Javi Sanchez started the scoring with an RBI single and came around on Joe Thaman’s double, tying the game at 2. Brennan Grogan’s base hit put the Irish on top before Matt Edwards’ bases-loaded triple made it 6-2. Edwards came home on a groundout to cap the scoring in the frame. ND added two in the third and four in the fourth to make it 13-2. Sanchez and Steve Sollman each had three hits for the Irish. Brad Boyer went 3 for 4 for Arizona.

Stanford Regional

#3 UC Riverside 10,  #2 Richmond 8

#1 Stanford 9,  #4 Illinois-Chicago 2

In Stanford, Calif., Brian Walbrink hit a two-run homer to give No. 3 UC Riverside a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning, and the Highlanders went on to top second-seeded Richmond 10-8 at Sunken Diamond. Riverside (41-15) trailed 4-0 in its first regional in the young program's history, getting three in the eighth off Spiders ace Tim Stauffer (9-5), including Walbrink's homer. The Highlanders then scored five in the ninth to go up 10-4. Scott Powis had four RBI for Riverside, which meets Stanford Saturday. Walbrink had three hits, as did Randy Blood for the Highlanders. The Spiders (46-14) got four runs of their own in the ninth, two coming on Jim Fasano's homer. But Brian Hoff got Bryan Pritz to fly out deep to right with runners on second and third to end the game and save the win for Chad Decker, who went 4.2 innings in relief. Adam Tidball and David Thomas each had three hits for Richmond, which meets Illinois-Chicago in an elimination game.
 
In the second game, top-seeded Stanford used homers from Brian Hall and Carlos Quentin in a 9-2 win over No. 4 Illinois-Chicago. Ryan McCally (6-2) made his first start since April 23 and hurled a complete game, allowing eight hits and striking out a season-high 10 batters. The Cardinal (42-15), which meets UC Riverside Saturday, scored four times in the first as Ryan Garko, Donny Lucy and Jed Lowrie drove in runs, and Sam Fuld was balked home. Mike Hughes had a two-run double, and Bryan Russo had two hits for the Flames (39-17), who meet Richmond in the morning.

Tempe Regional

#3 New Mexico State 14,  #2 UNLV 12 (11)

#1 Arizona State 14,  #4 Central Connecticut 2

In Tempe, Ariz., Andre Ethier went 3 for 4 with three RBI to lead top-seeded Arizona State to a 14-2 win over Central Connecticut State at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The Sun Devils (51-12) scored two in the first and three in the second to take a 5-0 lead. ASU added three in the third and capped the scoring with four in the seventh. All-American Dustin Pedroia had three hits and three runs for the Sun Devils, who face New Mexico State on Saturday. Tim D’Aquila had three hits for the Blue Devils (32-16-2), breaking the school’s single-season hits record with 79. CCSU will meet UNLV in an elimination game Saturday morning.

In the early game in Tempe, All-American Billy Becher returned to his hometown and went 4 for 6 with his 32nd home run and four RBI as third-seeded New Mexico State outlasted No. 2 UNLV 14-12 in 11 innings. The Aggies (43-16) had an 11-5 lead after seven, but the Rebels (45-16) scored six in the bottom of the eighth to knot it at 11. Becher’s two-run single in the top of the 11th capped a three-run frame.

Austin Regional

#3 Lamar 3,  #2 Arkansas 2

#1 Texas 7,  #4 Bucknell 0

In Austin, Texas, Justin Simmons tossed a four-hit shutout to lead top-seeded Texas to a 7-0 blanking of Bucknell in front of 5,758 fans at Disch-Falk Field. Simmons (5-5) fanned five. Eric Sultemeier smacked a two-run homer in the first for the Longhorns (44-17). Dustin Majewski went deep in the third to make it 3-0. Joe Ferin homered in a two-run fourth as UT went up 5-0. Seth Johnson’s two-run triple in the fifth completed the scoring. The Longhorns will meet Lamar on Saturday, while the Bison (27-15) face Arkansas in an elimination game.

In the early game at Austin, Jordan Foster was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth to push third-seeded Lamar past No. 2 Arkansas 3-2. The Cardinals (38-16) trailed 2-1 after seven before Jeremy Gray’s sacrifice fly in the eighth tied it at 2. A pair of walks and a single filled the sacks in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for Foster, who was plunked by an 0-2 pitch to bring home the winning run. The Razorbacks fell to 34-21.

Auburn Regional

#3 Ohio State 10,  #2 Clemson 8

#1 Auburn 5,  #4 Princeton 2

In Auburn, Ala., Levale Speigner struck out six in 7.1 innings as top-seeded Auburn got by No. 4 Princeton 5-2 at Plainsman Park. Speigner (10-0) allowed six hits and two unearned runs and did not walk a batter. Tug Hulett, Javon Moran and Clete Thomas each had two hits for Auburn (41-19), which meets Ohio State on Saturday. Adam Balkan and Tim Lahey had a pair of hits each for Princeton (27-22), which faces Clemson in an elimination game Saturday morning.

In the first game at Auburn, Drew Anderson hit two homers to lead third-seeded Ohio State to a 10-8 win over No. 2 Clemson. The Tigers (38-21) scored three in the first, started by David Slevin’s two-run double. The Buckeyes (42-19) got two in the top of the third on Anderson’s first long ball. Steve Caravati hit a two-run shot in the fourth to put OSU on top 4-3. Kyle Frank went deep for the Tigers in the bottom of the fourth to knot the score at 4. Anderson gave the Buckeyes the lead for good in the fifth with his second homer. OSU added two in the seventh and three in the ninth to complete its scoring. The Tigers scored a pair in the bottom of the ninth, but left the bases loaded to fall two runs short.

Starkville Regional

#2 North Carolina 4,  #3 Missouri 3 (11)

#1 Mississippi State 10,  #4 Middle Tennessee 4

In Starkville, Miss., top-seeded Mississippi State scored four in the first on its way to a 10-4 win over No. 4 Middle Tennessee in front of a crowd of 10,284 at Dudy Noble Field. Steve Gendron had an RBI double and scored in the first for the Bulldogs (41-18-1). MSU added a run in the second for a 5-0 lead. The Blue Raiders (33-26) got on the board in the fifth as Troy Harp singled and scored. The Bulldogs put it away with five in the bottom of the fifth. Gendron’s two-run double capped the rally. MSU will face North Carolina on Saturday, while MTSU meets Missouri in an elimination game.

In the first game at Starkville, Sammy Hewitt doubled in the 11th and scored on Ryan Blake’s base hit as second-seeded North Carolina edged No. 3 Missouri 4-3. It was the fifth extra-inning game for the Tar Heels (40-21) in their past seven contests. The Tigers (35-21) took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth on Ian Kinsler’s home run. Mike Daniel answered for UNC in the bottom of the frame to knot it at 3.