May 31, 2003

Around the Regionals

Lawson's granny slams Georgia Tech

Atlanta Regional

#3 East Carolina 10,  #1 Georgia Tech 3 (Georgia Tech eliminated)

#2 South Carolina 7,  #4 Stetson 2

#4 Stetson 9,  #3 East Carolina 4 (East Carolina eliminated)

Darryl Lawhorn’s grand slam in the seventh snapped a 3-3 tie and propelled third-seeded East Carolina to a 10-3 win over top-seeded Georgia Tech in an elimination game at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Pirates (34-26-1) will face the loser of the South Carolina-Stetson game at 7 p.m. ET. The Yellow Jackets (44-18), ACC Tournament champions, were seeded third nationally. Lawhorn’s blast in the seventh gave ECU its first lead of the game. The Pirates added three in the eighth to make it 10-3. Georgia Tech scored its runs in the top of the first on Clifton Remole’s three-run homer. Glenn Tucker (5-4) tossed 8.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory.

Landon Powell went 4 for 5 with two doubles and a home run as second-seeded South Carolina banged out 16 hits in its 7-2 win over No. 4 Stetson at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Gamecocks (41-20) move to Sunday’s championship game, while the Hatters (40-23) must face East Carolina at 7 p.m. ET in an elimination contest. David Marchbanks (14-2) allowed a pair of runs in the first, but shut down the Hatter from there, going the distance with 11 hits, no walks and four strikeouts. Steven Tolleson had an RBI double in the second for USC’s first run and added a run-scoring triple in the fourth to tie it at 2. He scored on a groundout to give the Gamecocks the lead for good.

Fourth-seeded Stetson scored seven times in the first two innings on its way to a 9-4 win over No. 3 East Carolina at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Hatters (41-23) advance to Sunday’s championship game against second-seeded South Carolina. Stetson must beat the Gamecocks twice to claim the regional title. The Pirates ended the season at 34-27-1. Andy Wilson’s RBI double in the first gave the Hatters a 1-0 lead. Stetson erupted for six in the second, with Wilson’s two-run double the big blow.

Houston Regional

#2 Mississippi 7,  #4 McNeese State 1 (McNeese State eliminated)  CBI Live

#1 Rice 10,  #3 Wichita State 1  CBI Live

#3 Wichita State 5,  #2 Mississippi 4 (Mississippi eliminated)  CBI Live | Notes

Wilson Regional

#3 Western Carolina 9,  #4 Le Moyne 5 (Le Moyne eliminated)  CBI Live

#1 North Carolina State 4,  #2 VCU 3 (10)  CBI Live

#3 Western Carolina 2,  #2 VCU 0 (VCU eliminated)  CBI Live | Notes

Auburn Regional

#2 Clemson 7,  #4 Princeton 6 (Princeton eliminated)

#3 Ohio State 6,  #1 Auburn 2

#1 Auburn 15,  #2 Clemson 0 (Clemson eliminated)

Steve Pyzik’s RBI single in the top of the 10th was the difference as second-seeded Clemson edged No. 4 Princeton 7-6 at Plainsman Park. Clemson (39-21) advances to play the loser of the Auburn-Ohio State game on Saturday night. Princeton ends its season at 27-23. Clemson scored a pair in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly and a passed ball to take a 6-4 lead. Steve Young and Jon Miller had RBI doubles in the bottom of the ninth as the Ivy Tigers tied it at 6. Russell Triplett was hit by a pitch with one out in the top of the 10^th for the ACC Tigers. Ryan Hub singled to the wall in left to move Triplett to third. Pyzik’s base hit brought home Hub with the game-winner. Princeton had one rally left. Tim Lahey was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter Mark Grayson walked to start the innings. Eschewing the bunt, Andy Salini line out to third and Lahey was doubled off second. A groundout ended the affair.

Drew Anderson hit two homers for the second consecutive game as third-seeded Ohio State defeated No. 1 Auburn 6-2 at Plainsman Park, sending the Buckeyes (43-19) to the championship game on Sunday. The Tigers (42-20) must face Clemson in an elimination game on Saturday night. Christian Snavely and Steve Caravati also went deep for Ohio State. Auburn scored single runs in the first two innings, including a homer by Scott Schade in the second, as the Tigers took a 2-0 lead. Anderson’s two-run shot in the third tied it at 2. Caravati homered in the fourth to give OSU a 3-2 lead. Snavely went deep to lead off the sixth and Anderson added another two-run blast in the seventh to complete the scoring. Mike Madsen (8-1) earned the victory, going 8.1 innings with eight hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts.

Top-seeded Auburn scored 11 times in the first five innings on its way to a 15-0 victory over No. 2 Clemson in an elimination game at Plainsman Park. Auburn (42-20) advanced to the championship round on Sunday and must defeat third-seeded Ohio State twice to advance to the Super Regionals. Clemson (39-22) had a string of 17 consecutive 40-win seasons stopped. Colby Paxton (7-3) tossed a five-hit shutout with two walks and six strikeouts. Tug Hulett had an RBI double in the first and scored on Karl Amonite’s single to give the SEC Tigers a 2-0 lead. Auburn added a run in the second, three in the third and four in the fourth for a 10-0 lead. Scott Schade finished the scoring with a grand slam in the ninth.

Austin Regional

#2 Arkansas 10,  #4 Bucknell 7 (Bucknell eliminated)

#1 Texas 7,  #3 Lamar 3

#3 Lamar 7,  #2 Arkansas 6 (11) (Arkansas eliminated)

Haas Pratt had went 3 for 5 with two runs and an RBI to lead second-seeded Arkansas to a 10-7 win over No. 4 Bucknell in an elimination game in front of 4,174 fans at Disch-Falk Field. The Razorbacks (35-21) will meet the loser of the Texas-Lamar game at 7 p.m. CT. The Bison (27-16) scored five in the eighth to pull to within one at 8-7, but Arkansas added a pair in the ninth for its final margin. Ryan Fox had two hits, two runs and two RBI for the Razorbacks. Ben Stoll had three hits, one run and two RBI for Bucknell. Phil Bunting has two hits and two RBI for the Bison.

Omar Quintanilla went 3 for 4 with three RBI to lead top-seeded Texas to a 7-3 victory over No. 3 Lamar in front of 5,395 fans at Disch-Falk Field. The Longhorns (49-17) move to Sunday’s championship game. The Cardinals (38-17) battle second-seeded Arkansas on Saturday night for the right to advance to Sunday. Each team scored a run in the second. Texas tallied three in the top of the sixth and the Cardinals answered with two in the bottom of the frame. Quintanilla’s two-run triple capped a three-run ninth as the Longhorns built a 7-3 lead. Shaun Stanton had three hits and two RBI for Lamar.

John Allen’s RBI single in the bottom of the 11^th gave third-seeded Lamar a 7-6 win over No. 2 Arkansas at Disch-Falk Field. The Cardinals (39-17) advanced to Sunday’s championship round against top-seeded Texas. Lamar must defeat the Longhorns twice to advance to the Super Regionals. Pinch-hitter Brett Winn led off the 11^th for Lamar with a single and Rocky Craigen reached on an error in a sacrifice attempt. Blake Justice moved both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Following a strikeout, Jordan Foster was intentionally walked to bring up Allen. He lined a 2-2 pitch down the left field line to plate the game-winner. The Razorbacks (35-22) scored three in the ninth to force extra innings.

Baton Rouge Regional

#3 UNC Wilmington 12,  #4 Northeastern 6 (Northeastern eliminated)

#1 LSU 13,  #2 Tulane 5

#3 UNC Wilmington 9,  #2 Tulane 8 (10) (Tulane eliminated)

Third-seeded UNC Wilmington built an 8-0 lead after five on its way to a 12-6 victory over fourth-seeded Northeastern at Alex Box Stadium, the first-ever NCAA baseball tournament win for the Seahawks. UNCW (39-22) will face the loser of the LSU-Tulane game at 7:30 p.m. CT. Chip Grawey’s two-run double highlighted a three-run second for the Seahawks. Aaron Smith had a two-run single in a three-run third as UNCW led 6-0. The Seahawks added another pair before the Huskies (27-24) scored six in the sixth to pull to within two. Matt Sutton homered in the seventh and Matt Wright launched a three-run shot in the eighth for the Seahawks.

Clay Harris and Blake Gill smacked consecutive home runs in a five-run seventh as top-seeded LSU got by No. 2 Tulane 13-5 at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers (42-19-1) move to the championship game on Sunday, while the Green Wave (44-18) must face UNC Wilmington in an elimination game on Saturday night. Tulane trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Tony Giarratano led off with a single and moved to third on Michael Aubrey’s double. Wes Swackhamer tapped a soft grounder down the first base line that was fielded by pitcher Nate Bumstead, who fired home to get Giarratano. A strikeout and fly out ended the threat. Ryan Patterson led off the seventh for LSU with a single and Harris homered two batters later to make it 5-2. Gill went deep and J.C. Holt added a two-run single to raise the score to 8-2. LSU added five more in the ninth for its final total. Ivan Naccarata had four hits and four runs for the Tigers.

Matt Sutton’s RBI single in the bottom of the 10^th capped a two-run rally as third-seeded UNC Wilmington defeated No. 2 Tulane 9-8 in an elimination game at Alex Box Stadium. The Seahawks (40-22) advanced to Championship Sunday against top-seeded LSU. UNCW must win twice to claim the regional crown. The Green Wave (44-19) scored a run in the top of the 10^th on Brian Bormaster’s run-scoring single. Brad Denson led off the bottom of the frame with a double and scored on Chip Grawey’s single, his fourth hit of the game. A sacrifice moved Grawey to second. Jamie Hemingway was intentionally walked, setting the stage for Sutton’s heroics.

College Station Regional

#3 Houston 4,  #4 Oral Roberts 2 (Oral Roberts eliminated)

#1 Texas A&M 16,  #2 Alabama 5

#3 Houston 16,  #2 Alabama 7 (Alabama eliminated)

Cole Bruce’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth snapped a 1-1 tie and pushed Houston past Oral Roberts 4-2 in an elimination game at Olsen Field. The Cougars (33-27) added a pair of insurance runs on Matt Farrington’s two-run triple. Grant Plumley had an RBI single in the top of the ninth for the Golden Eagles and ORU loaded the bases with two outs. David Castillo sent a grounder up the middle that was snared by shortstop Stuart Musslewhite, who tossed to second for the final out on a close play. The Cougars will face the loser of the Texas A&M-Alabama contest tonight at 7 pm.

Top-seeded Texas A&M scored seven runs in the bottom of the first with two outs to take control early as the Aggies topped No. 2 Alabama 16-5 at Olsen Field. A&M (44-17) moves to the championship game on Sunday, while the Crimson Tide (38-23) must face Houston on Saturday night in an elimination contest. John Infante and Matt Alexander had two-run singles in the first. Alexander added another two-run base hit in the three-run second for the Aggies. Alexander finished with three hits and six RBI. Adam Pavkovich had three hits for Alabama.

Cole Bruce went 3 for 4 with four runs and four RBI to lead third-seeded Houston past No. 2 Alabama 16-8 in an elimination game at Olsen Field. The Cougars (34-28) advance to the championship round on Sunday and must beat top-seeded Texas A&M twice to win the regional title. Bruce fell a single short of the cycle. Travis Tully also had three hits for Houston with a run and an RBI. Thanos Papavasiliou came off the bench to smack a three-run homer and finish with four RBI. The Cougars used a five-run fifth to snap a 2-2 tie and take control of the contest. Travis Garner had three hits and two RBI to lead the Crimson Tide (38-24).

Coral Gables Regional

#3 Florida 8,  #4 Bethune-Cookman 6 (Bethune-Cookman eliminated)

#1 Miami 1,  #2 Florida Atlantic 0

#3 Florida 22,  #2 Florida Atlantic 14 (Florida Atlantic eliminated)

Stephan Barton’s three-run homer in the sixth put third-seeded Florida ahead to stay as the Gators defeated No. 4 Bethune-Cookman 8-6 in an elimination game at Mark Light Stadium. Florida will play the loser of the Miami-Florida Atlantic contest at 7 p.m. ET. The Gators (35-20-1) trailed 5-3 after five before Mario Garza walked and Brian Rose singled ahead of Barton’s blast. Garza added insurance with a two-run homer in the seventh. The Wildcats fell to 30-28.

J.D. Cockroft tossed a one-hitter as top-seeded Miami squeaked past No. 2 Florida Atlantic 1-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 4,044 at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes (41-14-1) advanced to the championship game on Sunday, while the Owls earned a date with third-seeded Florida in an elimination game on Saturday night. Cockroft (11-2) allowed four base runners and faced one over the minimum. FAU’s Shaen O’Connor singled in the third for the Owls’ lone hit. Cockroft walked three and struck out eight. Miami scored in the fourth as Ryan Braun led off with a single, moved to second on Jim Burt’s base hit, moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on a groundout.

Seniors Mario Garza and Brian Rose combined for 12 RBI as third-seeded Florida advanced to Sunday’s championship round with a 22-14 decision over No. 2 Florida Atlantic. The Gators (36-20-1) must defeat top-seeded Miami twice on Sunday to claim the regional title. Rose hit a three-run homer and a grand slam for seven RBI. Garza was 5 for 5 with two homers and five RBI. The Gators scored a pair in the first, then added four in the third, six in the fourth and four more in the fifth to make it 16-7. The Owls (47-16) scored four in the eighth to make the score 18-14 before Rose’s grand slam in the bottom of the frame completed the scoring.

Fullerton Regional

#4 San Diego 5,  #2 Arizona 2 (Arizona eliminated)

#1 Cal State Fullerton 4,  #3 Notre Dame 3

#3 Notre Dame 6, #4 San Diego 3 (San Diego eliminated)

Lucas Wennersten smacked a two-run homer in the sixth to snap a 1-1 tie and lift fourth-seeded San Diego to a 5-2 win over No. 2 Arizona at Goodwin Field. The Toreros (32-29) will face the loser of the Cal State Fullerton-Notre Dame game on Saturday night. The Wildcats finish the season at 35-23. Josh Hansen had a one-out single in the sixth for USD and moved to second on an error. Wennersten hit a two-out homer to right that gave the Toreros a 3-1 lead. Arizona got a run in the top of the seventh, but San Diego added two in the bottom of the frame for a 5-2 advantage. Tony Perez, who sent 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI, pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth for the Toreros for his 13^th save.

Ronnie Prettyman’s RBI double with two outs in the top of the ninth brought home the game-winner as top-seeded Cal State Fullerton edged No. 3 Notre Dame 4-3 at Goodwin Field. The Titans (45-13) advanced to the championship game on Sunday. The Fighting Irish (44-17) played San Diego in an elimination game Saturday night. Kurt Suzuki singled with one out to start the ninth-inning rally for Fullerton. Jason Corapci sacrificed him to second, bring up Prettyman, who doubled to right center. Chad Cordero (5-1) struck out two of the final four batters in earning the victory. The Irish had tied the game in the eighth as Matt Edwards had an RBI single and Kris Billmaier’s sacrifice fly tied it at 3.

Matt Macri went 3 for 4 with two RBI to lead third-seeded Notre Dame to a 6-3 win over No. 4 San Diego in an elimination game at Goodwin Field. The Irish (45-17) advance to Championship Sunday and must defeat top-seeded Cal State Fullerton twice to advance to the Super Regionals.  Matt Laird (5-4) went 8.2 innings for ND with seven hits, one earned run, three walks and seven strikeouts. Steve Sollmann and Kris Billmaier also had three hits each for the Irish. Jose Ortega went 2 for 4 for San Diego (31-30) with a run and an RBI. The Toreros brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth. Closer J.P. Gagne surrendered an infield single to load the bases. Joey Prast lined a ball that deflected off Gagne’s glove to third baseman Matt Edwards, who stepped on the bag to end the contest.

Hattiesburg Regional

#2 Southern Miss 18,  #4 Murray State 0 (Murray State eliminated)

#1 Baylor 10,  #3 Southern 3

#2 Southern Miss 18,  #3 Southern 1 (Southern eliminated)

Second-seeded Southern Miss used a nine-run first to springboard to an 18-0 win over No. 4 Murray State in an elimination game. Marc Maddox doubled and scored the first run in the first and added a two-run single later in the frame for the Eagles (46-15). Maddox finished with three hits, two runs, two doubles and four RBI. Jeff Cook was 3 for 4 with a double, a home run, two runs and four RBI. Cliff Russum (8-5) went the distance for Southern Miss, allowing six hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. The Eagles will face the loser of the Baylor-Southern contest at 7 p.m. CT. The Thoroughbreds finished the season with a 25-31 mark.

Top-seeded Baylor broke open a 3-3 game with seven runs over the final three innings to defeat No. 4 Southern 10-3. The Bears (43-21) move to Championship Sunday, while the Jaguars (47-6) must face second-seeded Southern Miss on Saturday night in an elimination game. Michael Griffin gave Baylor the lead for good with a homer in the seventh. Trey Webb singled and scored in the eighth and had a two-run single in the ninth. Kyle Reynolds parked a three-run homer that pushed the score to 10-3.

Second-seeded Southern Miss scored 18 times for the second consecutive game as the Golden Eagles overwhelmed No. 4 Southern 18-1 in an elimination game. The Golden Eagles (47-15) moved to the championship round on Sunday and must defeat top-seeded Baylor twice to win the regional. Clint King hit for the cycle, going 4 for 6 with four RBI. Beau Griffin was 3 for 5 with two runs and an RBI and Brad Willcutt had two hits with a grand slam, three runs and two RBI. Southern Miss tallied 10 runs in the first three innings to take control.

Lincoln Regional

#4 Eastern Michigan 9,  #2 Coastal Carolina 8 (Coastal Carolina eliminated)

#3 Southwest Missouri State 4,  #1 Nebraska 2

#1 Nebraska 18,  #4 Eastern Michigan 2 (Eastern Michigan eliminated)

Brad Hrovat’s single in the bottom of the eighth brought home Ryan Ford with the winning run as fourth-seeded Eastern Michigan edged No. 2 Coastal Carolina 9-8 in an elimination game at Hawks Field. The Eagles (33-27) built an 8-1 lead through seven before the Chanticleers (45-18) exploded for seven runs in the top of the eighth to tie it at 8. Mike Costanzo had two doubles in the inning for Coastal Carolina with one run and an RBI. Ford led off the bottom of the eighth with a single and was sacrificed to second. Ford moved to third on a groundout before Hrovat’s single brought him home. EMU will face the loser of the Nebraska-SMS at 8:05 p.m. CT.

Brad Ziegler and Shaun Marcum combined on the six-hitter as third-seeded Southwest Missouri State upset top-seeded Nebraska 4-2 in front of 6,581 fans at Hawks Field. SMS (37-23) moved to the championship game on Sunday, while the Huskers (45-17) must face fourth-seeded Eastern Michigan in an elimination contest on Saturday night. Ziegler (11-1) went six innings with five hits, two runs, one walk and five strikeouts. Marcum surrendered one hits and two walks over the final three innings for his 13^th save. Each team scored a run in the first before the Bears tallied two in the fifth as Brooks Colvin had an RBI double and Clay Wheeler added a run-scoring single. Curtis Ledbetter’s RBI single in the sixth pulled the Huskers to within one at 3-2. Rick Wilson doubled and scored in the bottom of the eighth for an insurance run for SMS.

Top-seeded Nebraska used five home runs to overwhelm fourth-seeded Eastern Michigan 18-2 in front of 4,039 fans at Hawks Field. The Huskers (46-17) advanced to Sunday’s championship round, where they must defeat SMS twice to advance to the Super Regionals. Curtis Ledbetter belted a third-inning grand slam for the Huskers. Matt Hopper homered in the seventh and eighth innings for Nebraska. Alex Gordon and Daniel Bruce also went deep for the Huskers. The Eagles finished the season with a 33-28 mark.

Long Beach Regional

#2 Minnesota 7,  #4 Pepperdine 5 (Pepperdine eliminated)

#1 Long Beach State 7,  #3 Washington 2

#3 Washington 4,  #2 Minnesota 1 (Minnesota eliminated)

Second-seeded Minnesota scored five runs in the top of the ninth to get by No. 4 Pepperdine 7-5. The Golden Gophers (40-21) advanced to meet the loser of the Long Beach State-Washington game on Saturday night. The Waves ended their season at 36-24. Matt Fornasiere led off the ninth with a double for Minnesota and scored on Sam Steidl’s single. Ben Pattee and Luke Appert followed with consecutive RBI doubles to give the Gophers a 6-5 lead. David Hrncirik added an RBI single to give Minnesota a 7-5 lead. Brian Bull (6-2) hurled 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to get the win, the 800^th victory for coach John Anderson.

Sophomore Jered Weaver went the distance on a five-hitter as top-seeded Long Beach State defeated No. 3 Washington 7-2 to advance to Sunday’s championship game. Weaver (14-3) walked one and struck out six. Brent Lillibridge’s two-run homer in the third plated the only runs for the Huskies (41-17). Brad Davis had a two-run double in the fourth for the 49ers (40-18) to tie the game at 2. LBSU took the lead in the seventh on Josh Buhagiar’s RBI single up the middle that hit the second-base bag. The 49ers added insurance with a four-spot in the eighth, highlighted by another two-run double by Davis.

David Dowling went 6.2 strong innings to lead third-seeded Washington past No. 2 Minnesota 4-1 in an elimination game. The Huskies (42-17) moved to Sunday’s championship round and must defeat top-seeded Long Beach State twice to win the regional. Dowling (7-3) made his first start of the season and allowed one unearned run on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Will Fenton went the final two innings to earn his 12^th save. Aaron Hathaway’s RBI double in the third put Washington on the board first. Boudon smacked a two-run homer to push the lead to three. The Gophers finished the season with a 40-22 record.

Stanford Regional

#2 Richmond 5,  #4 Illinois-Chicago 0 (Illinois-Chicago eliminated)

#1 Stanford 13,  #3 UC Riverside 6

#2 Richmond 8,  #3 UC Riverside 1 (UC Riverside eliminated)

Mike McGirr tossed his first shutout of the season as second-seeded Richmond blanked No. 4 Illinois-Chicago 5-0 in front of a crowd of 1,340 at Sunken Diamond. McGirr (10-1) scattered nine hits and started a game-ending 1-2-3 double play to preserve the shutout. McGirr walked two and struck out seven. David Thomas had a two-run single for the Spiders (47-13) in the fourth. Adam Tidball smacked a three-run homer in the fifth. Richmond will face the loser of the Stanford-UC Riverside game at 7 pm PT. The Flames finished the season at 39-18.

Danny Putnam’s two-run homer in the fifth put the home team ahead to stay as top-seeded Stanford defeated No. 3 UC Riverside 13-6 to advance to the championship game on Sunday. Chris Carter and Ryan Garko also went deep for the Cardinal (43-15) and Sam Fuld extended his hitting streak to 16. Brian Steinmeyer and Ryan Harvey hit home runs for the Highlanders (41-16), who earned a date with second-seeded Richmond on Saturday night in an elimination game. John Hudgins (10-3) surrendered four runs in the first, but allowed three hits over the final eight innings to earn the win. He gave up seven hits and two walks and fanned a season-high 12.

Jason Bolinski went the distance as second-seeded Richmond defeated No. 3 UC Riverside 8-1 to advance to Sunday’s regional final for the second consecutive year. The Spiders (48-14) must defeat Stanford twice to claim their second regional title. Bolinski (10-1) allowed six hits and struck out five in recording his fifth complete game. Bryan Pritz and Bobby LeNoir each went 3 for 5 with two runs. Richmond scored four in the first to grab control of the contest. Adam Tidball’s two-run double was the big hit in the first. The Highlanders finished the season at 41-17.

Starkville Regional

#3 Missouri 13,  #4 Middle Tennessee 7 (Middle Tennessee eliminated)

#2 North Carolina 10,  #1 Mississippi State 5

#1 Mississippi State 10,  #3 Missouri 5 (Missouri eliminated)

Third-seeded Missouri jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings and coasted to a 13-7 victory over No. 4 Middle Tennessee in an elimination game. Danny Hill (5-2) went a career-long 7.2 innings with 11 strikeouts, also a career high. Jayce Tingler went 3 for 4 with two RBI for the Tigers (36-21). Missouri will face the loser of the Mississippi State-North Carolina game at 7 p.m. CT. The Blue Raiders dropped to 33-27.

Matt Danford allowed three hits and one run in 6.1 innings of relief as second-seeded North Carolina defeated No. 1 Mississippi State 10-5 at Dudy Noble Field. The Tar Heels (41-21) advanced to the championship game on Sunday, while the Rebels (41-19-1) were forced to play third-seeded Missouri in an elimination game Saturday night. MSU scored a pair in the top of the second as Joseph Hunter had an RBI double and Jeff Butts added a sacrifice fly. UNC took the lead with three in the bottom of the third. Chad Prosser’s two-run double tied it and Greg Mangum scored on a groundout to give the Heels the lead. UNC added four in the fourth on a grand slam by Mangum to push the lead to 7-2. The Tar Heels tallied three in the fifth and MSU put up three in the ninth to make the final 10-5.

Freshman Jamie Gant went 6.1 innings and allowed five hits and one run as top-seeded Mississippi State topped third-seeded Missouri 10-5 in an elimination game. The Bulldogs (42-19-1) moved to the championship round on Sunday and must defeat second-seeded North Carolina twice to advance to the Super Regionals. Gant (6-1) earned his third victory of the postseason. Ryan Rallo’s three-run homer gave the Tigers (36-22) an early 3-2 lead. MSU scored a pair in the fourth to tie it at 4. Missouri reclaimed the lead at 5-4 before the Bulldogs scored four in the sixth to take an 8-5 lead.

Tallahassee Regional

#3 Rutgers 8,  #4 Jacksonville 5 (Jacksonville eliminated)

#2 South Alabama 8,  #1 Florida State 6

#1 Florida State 17,  #3 Rutgers 7 (Rutgers eliminated)

Third-seeded Rutgers scored four in the top of the seventh to erase a one-run deficit and claim an 8-5 win over No. 4 Jacksonville in an elimination game at Dick Howser Stadium. Nick Cerulo led off the seventh with a triple for the Scarlet Knights (37-21) and scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Jeff Frazier’s sacrifice fly put Rutgers on top by one and Vinny Esposito’s two-run homer gave RU an 8-5 advantage. Esposito left the first game of the regional after being hit in the head by a pitch. He returned to score twice and knock in three. The Scarlet Knights will meet the loser of the Florida State-South Alabama game at 7 p.m. ET. The Dolphins finished the season at 32-30.

Cole Craig drove in three runs, including the game-winner on a home run in the bottom of the eighth, as second-seeded South Alabama knocked off top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Florida State 8-6 at Dick Howser Stadium. The Jaguars (42-17) advance to Sunday’s championship game, while the Seminoles (51-11-1) must face third-seeded Rutgers on Saturday night in an elimination game. FSU scored four in the top of the eighth to take a 5-3 lead. South Alabama scored a pair in the bottom of the eighth to tie it at 5 before Craig’s blast put the Jaguars on top 8-5. The Seminoles scored once in the ninth, but fell two runs short.

Top-seeded Florida State will play for a regional title for the 10^th straight year as the Seminoles defeated third-seeded Rutgers 17-7 in an elimination game at Dick Howser Stadium. The Seminoles (52-11-1) must defeat South Alabama twice on Sunday to advance to the Super Regionals. Tony Richie had two hits, two runs and three RBI for FSU. Johnny Defendis had two hits and three RBI for the Scarlet Knights (37-22). After scoring a run in the first and two in the third, the Seminoles put up five in the fourth for an 8-0 lead. Rutgers cut the lead in half with four in the bottom of the fourth before FSU put it away with eight in the fifth.

Tempe Regional

#2 UNLV 22,  #4 Central Connecticut 3 (Central Connecticut eliminated)

#1 Arizona State 15,  #3 New Mexico State 0

#2 UNLV 16,  #3 New Mexico State 10 (New Mexico State eliminated)

Second-seeded UNLV used an eight-run fourth inning and a 10-run sixth to crush fourth-seeded Central Connecticut State 22-3 in an elimination game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The Rebels (46-16) had 25 hits and advance to meet the loser of the Arizona State-New Mexico State game tonight at 7 pm MT. The Blue Devils (31-17-2) led 3-0 after three before UNLV’s fourth-inning eruption. Eric Nielsen went 4 for 5 with two runs and two RBI for the Rebels. Fernando Valenzuela had three hits, three runs and two RBI. Keith Stegbauer and Dan Tarnowski had two hits each for CCSU.

Beau Vaughan tossed 6.1 shutout innings as top-seeded Arizona State used a 12-run ninth inning to defeat No. 3 New Mexico State 15-0 at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The Sun Devils (52-12) moved to Sunday’s championship game, while the Aggies (43-17) had to face No. 2 UNLV in an elimination game on Saturday night. Vaughan (10-5) allowed four hits and struck out eight. ASU led 1-0 after two innings, then tallied two in the seventh and a dozen in the ninth. Dennis Wyrick knocked in the game’s first run with a two-out double. Andre Ethier had a two-run single in the seventh to make the score 3-0. The Sun Devils sent 18 batters to the plate in the top of the ninth in scoring their 12 runs.

Brent Johnson went 3 for 6 with two runs and two RBI to lead second-seeded UNLV to a 16-10 win over No. 3 New Mexico State in an elimination game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The Rebels (47-16) move to Sunday’s championship round and must defeat top-seeded Arizona State twice to win the regional. The Aggies (43-18) scored a pair in the first, but UNLV came back with four in the second. NMSU reclaimed the lead with three in the bottom of the frame before the Rebels took the lead for good with five in the third. Billy Becher’s four RBI gave his 118, the sixth-highest total in NCAA history.