March 18, 2009

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Five combine on no-hitter for Clemson over USC Upstate

College of Charleston blanks Coastal Carolina, Nebraska tops Arkansas

In Clemson, S.C., five pitchers combined on a no-hitter as No. 19 Clemson beat USC Upstate 14-0 Wednesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in the first meeting between the schools. Justin Sarratt (3-0) started and fanned two in five innings. Scott Weismann (2 K), Kyle Deese (1 K), Tomas Cruz (1 BB) and Matt Vaughn (2 K) each tossed a hitless inning for the Tigers (13-4). Only two batters reached for the Spartans (6-11), one on an error in the first and one on a walk in the eighth. It was the first no-hitter for Clemson since Scott Parrish had a seven-inning no-no against The Citadel on March 6, 1984. Mike Freeman went 4 for 5 with a triple, a homer, three runs and seven RBI. Phil Pohl also scored three.

College of Charleston 3, No. 11 Coastal Carolina 0

In Conway, S.C., Nick Osterman and Aaron Bouronich combined on a four-hitter as CofC ended Coastal Carolina’s 14-game win streak. Osterman (1-0) allowed four hits and four walks with eight strikeouts. Bouronich worked 2.1 hitless innings to earn his first save. Ryan Daniels had an RBI single in the first for the Cougars (14-3). Clay McCord singled and scored on a balk in the fifth. Mike Hentz singled and scored on a wild pitch in the sixth. The Chanticleers (17-2) had their leadoff runner on five times, but could not dent the plate. Jose Iglesias had a double for Coastal.

Nebraska 7, No. 20 Arkansas 4

In Fayetteville, Ark., NU rallied for six in the top of the ninth to erase a 3-1 deficit and earn a split in its two-game series at Arkansas. The Huskers (12-6-1) used two walks and five straight hits in its ninth-inning uprising. D.J. Belfonte’s RBI single game the Huskers the lead for good. Adam Bailey’s two-run homer capped the inning, giving him three hits, two runs and two RBI. Andy Wilkins went 3 for 4 for the Razorbacks (13-4) with two homers and three RBI. Zack Cox also went deep for the home team.

No. 1 North Carolina 6, Princeton 1

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Mark Fleury went 3 for 4 with a homer and two RBI as UNC completed a two-game sweep of Princeton at Boshamer Stadium. Fleury singled and scored in the second, homered in the fifth and had an RBI single in the seventh. Levi Michael had a home run in the third and a sac fly in the eighth for the Tar Heels (16-2). Sam Mulroy had a pinch-hit homer in the seventh for the Tigers (3-4). Mulroy, Greg Van Horn and Jack Murphy each had two hits for Princeton. Bryant Gaines (3-0) pitched 5.2 scoreless innings with five hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

No. 3 Georgia 11, Georgia State 6

In Atlanta, Lyle Allen had three hits and three runs as Georgia outscored Georgia State. Chase Davidson and Bryce Massanari both had two hits, including a home run. Levi Hyams drove in four for the Bulldogs (16-2). Davidson’s two-run homer capped a three-run second as Georgia took a 3-2 lead. Hyams had a three-run double in the fifth and Massanari’s two-run shot in the sixth made it 10-4. Matt Van Horn went 3 for 3 with a run and two RBI for the Panthers (12-6). Michael McCree homered and drove in two for GSU.

No. 5 LSU 6, McNeese State 3

In Baton Rouge, La., Ryan Schimpf homered and knocked in four as LSU completed a two-game sweep of McNeese State at Alex Box Stadium. Micah Gibbs had a sac fly and Schimpf followed with an RBI single in the fourth to give the Tigers (15-4) a 2-0 lead. Ryan Brauninger had a three-run homer in the sixth as the Cowboys (9-9) took a 3-2 lead. Tyler Hanover singled and scored in the bottom of the frame to tie it at 3-3. Schimpf had a three-run homer later in the frame to put LSU on top 6-3. Brauninger, Sam Merrill and Shon Landry all had two hits for McNeese State.

New Mexico 9, No. 7 Texas A&M 6

In College Station, Texas, Brian Cavazos-Galvez had three hits and three RBI to lead New Mexico past Texas A&M at Olsen Field. The Lobos (18-3) scored four in the second, one in the third and two in the fifth to build a 7-0 lead. The Aggies (13-7) tallied three in both the seventh and ninth. Kevin Atkinson had three hits, two runs and an RBI for UNM. Rafael Neda had two hits and two runs for the Lobos. Arthur had three hits and two runs for A&M. Petrich homered for the Aggies.

No. 8 Georgia Tech 11, Kennesaw State 3

In Atlanta, Tony Plagman’s three-run homer keyed a seven-run first as Georgia Tech topped Kennesaw State at Russ Chandler Stadium. Jason Garofalo drove in a career-high five for the Yellow Jackets (14-1). Kevin Jacob (3-0) pitched five scoreless innings with three hits, three walks and three strikeouts. The Owls (7-8) got their three runs in the sixth as Curtis Van Wyck and Andrew Martin had RBI singles. Garofalo answered with a three-run triple in the bottom of the frame.

No. 9 Miami (Fla.) 11, UMBC 1

In Coral Gables, Fla., Scott Lawson had four hits and three runs as Miami manhandled UMBC at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes (16-3) scored three in the first and five in the second to take control. Ryan Jackson had two hits, including a homer, two runs and three RBI. Bryan Russo went deep in the fifth for the Retrievers (2-7). Jason Santana (3-0) allowed one run on three hits in five innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

No. 10 Rice 8, Houston 1

In Houston, Anthony Rendon went 4 for 5 with a homer and three RBI to lead Rice past Houston at Cougar Field. The Owls (12-5) have a 2-0 lead in the annual best-of-five series for the Silver Glove Trophy. Rick Hague had an RBI single in the third for Rice. Jimmy Comerota and Brock Holt both had run-scoring singles in the fourth as the Owls took a 3-0 lead. Caleb Ramsey doubled and scored in the bottom of the fourth as the Cougars (4-15) pulled to within two. Rendon had an RBI single in the seventh and his two-run homer highlighted a four-run eighth for Rice. Holt finished with three hits and two runs for the Owls. Comerota and Chad Mozingo both had two hits, two runs and an RBI for Rice. Ramsey and Zak Presley both had two hits for Houston.

No. 13 Oklahoma State 30-4, Western Illinois 3-7

In Stillwater, Okla., Kevin David scored six and drove in seven in the opener as OSU split a doubleheader with WIU. David had four hits for the Cowboys (14-5) in Game 1. OSU scored three in the first and had two-run homers by Mark Ginther and Neil Medchill in the second to take a 7-0 lead. The Leathernecks (2-8) scored their three in the third before the Cowboys scored six in the fourth to continue the roll. Medchill and Davis Duren both had five RBI. In the nightcap, David had an RBI single and scored in the second as OSU took a 2-0 lead. After WIU tied it in the third, Andrew Hagins had a three-run homer in the fourth to put the Leathernecks ahead to stay. OSU got a run in the sixth before WIU added a pair in the seventh. Drew Laidig had two hits, two runs and two RBI for the Leathernecks. Doug Kroll and Tyrone Hambly both had two hits and one RBI for OSU.

No. 16 Virginia 11, Canisius 3

In Charlottesville, Va., Dan Grovatt went 3 for 4 with four runs and two steals as Virginia scored in each of the first seven innings to defeat Canisius at Davenport Field. Danny Hultzen added three hits and three RBI for the Cavs (17-0). David Coleman hit his first home run and knocked in two for Virginia. Perry Silverman had three hits and two RBI for the Golden Griffins (6-9).

No. 16 Virginia 5, Wagner 2

In Charlottesville, Va., Phil Gosselin had two hits and two RBI as Virginia defeated Wagner at Davenport Field for its second win of the day. Franco Valdes had a sac fly in the second for the Cavaliers (18-0) before the Seahawks (5-3) answered with a pair in the third as Damian Csakai had an RBI single and Joe Jamison had a run-scoring fielder’s choice. Gosselin’s run-scoring single in the third tied it at 2-2 before Dan Grovatt singled and scored in the sixth to put the Cavs ahead. Gosselin added a sac fly in the seventh and Steven Proscia homered in the eighth for Virginia.

No. 17 Ole Miss 7, Memphis 4

In Oxford, Miss., Brett Basham had a two-run double in a four-run second as Ole Miss got by Memphis at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Jordan Henry finished with three hits and three runs for the Rebels (13-4). The Tigers (8-10) scored three in the first before the Rebels answered with one in the first and four in the second to take the lead for good. Jeremy Travis homered in the fifth for Ole Miss. Nathan Baker (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts to earn the win. Scott Bittle had two strikeouts in the ninth in earning his third save. Shawn Ablett had two hits and two RBI for Memphis.

No. 21 Pepperdine 5, Washington State 2

In Malibu, Calif., Scott Alexander struck out a career-high nine as Pepperdine completed a two-game series sweep of WSU at Eddy D. Field Stadium. Alexander (2-2) went six innings with two hits, one run and two walks. After the Cougars (5-11) scored in the top of the first, Bobby Cozine’s RBI double keyed a three-run bottom of the frame for the Waves (13-5). Colin Rooney added an RBI single in the fifth as Pepperdine took a 4-1 lead. WSU added a run in the seventh before David Harris homered in the eighth for the Waves. Trent Diedrich had three hits and a run for Pepperdine. Alex Burg and Jared Prince both drove in runs for the Cougars.

No. 24 Alabama 6-12, Alabama A&M 1-0

In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Kent Matthes had two doubles and scored twice in the nightcap to extend his hit streak to 18 as Alabama swept a doubleheader and a three-game series from Alabama A&M at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. In the opener, Brandon May and Vin Difazio hit consecutive homers in the third to give the Crimson Tide (14-5) a home run in a school-record 18 straight games. May had two hits and three RBI. J.T. Thomas had two hits and knocked in a run for the Bulldogs (5-7). Alabama did not homer in Game 2, but used 10 walks and four A&M errors post the win. Clay Jones had a two-run single in a five-run fourth as the Tide led 12-0. Jones finished with three RBI. Cal Tinsley went 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs and two RBI for the Tide.

No. 25 Florida 7, UCF 3

In Orlando, Fla., Anthony DeSclafani allowed one run in five innings to earn his first win as Florida topped UCF in front of a record-crowd of 2,758 at Jay Bergman Field. DeSclafani (1-0) allowed six hits and struck out four. Matt den Dekker had an RBI single and Josh Adams added a two-run double in the third for the Gators (11-7). Austin Smith had a run-scoring single in the fourth for the Knights (7-12). Clayton Pisani had a two-run double in the seventh to give Florida a 5-1 lead. Den Dekker finished with three hits for the Gators. Brandon Romans homered and drove in two for UCF.

Eastern Kentucky 8, Western Kentucky 7

Eastern Kentucky 32, Berea 4

In Richmond, Ky., Jayson Langfels had a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to cap a three-run rally in the opener against WKU and belted two more dingers in Game 2 against Berea at Turkey Hughes Field. Matt Payton had an RBI triple and scored in the top of the ninth in Game 1 as the Hilltoppers (12-5) took a 7-5 lead. Tyler Rehmel had an RBI single in the bottom of the frame and came in on Langfels’ game-winner. Anthony Ottrando and Michael Gardia both had three hits and two RBI for the Colonels (9-5). Matt Davis had two hits and scored three for EKU. Jake Wells scored one and drove in two for WKU. In the nightcap, Langfels (4-6, 4 R, 5 RBI) and A.J. Jamison (3-6, 3 R, 5 RBI) led the offensive explosion as the Colonels pounded out 23 hits and drew a dozen walks. EKU scored three in the first, seven in the second, four in the third, eight in the fourth, nine in the fifth and a single run in the sixth. Ethan Smith had two hits and two RBI for the Mountaineers (6-7).

Towson 16, Yale 8

In Towson, Md., Kevin Collins tied a school record with three home runs as Towson powered past Yale at John B. Schuerholz Park to win the three-game series. Collins had a grand slam in a seven-run third, had a solo shot in the seventh and smacked a two-run blast in the eighth. His seven RBI was one away from the school record. Steve Yarsinsky and Aaron Gabrielian also homered for the Tigers (11-8). Gant Elmore and Harry Koulos both had three hits for the Bulldogs (3-5). Charlie Neil and Stefan Schropp both went deep for Yale.

Bucknell 22, Mount St. Mary’s 9

In Emmitsburg, Md., Andrew Loucks tied a 40-year-old school record with six hits as Bucknell rebounded from a 5-0 deficit to outscore MSM. Loucks had four singles and two doubles with three runs and four RBI. He matched Vic Cegles’ hit record for the Bison (6-9). The Mount (2-7) used a solo homer by Matt Staso and two-run shots by Kyle Kane and Shane Eyler to build a 5-0 lead after three. Bucknell used a 10-run fifth to take control. Dane Grandizio and Ben Allen both went deep in the fifth for the Bison. Doug Shribman had three hits, four runs and three RBI for Bucknell.

Wagner 21, Coppin State 0

In Baltimore, Vin Avella had three homers and drove in nine as Wagner blanked Coppin State at Joe Cannon Stadium. Ryan Van Spronsen (1-0) tossed the two-hit shutout with four strikeouts in seven innings. Avella had a two-run homer in a three-run fifth as the Seahawks (5-2) took a 5-0 lead. Avella had two homers and knocked in five in a 12-run sixth. He had a three-run shot before a two-run blast later in the frame. Avella had a two-run single in a four-run seventh. Damian Csakai went 3 for 4 with three runs and four RBI. Mikhail Avent and Francisco Rosado had hits for the Eagles (0-8).