March 27, 2009

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Strasburg strikes out 14 as San Diego State tops TCU

Georgia Tech beats Miami (Fla.); Memphis wins at Rice

In Fort Worth, Texas, Stephen Strasburg (left) struck out 14 in eight innings as San Diego State got by No. 20 TCU 11-5 Friday in MWC action in front of 2,786 fans at Lupton Stadium. Strasburg (5-0) allowed three hits, one walk and two runs. Erik Castro went 4 for 6 with a homer, two runs and three RBI for the Aztecs (5-2, 17-8). Mitch Blackburn had three hits and two runs for SDSU. Bryan Holaday had two hits and Matt Vern homered and knocked in two for the Horned Frogs (2-2, 14-8). The Aztecs scored in six of their first eight at-bats, including three in the first and three in the eighth. TCU had single runs in the first and sixth before plating three in the ninth.

No. 7 Georgia Tech 13, No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 9
In Coral Gables, Fla., the Hurricanes (7-3, 19-6) blew a 5-3 lead when the Yellow Jackets (7-1, 17-3) scored seven in the sixth at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Georgia Tech belted five homers, including two off the bat of Luke Morton, who went 2 for 4 with three runs and four RBI. Jason Garofalo also finished 2 for 4 with a long ball and four RBI. Jason Hagerty drove in four in the cleanup spot for the Canes, but had a grand slam taken away from him when he passed the runner in front of him during the seventh. Deck McGuire (5-0) grabbed the win despite allowing five runs, four earned, with four walks over six innings. Chris Hernandez (2-2) suffered his second straight loss, the second of his collegiate career, by giving up seven runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings.
 

Memphis 10, No. 8 Rice 7
In Houston, Shawn Ablett went 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBI to lead Memphis past Rice in Conference USA action at Reckling Park. The Tigers (2-2, 10-13) scored two in each of the first three innings to take control early. Chad Zurcher (2 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI), Trey Wiedman (2 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI) and Tyler Huelsing (1 for 3, 1 R, 2 RBI) came up big for Memphis. Brock Holt had three hits, including a homer, and three runs for the Owls (2-2, 15-7).
 

No. 1 Georgia 12, Tennessee 6
In Knoxville, Tenn., Rich Poythress went 4 for 4 with two doubles, two homers, three runs and four RBI as Georgia doubled-up Tennessee. Poythress' two homers gave him 11 for the season, and Bryce Massanari (2 for 4, 2 RBI) and Joey Lewis also homered for the Bulldogs (5-2, 20-3). Colby May went 3 for 4 with two runs for Georgia, which built a 11-0 lead after five innings. Cody Hawn hit his 11th homer, and Cody Grisham went 3 for 3 for the Volunteers (1-6, 11-13).
 

UC Riverside 3, No. 2 Cal State Fullerton 1

In Riverside, Calif., Michael Hur hammered a three-run homer in the sixth as UCR defeated Cal State Fullerton in the Big West opener for both teams. Paul Bargas (3-1) earned the win, allowing nine hits over eight innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Joseph Kelly worked the ninth for his fourth save. Josh Fellhauer doubled and Jared Clark brought him in with a base hit in the first for the Titans (0-1, 16-4). Clark finished with three hits. Carl Uhl had two hits and a run for the Highlanders (1-0, 16-4).

No. 3 Arizona State 2, USC 1

In Los Angeles, Josh Spence went the distance to lead ASU past USC in Pac-10 play at Dedeaux Field. Spence (5-0) allowed seven hits and an unearned run with three walks and 10 strikeouts. Brad Boxberger (2-3) worked eight innings for the Trojans (1-3, 10-11) and fanned eight. Ricky Oropesa had an RBI single in the fourth for USC. The Sun Devils (4-0, 18-3) went hitless for five innings before getting two runs in the sixth on a sac fly by Jason Kipnis and an RBI single by Carlos Ramirez, who finished with two hits. Oropesa and Mike O’Neill both had two hits for the Trojans.

No. 14 Ole Miss 7, No. 4 LSU 4
In Baton Rouge, La., freshman Matt Snyder blasted two homers and drove in four as Ole Miss topped LSU. Jeremy Travis and Matt Smith also homered for the Rebels (5-2, 16-6). Drew Pomeranz (2-0) worked seven solid innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs to post the win. Leon Landry drove in two for the Tigers (4-3, 19-6).

No. 6 North Carolina 4, No. 16 Virginia 3
In Chapel Hill, N.C., Mike Cavasinni delivered a two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth as North Carolina edged Virginia. The Tar Heels' Alex White (no-decision) and Cavaliers' Danny Hultzen (no-decision) each threw well. White allowed seven hits and struck out nine in 7.1 innings. Hultzen allowed six hits and struck out eight in seven innings. Garrett Gore went 2 for 4 with an RBI for North Carolina (6-3, 19-5). Phil Gosselin went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a homer and two RBI to pace Virginia (5-3, 21-3).
 

Kansas State 7, No. 9 Baylor 1
In Waco, Texas, A.J. Morris threw a complete game, struck out 10 and allowed only one unearned run to lead Kansas State to a Big 12 victory at Baylor. Adam Muenster, Carter Jurica and Nick Martini each collected three hits and an RBI for the Wildcats (2-2, 21-5). The Bears (3-4, 15-6) were lead offensively by Aaron Miller, who went 2 for 4 and also extended his hitting steak to 18 games. The win marked Kansas State's first victory against Baylor since joining the Big 12.

No. 10 Texas 9, Texas Tech 5
In Austin, Texas, Cameron Rupp went 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBI as Texas beat Texas Tech at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Brandon Belt went 3 for 4 with a run and Michael Torres added two hits for the Longhorns (3-4, 16-6). The Red Raiders (3-4, 10-16) got three hits from Joey Kentworthy and two RBI off the bat of Chris Richburg. Texas was able to capitalize on the five errors committed by in-state rival Texas Tech.
 

No. 12 UC Irvine 5, No. 18 Cal Poly 2

In Irvine, Calif., Daniel Bibona worked seven strong innings as UCI got by Cal Poly in the Big West opener for both teams. Bibona (4-1) allowed seven hits and two runs with one walk and eight strikeouts. Eric Pettis allowed one hit and fanned one in two innings for his sixth save. Bobby Crocker homered and Luke Yoder added an RBI single in the first for the Mustangs (0-1, 17-5). D.J. Crumlich had a run-scoring double in the second for the Anteaters (1-0, 14-7) before tallying a pair in the third on an error and an RBI groundout by Francis Larson. Ronnie Shaeffer drove in a run in the fifth and Ben Orloff added an RBI single in the sixth for UCI. D.J. Gentile finished with two hits and a walk for Cal Poly.

Hawaii 5-7, No. 15 Coastal Carolina 4-1

In Honolulu, Kolten Wong had four hits and two runs as Hawaii swept a doubleheader from Coastal Carolina in front of 3,031 fans at Les Murakami Stadium. Wong had two hits and a run in the opener. Matt Roquemore had an RBI single to tie it at 4-4 and Kevin Macdonald was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to plate the game-winner for the Rainbows (15-9). Scott Woodward and Taylor Motter both had three hits for the Chanticleers (19-6). Vinnie Castricala had a double and three RBI in the nightcap to pace UH. He had a two-run double and scored in a three-run fifth as the Rainbows built a 5-0 lead. Daniel Bowman had two hits for Coastal.

No. 17 Texas A&M 3, Kansas 0

In College Station, Texas, Brooks Raley struck out a career-high 12 as Texas A&M blanked Kansas in Big 12 play in front of 3,409 fans at Olsen Field. Raley (5-0) allowed three hits in seven innings with two walks. Raley also went 2 for 3 at the plate for the Aggies (4-3, 16-9). Kevin Gonzalez went 3 for 4 with two doubles for A&M. Randall Thorpe singled and scored in the third. Raley doubled and scored on an error in the sixth, and Nick Anders doubled and scored in the seventh. The Jayhawks fell to 3-1 in the Big 12, 15-8 overall.

San Diego 8, No. 21 Pepperdine 6

In San Diego, James Meador homered twice as USD outscored Pepperdine at Cunningham Stadium in the WCC opener for both teams. Meador’s first dinger sparked a four-run second for the Toreros (1-0, 17-10). Meador went deep again in the third, and Bryan Haar’s two-run homer ignited a three-run fourth as USD built an 8-0 lead. The Waves (0-1, 16-9) scored two in the sixth and four in the seventh. Denny Duron and Nate Simon both drove in two for Pepperdine.

Boston College 13, No. 22 Clemson 1

In Chestnut Hill, Mass., Mike Belfiore homered twice and drove in seven as BC pounded Clemson in ACC action at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Shea Field. Belfiore had a brand slam in the first and a three-run blast in the second for the Eagles (5-3, 15-7). Tony Sanchez had two hits, including a homer, three runs and four RBI for BC. Matt Sanders drove in the lone run for the Tigers (5-5, 16-7) in the eighth.

No. 23 Ohio State 8, Penn State 3
In State College, Pa., Zach Hurley had two hits, two runs and two RBI and Ohio State scored five in the fifth to pull away from Penn State in the Big Ten conference opener for both schools. Dean Wolosianksy (4-1) was strong on the mound for the Buckeyes (1-0, 19-3), striking out six and allowing only two runs over seven innings. Penn State (0-1, 13-9) was lead by Jordan Steranka's 2-for-4, two-RBI effort and was the only Nittany Lion with more than one hit. Michael Stephens had three RBI for Ohio State and Justin Miller drove in two more.

No. 24 East Carolina 7-1, Marshall 6-1 (Game 2 suspended bottom 7)

In Charleston, W.Va., Ryan Wood had an RBI single to cap a two-run sixth as ECU won its ninth straight in edging Marshall in the opener of their C-USA series. The second game was suspended by rain in the bottom of the seventh. Dustin Harrington had a two-run homer in the second for the Pirates (4-0, 19-4). The Thundering Herd (2-2, 10-13) got two in the second and a two-run homer by Brandon Casamassima in the fourth. Stephen Batts belted a three-run homer in the fifth for ECU. The Pirates added two in the sixth for a 7-4 advantage before Marshall got one in the seventh and a Victor Gomez dinger in the bottom of the ninth to make it a one-run contest.

No.25 Florida 11, Alabama 4
In Gainesville, Fla., Preston Tucker went 3 for 4 with two doubles, a run and three RBI as Florida came back from a 4-0 deficit with 11 unanswered runs against Alabama in SEC sction at McKethan Stadium. The Gators (4-3, 16-8) plated runs in four consecutive innings, including six in the eighth. Buddy Monroe, Riley Cooper and Brandon McArthur each drove in a pair. Ross Wilson finished 2 for 2 with a solo shot for the Crimson Tide (3-4, 16-8). Clint Franklin (2-0) earned the win with four scoreless innings of one-hit ball. Billy Bullock picked up his fifth save in two scoreless innings. Austin Hyatt (4-1) suffered his first loss by allowing five earned runs over 6.2 innings.

Stanford 13, Washington 3

In Stanford, Calif., Joey August belted a grand slam as Stanford (2-2, 6-10) defeated Washington (0-1, 9-13) in Pac-10 play. Mark Marquess moved into ninth place for Division I coaching wins with 1,332 in 33 seasons. August’s slam came in an eight-run seventh. Colin Walsh and Jake Schlander had three hits and two runs for the Cardinal. Caleb Brown had a pinch-hit two-run homer in the eighth for the Huskies.

Richmond 9, George Washington 6 (11)

In Arlington, Va., Robby Massar was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 11th to snap a 6-6 tie as Richmond beat George Washington in A-10 action at Barcroft Park. Andrew Lowry added a two-run single in the frame for the Spiders (3-1, 13-5), which improved to 4-0 in extra-inning contests. Four of UR’s past five games have gone extra innings. Cameron Brown homered twice and drove in three for the Spiders. Mike Mergenthaler and Ryan Metzroth also went deep for UR. Sean Rockey had a three-run homer in the seventh for the Colonials (1-3, 11-14). Brian Alas (2-0) allowed one hit in three scoreless innings with three strikeouts to pick up the win.

Charleston Southern 9, VMI 5 (10)

In North Charleston, S.C., Nick Hustedt belted a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the 10th to lift CSU over VMI at Buccaneer Ballpark. Patrick Dolan and Nick Chinners started the 10th with singles and moved up on a groundout. After an intentional walk and a fielder’s choice, Hustedt hit a 2-2 pitch out to give the win to the Buccaneers (6-3, 11-14). Chinners finished 4 for 5 and hit for the cycle, with an RBI triple in the first, a double in the third, a homer in the eighth and a bunt single in the 10th. A.J. Yoder had three hits for the Keydets (4-2, 10-13).