March 28, 2009

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Poythress homers twice again for Georgia at Tennessee

Virginia evens its series at North Carolina; UC Irvine gets by Cal Poly

In Knoxville, Tenn., Rich Poythress hit two homers for the second straight game as top-ranked Georgia clinched its SEC series against Tennessee 11-9 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Poythress, who went 4 for 4 with two doubles and two homers on Friday, went 2 for 3 on Saturday with two homers, two walks, three runs and five RBI. He has five home runs in his past three games and extended his hit streak to 14. The Bulldogs (6-2, 21-3) built an 11-3 lead before the Volunteers (1-7, 11-14) scored six in the eighth and has the tying runs on in the plate in the ninth. Joey Lewis and Colby May also went deep for Georgia. Cody Hawn had two hits and three RBI for UT.

No. 16 Virginia 5, No. 6 North Carolina 2

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Andrew Carraway tossed seven strong innings as Virginia evened its ACC series with UNC at Boshamer Stadium. Carraway (4-0) allowed three hits and one earned run with a walk and three strikeouts. Matt Packer pitched the final two innings to secure the victory. Corey Hunt had an RBI single and Jarrett Parker added a sacrifice fly in a two-run fifth for the Cavaliers (6-3, 22-3). Steven Proscia had a two-run homer in the sixth to give UVa a 4-0 lead. Dustin Ackley homered off the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth for the Tar Heels (6-4, 19-6). Parker went deep in the seventh to give the Cavs a 5-1 lead. Garrett Gore homered in the ninth for UNC’s final run. Dan Grovatt had three hits and a run for Virginia. Ackley had two of the Heels’ four hits.

No. 12 UC Irvine 11, No. 18 Cal Poly 3

In Irvine, Calif., Christian Bergman pitched eight scoreless innings to lead UCI to a Big West series win over Cal Poly at Anteater Ballpark. Bergman (3-1) allowed five hits with no walks and four strikeouts. The Anteaters (2-0, 15-7) got three in the second on an RBI double by Ronnie Shaeffer and run-scoring singles by D.J. Crumlich and Ben Orloff. UCI added five in the fifth and three in the sixth to take an 11-0 lead. The Mustangs (0-2, 17-6) got its three in the ninth. Shaeffer finished with two hits, three runs and three RBI. Orloff had three hits, two runs and an RBI. Phil Ortez had a two-run triple and scored for Cal Poly.

No. 2 Cal State Fullerton 4, UC Riverside 1 (10)

In Riverside, Calif., Christian Colon had a hit-and-run single on a pitchout to spark a three-run 10th as Cal State Fullerton evened its Big West series at UC Riverside. Gary Brown led off the 10th with a single for the Titans (1-1, 17-4) and moved to third on Colon’s base hit. Brown scored on an error and Jared Clark added a two-run single. Dustin Garneau doubled and scored in the third for Fullerton, one of his three hits. Tony Nix tripled and scored in the fifth for the Highlanders (1-1, 16-5). Ryan Goetz had three of UCR’s five hits. Fullerton’s Joe Scott tied an NCAA record with four sacrifice hits.

No. 3 Arizona State 10, USC 1

In Los Angeles, Mike Leake allowed four hits and one run in eight innings to lead ASU past USC at Dedeaux Field. Leake (6-1) walked one and fanned four in earning his 30th career victory. Grant Green tripled and scored in the first for the Trojans (1-4, 10-12). Matt Newman had an RBI single and Jason Kipnis added a sac fly in the third for the Sun Devils (5-0, 19-3). Newman and Kipnis both had RBI doubles in the fifth as ASU took a 4-1 lead. Kipnis and Jared McDonald both had two-run homers in a six-run ninth for the Sun Devils. Kipnis finished with three hits and four RBI. Green had three of USC’s five hits.

No. 4 LSU 6, No. 14 Ole Miss 5

In Baton Rouge, La., Louis Coleman fanned a career-high 10 and Blake Dean drove in four as LSU evened its SEC series with Ole Miss at Alex Box Stadium. Coleman (6-1) allowed four hits and one earned run in seven innings. Dean had four hits, including a double, for the Tigers (5-3, 20-6). Dean had an RBI single in a two-run third and doubled and scored in the fifth as LSU took a 3-0 lead. Dean’s three-run single in the sixth put the Tigers on top 6-1. The Rebels scored one in the eighth and three in the ninth before Matty Ott struck out the final batter for his fourth save. Jeremy Travis had two hits and knocked in three for Ole Miss.

No. 7 Georgia Tech 6, No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 4
In Coral Gables, Fla., Derek Dietrich, Tony Plagman and Luke Morton each hit homers and drove in two for the Yellow Jackets (8-1, 18-3) at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Zach Von Tersch (5-1) gave up two runs in five innings, while David Gutierrez (2-2) allowed three over five. Mark Pope notched his seventh save. Jason Hagerty finished 3 for 4 with an RBI in the cleanup spot for the Hurricanes (7-4, 19-7), who dropped their first weekend series.

No. 8 Rice 12, Memphis 4
In Houston, Anthony Rendon went 3 for 5 with three RBI to lift Rice to a C-USA win over Memphis at Reckling Park. The Owls (3-2, 16-7) collected 14 hits and Chad Mozingo, Rick Hauge and Steven Sutlzbaugh each chipped in two hits and two RBI. The Tigers (2-3, 10-14) were led offensively by Brett Bowen and Jacob Wilson with two hits each. Taylor Wall (3-2) picked up the win for the Owls, striking out six over seven innings.

No. 9 Baylor 3, Kansas State 2
In Waco, Texas, Logan Verrett struck out seven over six innings for Baylor to edge Kansas State and bring his record to 7-0. Adam Hornung and Landis Ware both drove in a run for the Bears (4-4, 16-6). The Wildcats (2-3, 21-6) picked up their runs off the bats of Nick Martini and Jordan Cruz. The win brought Baylor to 9-1 in one-run games.

Texas Tech 4, No. 10 Texas 2
In Austin, Texas, Chris Richburg drove in three for Texas Tech in a Big 12 win against Texas. It was the Longhorns (3-5, 16-7) who drew first blood with two runs in the first, but the Red Raiders (4-4, 11-16) answered with Richburg's three-run homer in the third. Jeremy Mayo brought home an insurance run for Texas Tech in the next inning to provide the final margin of victory. Cameron Rupp drove in the only two runs for Texas on a single that scored Travis Tucker and Brandon Belt.
 

No. 13 Arkansas 20, Mississippi State 9
In Fayetteville, Ark., Scott Lyons, Travis Sample and Andy Wilkins each drove in four in a continuation of Friday's rain delayed-game at Baum Stadium. Starter Dallas Keuchel (4-0) allowed three earned runs in five innings for the victory as the Razorbacks (7-0, 18-4) scored seven in the third and six in the fifth. Connor Powers hit a grand slam for the Rebels (2-5, 14-11).
 

Hawaii 4, No. 15 Coastal Carolina 3

In Honolulu, Kolten Wong homered and drove in two as Hawaii won its series with Coastal Carolina in front of 2,285 fans at Les Murakami Stadium. After Tyler Bortnick’s RBI single in the top of the first for the Chanticleers (19-7), Wong’s two-run dinger capped a three-run first for the Rainbows (16-9). David Anderson went deep in the fourth for Coastal before Jeffrey Van Doornum’s run-scoring single in the sixth made it 4-2. Bortnick homered in the ninth for the Chants to complete the scoring.

No. 17 Texas A&M 7, Kansas 6

In College Station, Texas, Caleb Shofner had a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to lift Texas A&M over Kansas in Big 12 action in front of 4,232 fans at Olsen Field. In the ninth, Kyle Colligan was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to third on an error, setting the stage for Shofner’s heroics. Shofner finished with three hits and two RBI. Luke Anders had a double, a homer and two RBI for the Aggies (5-3, 17-9). The Jayhawks (3-2, 15-9) scored three in the eighth to knot the score at 6-6. Tony Thompson had two hits and one RBI for Kansas.

No. 20 TCU 8, San Diego State 5

In Fort Worth, Texas, Bryan Holaday’s homer snapped a 4-4 tie in a five-run fifth as TCU evened its Mountain West series with SDSU at Lupton Stadium. Cory Vaughn had a two-run homer in the fourth for the Aztecs (5-3, 17-9). Brandon Meredith had a two-run single in the top of the fifth as SDSU took a 4-1 lead. Holaday’s two-run homer capped a five-run rally in the bottom of the frame as the Horned Frogs (3-2, 15-8) took a 6-4 lead. TCU added single runs in the sixth and eighth before the Aztecs got their final run in the ninth. Jason Coats and Taylor Featherston both finished with three hits for the Horned Frogs. Chris Wilson had two hits and a run for SDSU.

San Diego 4, No. 21 Pepperdine 0

In San Diego, Matt Thomson tossed a two-hitter with a career-high 10 strikeouts as USD topped Pepperdine in WCC action at Cunningham Stadium. Thomson (4-0) allowed a hit in the second, then retired 13 straight. Steven Chatwood had a two-run double in a three-run fifth for the Toreros (2-0, 18-10). Bryan Haar homered in the seventh for USC. Cole Cook (4-1) was the tough-luck loser for the Waves (0-2, 16-10), surrendering two hits and four runs in eight innings.

No. 22 Clemson 7-5, Boston College 6-3

In Boston, Ben Paulsen went 4 for 4 with three RBI in the nightcap as Clemson swept a doubleheader and won its ACC series at Boston College. Graham Stoneburner (3-2) fanned six in 8.1 innings to earn the win. Paulsen’s run-scoring single in the seventh gave the Tigers (7-5, 18-7) a 3-2 lead. He added a two-run single in the ninth. Robbie Anston had two hits and three walks for the Eagles (5-5, 15-9). Paulsen had one of Clemson’s four homers in the opener. Mike Belfiore had two homers for BC as he did Friday against the Tigers.

No. 23 Ohio State 12, Penn State 2
In State College, Pa., Matt Streng cranked two home runs and Eric Best struck out four over six innings to lead Ohio State to a Big Ten win against Penn State. The Buckeyes (2-0, 20-3) put 18 hits on the board, including four from Ryan Dew. Blake Lynd and Bobby Jacobs provided the only two runs for the Nittany Lions (0-2, 13-10). Streng finished 3 for 4 with four RBI and three runs. The Buckeye offense leads the Big Ten in average, slugging percentage, hits, triples and home runs.

No. 25 Florida 9, Alabama 8
In Gainesville, Fla., Preston Tucker finished 3 for 5 with a triple and three RBI as the Gators (5-3, 17-8) overcame a 7-0 deficit with a seven-run ninth which included three errors and five hits at McKethan Stadium. Greg Larson (3-1) earned the victory after pitching the ninth and Jimmy Nelson (1-4) took the loss after giving up three runs, all unearned, on three consecutive hits in 1/3 inning. Josh Rutledge went 3 for 5 with two runs and three RBI for the Crimson Tide (3-5, 16-9).

Oregon 3, Oregon State 2 (10)

In Portland, Ore., John Adamson had a pinch-hit game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th as Oregon edged Oregon State in front of a Pac-10 record crowd of 15,540 at PGE Park. It was George Horton’s 500th Division I victory and the first Pac-10 win for the Ducks (1-1, 11-13). Caleb Tommasini drew a leadoff walk in the 10th and was sacrificed to second to set the stage for Adamson’s heroics. John Wallace had an RBI single in the seventh for the Beavers (1-1, 14-6) and Stefen Romero added an RBI double in the eighth for OSU. Oregon got a pair of bases-loaded walks with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to knot the score at 2-2. Romero and Joey Wong both had two hirs for the Beavers.

Texas-Arlington 6-7, Nicholls State 5-2

In Thibodaux, La., UTA pitchers combined for 24 strikeouts in a doubleheader sweep at Nicholls State. Nathan Long (3-1) fanned a career-high 15 in the nightcap for the Mavericks (7-4, 14-11), one away from the school record. Matt Otteman had a three-run double in the first for UTA. Drew Snider had two doubles for the Colonels (5-6, 11-12). In the opener, Andy Sauter struck out six in 8.1 innings as the Mavericks recorded the 1,100th victory in school history. Otteman had three hits in Game 1. Chris Murrill had two hits and two runs for Nicholls.

Fresno State 13-10, Lipscomb 11-0

In Fresno, Calif., Derek Benny faced the minimum 27 in the nightcap as Fresno State completed the doubleheader sweep of Lipscomb at Beiden Field on head coach Mike Batesole’s birthday. Benny (2-1) allowed singles in the first and fifth, but both runners were eliminated on double plays. He did not walk a batter and he struck out eight. Tom Mendonca homered and drove in three for the Bulldogs (12-10). Mendonca also went deep in the opener for FSU. Jordan Ribera homered and knocked in three for the Bulldogs. Justin Sanders had four hits for the Bisons (13-12). Tyler Wilson had three hits and scored four for Lipscomb.

College of Charleston 18-9, Furman 4-10

In Charleston, S.C., Cole Rakar hit three of his team’s school-record eight home runs in the opener as the College of Charleston split a Southern Conference doubleheader with Furman at Patriots Point Stadium. Rakar tied a school record by hitting two-run homers in the second, third and fifth. Brandon Sizemore’s three-run blast in the second gave the Cougars (9-2, 18-5) a 7-0 advantage. In the nightcap, Brian Harrison had a three-run homer in the eighth to give the Paladins (4-7, 10-12) the split. Joey Bergman went 7 for 8 in the two games for CofC with four doubles, one homer, six runs and two RBI.

George Washington 8, Richmond 7 (10)

In Arlington, Va., Ryan Thomas had the game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th as GWU evened its A-10 series with UR at Barcroft Park. The Spiders (3-2, 13-6) went extra innings for the fifth time in their past six games, winning the previous four. Ryan LaPointe (4-0) pitched the final 3.2 hitless innings for the Colonials (2-3, 12-14).

Southern Miss 26, UCF 10

In Orlando, Fla., Southern Miss set a school record for runs in a game in the opener of its C-USA doubleheader at UCF. The previous record was 25 set in 1999 against Saint Louis. Brian Dozier and Corey Stevens both belted grand slams for the Golden Eagles (3-2, 15-9). Dozier had four hits, four runs and six RBI. James Ewing also had four hits with two doubles, three runs and five RBI. Southern Miss had two big innings, scoring eight in the first and 11 in the sixth. Beau Taylor had three hits for the Knights (0-5, 7-19) with a homer and four RBI.