April 21, 2009

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Ackley, Fleury help UNC power past UNC Wilmington

Rice wins at Texas; Poythress belts three home runs for Georgia

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Dustin Ackley (right) and Mark Fleury belted three-run homers in the fifth as No. 2 North Carolina powered past UNC Wilmington 7-5 Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium. Matt Holt had a two-run single to spark a four-run fifth as the Seahawks (21-15) took a 4-0 lead. Ackley pulled the Tar Heels (32-10) to within one in the bottom of the frame and Fleury gave UNC a 6-4 advantage. Holt had an RBI double in the sixth for UNCW before the Heels added an insurance run in the eighth. Fleury went 3 for 3 with a double and homer for UNC. Holt had two hits and three RBI for the Seahawks.

No. 6 Rice 7, No. 4 Texas 4

In Austin, Texas, Michael Fuda and Craig Manuel both had two hits, one run and one RBI to lead a balanced attack as Rice topped Texas in front of 7,366 fans at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. It was the fourth straight win for the Owls (28-10) over the Longhorns (29-9) and snapped a 10-game win streak for Texas. Rice scored two in the second and third in building a 4-1 lead. The Owls added single runs in the fourth and fifth before the Longhorns scored two in the bottom of the fifth. Rice added an insurance run in the eighth. Brock Holt and Steven Sultzbaugh both had two hits for the Owls. Preston Clark had two hits and one RBI for Texas.

No. 5 Georgia 11, Kennesaw State 7

In Athens, Ga., Rich Poythress went 4 for 4 with a double and three home runs as Georgia outscored Kennesaw State at Foley Field. Poythress had a two-run homer in the third and solo shots in the fifth and eighth in becoming the sixth Bulldog (32-8) to belt three dingers in a contest. Colby May, Peter Verdin, Levi Hyams and Matt Cerione also went deep for Georgia. Clint Roques had three hits, including a homer, and three RBI for the Owls (21-15).

No. 1 Arizona State 17, Hawaii 2

In Tempe, Ariz., Jordan Swagerty allowed one run in seven innings in his first career start as ASU hammered Hawaii in front of 2,824 fans at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. Swagerty (1-1) allowed five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. The Sun Devils (29-8) broke open a close game with seven runs in both the seventh and eighth. Zack MacPhee had three hits, including a home run, and four RBI. Jason Kipnis and Riccio Torrez both went deep and drove in three. Greg Garcia had two hits and one RBI for the Rainbows (24-14).

No. 3 UC Irvine 7, Oregon 4

In Irvine, Calif., DJ Crumlich had an RBI single to snap a 4-4 tie and spark a three-run eighth as UCI defeated Oregon at Anteater Ballpark. Crumlich finished with two hits and two RBI. Eric Deragisch had two hits and three RBI for the Anteaters (28-10). Mitch Karraker had a two-run single in the sixth for the Ducks (13-25) that tied it at 4. Eric Pettis pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save, the top mark in the nation. Curtis Raulinaitis had two hits and two runs for Oregon.

No. 7 Georgia Tech 16, Western Carolina 7

In Atlanta, Jason Haniger went 4 for 5 with a homer and four RBI as Georgia Tech topped WCU at Russ Chandler Stadium. Chris House and Cole Leonida both had three hits for the Yellow Jackets (27-8-1). Haniger had a two-run homer in the first before the Catamounts (22-16) rallied for four in the second, with two coming in on a dinger by Matt Johns. Tech plated three in the bottom of the frame and House’s three-run homer highlighted a four-run fourth as the Jackets took a 9-5 advantage. Dylan de Graaf added an RBI single in the eighth for WCU.

No. 8 LSU 6, Southeastern Louisiana 5

In Baton Rouge, La., Ryan Schimpf and Blake Dean had consecutive home runs to key a five-run third as LSU edged SLU at Alex Box Stadium. The Lions (23-16) plated three in the third to take a 4-1 lead before the Tigers (29-12) rallied for five in the bottom of the frame for a 6-4 advantage. SLU added a run in the fourth to complete the scoring. Jared Mitchell had two hits and one RBI for LSU. Brandon Street and Ty Summerlin both had three hits, one run and one RBI for the Lions.

No. 9 Cal State Fullerton 8, San Diego 5

In Fullerton, Calif., Christian Colon had three hits, including a home run, as Cal State Fullerton rallied past USD. The Titans (25-11) trailed 5-2 before getting one in the sixth and five in the seventh, keyed by a two-run triple by Gary Brown that put Fullerton ahead to stay. Colon had three runs and two RBI. Brown and Josh Fellhauer both drove in two for the Titans. Chris Engell homered and knocked in two for the Toreros (25-16). Sean Nicol also went deep for USD.

No. 10 Arkansas 9, Oral Roberts 6

In Tulsa, Okla., Zack Cox had four hits and three RBI as Arkansas outscored ORU. Brett Eibner had a three-run homer in a six-run third as the Razorbacks (27-11) built a 7-0 lead. James McCann had two hits and one RBI for Arkansas. P.J. Sequeira (3 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI) and Michael Notaro (2 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI) both went deep for the Golden Eagles (21-10).

No. 11 Ole Miss 6, UALR 1

In Oxford, Miss., Zach Miller had a two-run single in the first and Brett Basham added a two-run homer in the second as Ole Miss got by UALR at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Nathan Baker (3-0) held the Trojans (9-26) to one run in 5.2 innings with four hits and two strikeouts to earn the victory. Miller, Logan Power and Jeremy Travis each had two hits for the Rebels (29-11). Landis Wilson had two hits and a run for UALR.

Sam Houston State 9, No. 12 Baylor 8

In Huntsville, Texas, Nick Zaleski and Mark Wyatt both belted two-run homers as SHSU powered past Baylor at Don Sanders Stadium. Zaleski went deep in the first and Wyatt homered in the third as the Bearkats (26-13) scored two in four of the first five innings in building an 8-1 lead. Zaleski and Wyatt both had two hits and two runs for SHSU. Aaron Miller had two homers among his four hits, three runs and three RBI for the Bears (25-13).

No. 14 Virginia 8, VCU 1

In Richmond, Va., Steven Proscia smacked a grand slam as Virginia defeated VCU at The Diamond. Proscia’s slam in the third gave the Cavaliers (31-8-1) a 5-0 lead. John Hicks had two hits and three runs for UVa. Matt Packer (2-4) allowed two hits and one walk in five scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Richard Gonzalez had an RBI double in the seventh for the Rams (18-15).

No. 17 Florida State 9, UNC Asheville 2

In Tallahassee, Fla., Mike McGee’s grand slam keyed a six-run third as FSU topped UNCA at Mike Martin Field inside Dick Howser Stadium. Rafael Lopez had a two-run homer in the fourth for the Seminoles (26-12). Hunter Scantling (2-0) allowed one earned run on four hits in five innings in his first collegiate start. Kevin Weidenbacher and Reed Kreiser both had two hits and one RBI for the Bulldogs (7-32). FSU won its fifth straight and improved its record against UNCA to 20-1.

No. 19 TCU 6, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2

In Fort Worth, Texas, the TCU bullpen retired the 18 batters it faced as TCU topped TAMCC at Lupton Stadium. Tyler Lockwood (3-1) fanned five in 4.1 innings to earn the win. Sean Hoelscher and Erik Miller both pitched a scoreless inning for the Horned Frogs (24-11). Matt Vern walked and scored in a three-run sixth as TCU snapped a 2-2 tie. Aaron Schultz had three hits and a run for the Horned Frogs, while Matt Carpenter drove in two for TCU. Jeramie Marek had two hits and a run for the Islanders (14-27).

No. 22 Clemson 5, No. 21 Coastal Carolina 3

In Clemson, S.C., Jeff Schaus cranked a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lift Clemson over Coastal Carolina at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Tyler Bortnick had a two-run homer in the eighth to give the Chanticleers (30-10) a 3-1 lead. In the ninth for the Tigers (27-14), Brad Miller drew a leadoff walk, Matt Sanders had a single and pinch-hitter Chris Epps walked to load the bases. After a strikeout, the shot by Schaus gave Clemson the victory. Ben Paulsen had three hits and one RBI for the Tigers. Adam Rice had two hits and two runs for Coastal.

No. 23 Florida 12, Florida Gulf Coast 3

In Fort Myers, Fla., Preston Tucker smacked a three-run homer to cap a six-run fifth as Florida defeated FGCU in front of 5,147 fans at Hammond Stadium. It was the largest crowd to watch the Eagles (22-15) play as the home team in any sport. With the score tied 3-3 after four, Buddy Munroe went deep to start the fifth for the Gators (27-14) and Tucker’s blast gave UF a 9-3 lead. Mooney, Jonathan Pigott and Mike Mooney each had three hits for the Gators. Josh Upchurch had a three-run homer in the third for FGCU.

UTSA 16, Texas-Pan American 5

In Edinburg, Texas, Lance Brown became the third player in school history to hit for the cycle as UTSA defeated UTPA. Brown homered in the second, singled and tripled in a 13-run sixth, and doubled in the seventh to match the feat accomplished by Mickey Perez on April 1, 1995, and Michael Rockett on March 1, 2008. Brown scored three and knocked in two. Jason Mohn had two hits, including a home run, and five RBI for the Roadrunners (22-18). Michael Rockett had three hits, including a homer, and two RBI for UTSA. Jose Mendoza had three hits, and Bonham Hough drove in two for the Broncs (9-33).

Texas-Arlington 23, Northwood 7

In Arlington, Texas, Michael Choice hit for the cycle and Andrew Kainer broke the school record with a 27-game hit streak as UTA beat Northwood at Clay Gould Ballpark. Choice tripled in the first, doubled in the fifth, singled in the sixth and belted a three-run homer in the ninth. Matt Otteman had three hits and four RBI for the Mavericks (23-17). UTA led 10-1 after six and scored 13 in the eighth. Justin Coats had three hits and four RBI for the Knights (30-17).

(photo courtesy of UNC Media Relations Office)