Feb. 27, 2010

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Around the Bases
No. 1 LSU rallies from 8-0 deficit to defeat W&M

Texas clinches series with Stanford, Maine wins at North Carolina

In Baton Rouge, La., top-ranked LSU rallied from an 8-0 deficit, scoring eight in the sixth and two in the seventh, to defeat William & Mary 10-9 Saturday at Alex Box Stadium. It was the largest comeback in 22 seasons for the Tigers (5-0). Matty Ott (right) retired the Tribe in order in the ninth for his third save. Austin Nola and Micah Gibbs both had two hits and two RBI for LSU. Nola’s two-run single highlighted the eight-run sixth. Stephen Arcure homered in the fifth and Tadd Bower went deep in the sixth as the Tribe (3-1) built its 8-0 lead. Ryan Brown and Jackson Shaver both drove in three for W&M.

No. 5 Texas 6, No. 19 Stanford 3

In Austin, Texas, Brandon Loy and Tant Shepherd both drove in two as Texas topped Stanford at UFCU Disch-Falk Field to clinch the weekend series. Shepherd homered in the first for the Longhorns (4-2). Texas added a pair in the second before Kenny Diekroeger singled and scored in the third for the Cardinal (4-2). Loy’s two-run double in the sixth gave the Longhorns the 6-3 advantage. Shepherd had two hits and three walks. Colin Walsh went 3 for 3 with one double for Stanford. Stephen Piscotty knocked in two for the Cardinal.

Maine 5, No. 16 North Carolina 3
In Chapel Hill, N.C., Ian Leisenheimer hit a two-run homer, and Jeffrey Gibbs and Steve Perakslis combined to yield only five hits as Maine upended North Carolina. The Black Bears (1-4) led 3-0 before the Tar Heels (5-1) closed to 3-2 on Brian Goodwin's two-run homer in the sixth. Leisenheimer answered with a shot in the seventh, and Perakslis (3.2 IP, 2 H) made it stick. Gibbs posted the win with 5.1 innings, three hits, two earned runs and seven strikeouts.
 

No. 2 Virginia 22, Rhode Island 2
In Charlottesville, Va., Tyler Cannon went 3 for 4 with two doubles, three runs and four RBI as Virginia routed Rhode Island for the second straight day. Steven Proscia went 3 for 4 with a homer, four runs and three RBI, and Kenny Swab (4 for 6, 2 R) and Keith Werman (4 for 4, 2 RBI) each had big days. Freshman Stephen Bruno blasted a late grand slam for the Cavaliers (5-1). The Rams fell to 0-5.

No. 3 Florida State 13-13, Hofstra 1-0

In Tallahassee, Fla., Tyler Holt went 3 for 4 with three runs and an RBI in Game 2 to lead Florida State (5-0) in its doubleheader sweep of Hofstra (0-5). The bulk of the Seminoles’ scoring came in the fourth, as Parker Brunelle’s leadoff home run sparked a six-run inning. John Gast (2-0) picked up the win after striking out six, walking two and allowing two hits in five scoreless innings. Kevin Rigopoulos (0-2) took the loss, striking out one, walking three, and allowing eight hits and nine runs – eight earned – in 3.2 innings. In the opener, Sherman Johnson went 3 for 4 with six RBI, two runs and a walk to help the Seminoles win. Florida State broke ahead with a five-run fourth, as well as a six-run sixth that included home runs by Stephen Cardullo and Johnson. Sean Gilmartin (2-0) earned the win with six shutout innings in which he struck out seven, walked one and allowed five hits. In the ninth, Scott A’Hara singled, stole second and scored on a Seminole error to account for Hofstra’s only run. The loss went to Jared Rogers (0-2), who struck out two, walked three, and allowed six hits and six runs in 3.2 innings.

No. 4 Georgia Tech 15, Xavier 0
In Atlanta, Brandon Crumpton allowed one hit and struck out four over seven scoreless innings, and Jacob Esch went 3 for 4 with a homer and four RBI as Georgia Tech blanked Xavier. Jeff Rowland (2 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI), Matt Skole (3 for 4, R, RBI), Derek Dietrich (3 RBI) and Jason Garofalo (2 RBI, 2 R) also homered for the Yellow Jackets (7-0).
 

No. 17 Coastal Carolina 7-13, No. 5 UC Irvine 4-6

In Myrtle Beach, S.C., Coastal Carolina used a nine-run eighth in the nightcap to complete a doubleheader sweep of UC Irvine at Baseball at the Beach at BB&T Coastal Field. Daniel Bowman’s two-run single keyed the nine-run rally for the Chanticleers (6-1). Jose Iglesias went 4 for 5 with four RBI in Game 2 for Coastal. Adam Rice had three hits and three RBI for the Chants. D.J. Crumlich had two RBI for the Anteaters (3-3). Bowman drove in three in the opener for Coastal, while Rico Noel went 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBI. Francis Larson had two hits and drove in two in Game 1 for UCI.

No. 8 Arizona State 9-11, Towson 1-6
In Tempe, Ariz., Jake Borup allowed one hit and struck out six in six scoreless innings, and Zach MacPhee, Riccio Torrez and Xorge Carrillo each drove in two as Arizona State won the first game of a doubleheader with Towson. In the second game, Torrez added two hits, two runs and four RBI as the Sun Devils (6-0) picked up another win. Steve Rice went 2 for 4 with a homer and three RBI for the Tigers (1-5) in Game 2.
 

No. 11 Louisville 17, Michigan State 6

In Clearwater, Fla., Stewart Ijames went 4 for 4 with a homer, three runs and two RBI as Louisville outscored Michigan State in the Big East/Big Ten Challenge at Jack Russell Stadium. Andrew Clark (2 for 3, 1 HR, 5 RBI), Phil Wunderlich (2 for 5, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Drew Haynes (2 for 3, 3 R, 2 RBI) also had big days at the plate for the Cardinals (6-0). Ryan Jones knocked in a pair for the Spartans (3-2).

No. 12 Clemson 8, Wright State 6

In Clemson, S.C., Richie Shaffer went 2 for 4 with two runs and a stolen base to lead Clemson (5-0) against Wright State (2-4). Phil Pohl’s two-RBI double in the second helped the Tigers build a 4-1 lead after two innings. Tristan Moore’s three-run home run in the fifth put the Raiders ahead, 6-4, but Pohl tied the game with a two-RBI single in the sixth. Shaffer scored the game-winning run off of Brad Miller’s RBI double in the eighth. David Haselden (1-0) earned the win, with one strikeout and no walks in 2.1 hitless innings. Michael Schum (0-2) took the loss, allowing one walk, three hits and four runs – two earned – in one inning.

No. 13 Miami (Fla.) 18, Manhattan 1

In Coral Gables, Fla., Yasmani Grandal went 2 for 5 with five RBI, one run and a walk as Miami (5-0) clinched its series against Manhattan (0-2). The Hurricanes jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first, due in part to two-run home runs by Harold Martinez and Rony Rodriguez. David Villasuso’s two-RBI triple was the highlight of Miami’s six-run sixth inning. The Hurricanes added three in the seventh and three in the eighth to round out their scoring. Chris Hernandez (1-0) struck out nine and allowed three hits and one run in seven innings to earn the victory. Ramon Ortega’s RBI single in the fifth drove in Manhattan’s lone run. The loss went to Tom Costigan (0-1), who struck out one, walked five, and allowed three hits and six runs in 4.2 innings.

No. 20 East Carolina 4, No. 14 South Carolina 3
In Greenville, N.C., East Carolina (3-3) served South Carolina (4-1) with its first loss of the season with a two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth. The Pirates’ Corey Thompson knocked an RBI single to tie the game at three-all. Trent Whitehead plated Chris Gosik to end the contest. Whitehead finished 3 for 5 with an RBI. ECU lefty Kevin Brandt pitched 6.2 innings, giving up two earned runs and finishing with career high six strikeouts, but closer Seth Simmons would earn the win by pitching a spotless ninth. Gamecock reliever John Taylor suffered his first loss, allowing one run on three hits in the final inning.

No. 15 Rice 4, Nebraska 3

In Houston, Anthony Rendon had an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to plate the game-winner as Rice nipped Nebraska in the Rice Invitational Tournament at Reckling Park. Patrick Tolentino had a two-run single in the first and D.J. Belfonte added a run-scoring base hit in the second as the Cornhuskers (2-4) built a 3-0 lead. Abe Gonzales had an RBI double and Rick Hague added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second as the Owls (2-4) pulled to within one. Michael Ratterree homered in the third to knot the score at 3-3. Michael Fuda led off the eighth with a single for Rice and was balked to second before coming home on Rendon’s double. Tyler Duffey (1-0) pitched the final two innings to earn the win. He did not allow a hit and struck out five.

Tennessee 9, No. 18 Oregon State 2
In Corvallis, Ore., a day after being routed by Oregon State, Tennessee's Steven Gruver allowed three hits and struck out nine in seven scoreless innings in a Volunteers win. Blake Forsythe went 2 for 4 with a homer and four RBI, and Matt Duffy went 3 for 5 with three RBI for Tennessee (4-1). Stefan Romero hit his third homer and drove in two for the Beavers (4-2).

(photo courtesy of LSU Media Relations Office)