Feb. 23, 2011

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Around the Bases
Rathjen knocks in five as Rice outlasts Texas State

Vanderbilt beats Belmont, Oklahoma thumps UAPB, Virginia nips VMI

In San Marcos, Texas, Jeremy Rathjen homered and drove in five as Rice held on for an 11-10 win over Texas State Wednesday evening in front of 1,902 fans at Bobcat Stadium. After the Bobcats (2-2) scored three in the bottom of the first, Rathjen had a two-run single and came home in the third as the Owls (2-3) tied it at 3-3. Rice added two in the fifth and two more in the sixth, and Rathjen’s three-run dinger highlighted a four-run eighth as the Owls built an 11-5 lead. Kyle Kubitza (2 for 5, 5 RBI) had a grand slam to cap a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth, but Texas State came up one run short. Anthony Rendon had three hits, three runs and one RBI for Rice. Tyler Sibley and Bret Atwood both had three hits and two runs for the Bobcats. Boogie Anagnostou (1-0) picked up the win in relief, tossing one scoreless inning with two hits and one walk. Of five Rice pitchers, he was the only one not to surrender a run. Bobcat starter Carson Smith (0-1, 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) was tagged with the loss.

No. 3 Vanderbilt 6, Belmont 2

In Nashville, Tenn., Tony Kemp drove in a pair as Vanderbilt beat cross-town rival Belmont at Hawkins Field. Kemp had a two-run single in the fourth and scored from second on a passed ball as the Commodores (5-0) built a 4-0 lead. Aaron Westlake drove in a run and scored in the fifth as Vandy pushed the advantage to 6-0. The Bruins (2-3) tallied single runs in the seventh and eighth. T.J. Pecoraro (1-0) allowed three hits in four scoreless innings with one walk and five strikeouts to secure the win. Will Clinard (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 K) earned his second save. Greg Brody had two hits and one RBI for Belmont.

No. 5 Oklahoma 12, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1

In Norman, Okla., Garrett Buechele homered and drove in five as Oklahoma completed a two-game sweep of Arkansas-Pine Bluff at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Jordan John (2-0) tossed the seven-inning complete game with six hits, one unearned run, two walks and nine strikeouts. After the Golden Lions (1-4) scored in the top of the third, the Sooners (6-0) got two in the third, one in the fourth, three in the fifth and six in the sixth. Buechele had a three-run dinger in the sixth. Chris Ellison had a double, two walks and three runs for OU. Trey Austin went 2 for 3 with a run for UAPB.

No. 12 Virginia 4, VMI 3

In Charlottesville, John Barr had a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to knock in the go-ahead run as Virginia rallied past VMI in front of 2,175 spectators at Davenport Field. The Cavaliers (3-1) trailed 3-1 before Chris Taylor’s two-bagger in the seventh plated Kenny Swab to make it 3-2. Steven Proscia drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth, was sacrificed to second and scored one out later on a base hit by Stephen Bruno to tie the score. Barr belted the next pitch into right-center to give UVa a 4-3 lead. Branden Kline pitched a perfect ninth to earn the save. Coby Cowgill had a strong start for the Keydets (1-4), allowing three hits, one run and three walks with six strikeouts. Alex Haitsuka had two hits, including a homer in the fourth, and two runs for VMI.

Florida Atlantic 7, Miami (Fla.) 4

In Boca Raton, Fla., Alex Hudak had two hits and two RBI as Florida Atlantic beat visiting Miami in front of 1,062 fans at FAU Baseball Stadium. Andy Mee homered and Hudak added a two-run double as the Owls (4-1) took control in the first. FAU scored single runs in the second and fifth to push the lead to 5-0. Rony Rodriguez rocked a three-run homer in the top of the sixth as the Hurricanes (2-2) pulled to within two. Eddie Cassidy homered to spark a two-run eighth as the Owls extended the lead to 7-3. Miami added one in the ninth to complete the scoring. Ryan Garton (1-0) tossed four scoreless innings with four hits, three walks and three strikeouts to earn the win.

San Jose State 6, Albany 5 (17)

In San Jose, Calif., Tommy Gale drove in the game-winner in the bottom of the 17th as San Jose State edged Albany at Municipal Stadium. The Great Danes (0-1) scored in three of the first five innings to build a 4-0 lead. Tyler Christian went deep to lead off the bottom of the fifth to put the Spartans (4-0) on the board. In the seventh, Danny Stienstra drove in one with a single and Anthony Bona added a two-run base hit as SJSU tied it at 4. Pinch-runner Jeff Welsh of Albany scored on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth to reclaim the lead before Christian hit his second homer in the bottom of the frame to knot it at 5-5. With two away in the bottom of the 17th, Christian drew a walk and moved to second when Jake Valdez was hit by a pitch. Gale’s hit brought home Christian to end the 5:23 marathon. Brian Bullard went 5 for 6 with one RBI and Josh Nethaway homered for the Great Danes.

Stetson 4, Bethune-Cookman 3 (11)

In Daytona Beach, Fla., Stetson used defense to force extra innings and outlasted Bethune-Cookman at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Wildcats (3-2) had a great chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth. With runners on first and second with one out with the scored tied at 3, Emmanuel Castro singled down the left field line. Nick Rickles fired home to cut down the potential game-winner. The next hitter, Nick Johnson, lined a ball toward the hole on the left side. Shortstop Mark Jones made a diving catch to keep the game going. Jones added a RBI single in the top of the 11th to give the Hatters (4-0) a 4-3 lead. Robbie Powell (1-0) pitched the final 2.2 scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and one strikeout to earn the victory. Ryan Lashley drove in a pair for the Hatters. Castro went 4 for 5 for Bethune-Cookman.

Kentucky 5, Eastern Michigan 2

In Lexington, Ky., Corey Littrell took a no-hitter into his first career start as Kentucky topped Eastern Michigan in front of 1,481 fans at Cliff Hagan Stadium. Littrell (1-1) worked 6.2 innings with two hits, two runs, two walks and three strikeouts. Jordan Cooper pitched the ninth to record his first save. The Wildcats (2-3) scored one in the second and two in the fourth for a 3-0 lead. Ben Magsig belted a two-run homer in the top of the seventh as the Eagles (1-3) cut the margin to one. UK answered with a pair in the bottom of the frame for the final margin. Taylor Black went 2 for 2 with two doubles, two runs and one RBI for the Wildcats.

Middle Tennessee 10, Tennessee Tech 6

In Cookeville, Tenn., Will Skinner homered twice as Middle Tennessee outscored Tennessee Tech at the Averitt Baseball Complex. Skinner finished with three hits and four RBI for the Blue Raiders (1-3). He had a two-run blast in the third to give MTSU a 5-3 lead. Skinner gave the Blue Raiders the lead for good with a solo shot in the eighth for a 7-6 advantage. MTSU added three insurance runs in the ninth for the final margin. Justin Guidry had three hits, three runs and two RBI for the Blue Raiders. Chad Oberacker had two hits, including a dinger, two runs and two RBI for the Golden Eagles (0-4).