Feb. 28, 2012

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Around the Bases
VCU nips Norfolk State for program's 1,000th victory

Liberty blanks Virginia, MTSU gives Tennessee first loss, Stanford wins

In Richmond, Va., Bill Cullen (right) went 2 for 4 with two RBI as VCU edged Norfolk State 4-3 Tuesday at The Diamond to record the program’s 1,000th victory. The Spartans (1-7) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third before the Rams (5-4) tied it in the bottom of the frame. Cullen gave VCU the lead with a two-run single in the sixth and the Rams added one in the seventh before NSU put up two in the eighth. Joey Cujas had three hits and one RBI for VCU. Seth Cutler-Voltz (1-1, 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 6 K) earned the victory, while Blake Hauser struck out four over the final 1.2 innings to notch his third save. James Taylor had three hits and Chris Warren added two hits and one RBI for NSU.

Liberty 8, Virginia 0

In Charlottesville, Va., three pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout as Liberty blanked Virginia at Davenport Field. Tim Dudley allowed one hit and struck out one in 2.1 innings before leaving with a stiff back. Blake Forslund (1-0) tossed 3.2 hitless innings with five walks and five strikeouts to earn the victory. Kody Young gave up one hit over the final three innings with one walk and three punchouts to record his first save. The Flames (9-1) scored two in the third, three in the fourth and three in the sixth. Trey Wimmer had two hits and two RBI, while Andy Smith and Tyler Cox both scored twice for Liberty. Colin Harrington and Brandon Downes both had hits for the Cavaliers (5-2-1).

Middle Tennessee 5, Tennessee 4 (10)

In Knoxville, Tenn., Ryan Stephens drove in the game-winner in the top of the 10th as Middle Tennessee handed Tennessee its first loss. The Volunteers (7-1) scored two on an error in the bottom of the ninth to force the extra frame. Stephens finished with two hits and two RBI, as did Matthew Drake for the Blue Raiders (5-3). Johnny Thomas doubled twice with three runs and one RBI for MTSU. Chris Pierce and Parker Wormsley both had two hits for UT. Joey McClung (1-0) got the final two outs in the ninth and picked up the win. Daniel Palo struck out the side in the 10th to register his first save. MTSU won at UT for the first time since 1994.

No. 2 Stanford 5, UC Davis 1

In Stanford, Calif., Stephen Piscotty drove in six as Stanford downed UC Davis at Sunken Diamond. Piscotty had a two-run double to snap a 1-1 tie in a three-run third for the Cardinal (8-0). He added a RBI groundout in the fifth to complete the scoring. Jake Stewart went 2 for 4 with a homer and two runs for Stanford. Ryan Allgrove had two hits for the Aggies (5-3).

No. 3 South Carolina 2, Presbyterian 1

In Columbia, S.C., Joey Pankake hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth to snap a 1-1 tie on National Pancake Day as South Carolina edged Presbyterian. Nolan Belcher (1-0, 2.1 IP, 1 H, 3 K) earned the win in relief. Tyler Webb recorded the final out for his first save. Evan Marzilli went 2 for 4 with one RBI for the Gamecocks (7-0). Tony Micklon had two hits and drove in one for the Blue Hose (0-8).

No. 4 Rice 4, Houston 1

In Houston, Andrew Benak allowed one run over five innings as Rice got past Houston at Cougar Field. Benak (2-0) gave up three hits and four walks while striking out four. J.T. Chargois got the final two outs for his fourth save. Zack Gibson had a run-scoring single in the bottom of the fourth as the Cougars (4-4) got on the board first. The Owls (9-0) answered with two in the fifth and single runs in the sixth and seventh. Shane Hoelscher went 1 for 4 with two runs and one RBI for Rice. Taylor White had two hits for Houston.

No. 5 Texas A&M 14, Northwestern State 10

In College Station, Texas, Brandon Wood went 4 for 5 with two runs and four RBI as Texas A&M rallied from a 10-1 deficit to outscore Northwestern State. Nick Hinojos had a three-run homer to cap a seven-run second and added another three-run dinger in the fourth as the Demons (2-5) built the 10-1 advantage. Wood had two-run singles in an eight-run sixth and a four-run seventh as the Aggies (7-1) fought back. Matt Juengel (3 for 4, 1 R, 2 RBI) and Blake Allemand (3 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI) added to the A&M offense. Kyle Martin (1-1, 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K) picked up the win in relief. Shaun Hoover drew three walks and scored twice for NSU.

No. 6 Arkansas 5, BYU 0

In Fayetteville, Ark., four pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as Arkansas blanked BYU. Brandon Moore (1-0, 4 IP, 2 H, 3 K) was the starter and winner for the Razorbacks (8-1). Cade Lynch (2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K), Michael Gunn (2 IP, 2 K) and Colby Suggs (1 IP, 1 K) held the Cougars (4-3) scoreless the rest of the way. Jimmy Bosco went 2 for 2 with one RBI, while Tim Carver went 1 for 2 with two runs for Arkansas. Stephen Wells, Austin Hall and Adam Law had hits for BYU.

No. 7 North Carolina 8, St. John’s 4

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Colin Moran went 4 for 5 with two runs and two RBI as North Carolina got past St. John’s. The Red Storm (2-5) scored two in the top of the eighth to pull to within one at 5-4 before a bases-clearing double by Cody Stubbs (2 for 3, 2 BB) in the bottom of the frame gave the Tar Heels (6-1) an 8-4 advantage. Jacob Stallings had two hits and two RBI for UNC. Matt Wessinger went 3 for 4 with a double and three runs, while Martin Kelly drove in two for St. John’s.

No. 9 Georgia 5, Savannah State 0

In Athens, Ga., Kevin Ruiz had a two-run single in the third inning, and five Georgia pitchers combined on a shutout of Savannah State, marking the first time the Bulldogs have thrown back-to-back shutouts since 1986. Hunter Cole and Kyle Farmer each had two hits and a RBI for the Bulldogs (8-0). David Sosebee tossed two innings, and was followed by fellow freshmen Jarrett Brown, Jay Swinford and Luke Crumley, who each threw two innings. Junior Jesse Scott closed out the shutout. Todd Hagen and Kevin Herlihy each had two hits for Savannah State (3-5).

No. 13 LSU 17, Grambling State 10

In Baton Rouge, La., Raph Rhymes went 4 for 5 with a double, two runs and six RBI as LSU defeated Grambling State. The home Tigers (6-2) had four big innings offensively, scoring six in the second, four in the fourth and three in the seventh and eighth. Tyler Hanover had three hits and three RBI, while JaCoby Jones went 3 for 6 with three runs and two RBI for LSU. Thomas Brown had two hits, including a double, and three RBI, while O.J. Simmons (1 for 4, 2 R) and Elias Todman (3 for 5, 2B) both had two hits for the visiting Tigers (5-3). Joe Broussard (1-0, 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K) picked up the victory.

No. 15 Cal State Fullerton 3, San Diego State 0

In Fullerton, Calif., Michael Lorenzen had three hits and recorded his third save as Cal State Fullerton blanked San Diego State at Goodwin Field. Lorenzen singled and scored in the first and drove in Austin Kingsolver in the fifth as the Titans (4-3) took a 2-0 lead. Matt Chapman added a RBI single in the sixth for the home team. The Aztecs (3-6) had two in scoring position with two away in the ninth before Lorenzen got a fly out to end the contest. Steven Pallares went 1 for 1 with a walk for SDSU.

Eastern Illinois 3, No. 16 Louisville 2

In Louisville, Ky., Troy Barton tossed 5.1 scoreless innings to lead Eastern Illinois past Louisville. Barton (1-0) allowed three hits and two walks while fanning three. Keith Koser got the final three outs to register his first save. The Panthers (2-4) scored two in the fourth and one in the sixth before the Cardinals (6-2) got a pair in the bottom of the ninth. T.J. McManus went 2 for 4 with two runs for EIU. Cole Sturgeon went 2 for 4 with one RBI for UL.

No. 18 Texas 2, Houston Baptist 0

In Austin, Texas, six Texas pitchers combined to allow three hits and strike out 10, and the Longhorns scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to beat Houston Baptist. Parker French (1-0) picked up the win by retiring all six batters he faced, and Corey Knebel had two strikeouts in the ninth for his third save. Kevin Lusson had a squeeze bunt for a RBI, and Jordan Etier added a sacrifice fly for the Longhorns (3-5). Dalton Schafer was brilliant for the Huskies (3-4), tossing a complete game with seven hits and three strikeouts (78 pitches).

No. 19 Ole Miss 7, Memphis 2

In Oxford, Miss., Ole Miss used a five-run eighth to break a 2-2 deadlock in defeating Memphis. Matt Snyder (2 for 4) had a run-scoring single to spark the rally. Will Allen went 1 for 3 with two RBI for the Rebels (6-1), who have won five straight. Dylan Chavez (1-0, 2.2 IP, 2 K) earned the victory in relief. T.J. Rich went 2 for 3 with two RBI for the Tigers (3-4).

College of Charleston 7, Jacksonville 0

In Jacksonville, Fla., Ryan West tossed six perfect innings in his first start for College of Charleston, and the Cougars took a perfect game into the ninth in a win over Jacksonville. West (1-0) struck out four in retiring the first 18 Dolphins on 72 pitches. Kyle Owings and Dre Watts tossed perfect innings to get to the ninth, when closer David Peterson entered to try to capture Charleston’s first perfect game. Matt Frank hit a slow-roller for an infield hit to lead off the ninth to break up the perfect game. Daniel Aldrich homered and drove in three, and Bradley Goodson and Marty Gantt each had two hits and two runs for the Cougars (6-1). The Dolphins fell to 2-6.

(photo courtesy of VCU Media Relations Office)