March 13, 2012

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Around the Bases
Tucker homers and drives in three as Florida tops FSU

Rice beats Arizona, Louisville nips Ole Miss, DBU rallies past Oklahoma

In Gainesville, Fla., Preston Tucker (right) went 2 for 4 with a double, a homer, two runs and three RBI as top-ranked Florida flattened No. 6 Florida State 9-2 Tuesday in front of 6,005 fans at McKethan Stadium. Tucker’s three-run homer in the third erased a 2-0 deficit and put the Gators (16-1) on top for good. Nolan Fontana (2 for 3, 2 BB, 3 R, 2 RBI) also homered for Florida. Daniel Pigott and Mike Zunino both drove in a pair for the Gators. Sherman Johnson and Stephen McGee both went 1 for 3 with a run for the Seminoles (14-2).

No. 7 Rice 5, No. 9 Arizona 1

In Houston, Andrew Benak took advantage of four early runs and pitched 5.2 solid innings as Rice knocked off Arizona, giving head coach Wayne Graham 1,500 career victories. Michael Ratterree and Jeremy Rathjen had RBI doubles, and J.T. Chargois and Shane Hoelscher added RBI in a four-run first inning for the Owls (14-4). Benak (3-0) allowed six hits and struck out one in pitching into the sixth inning. Seth Mejias-Brean went 2 for 3 with a RBI, and Alex Mejia went 3 for 4 for the Wildcats (13-3).

Louisville 4, No. 14 Ole Miss 3

In Louisville, Ky., Ty Young had a two-run triple and scored in a three-run first as Louisville edged Ole Miss. Nick Ratajczak went 4 for 4 with one run, while Zak Wasserman homered in the sixth for the Cardinals (11-5). Jared Ruxer (2-0, 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K) earned the victory, while Derek Self recorded the final two outs for his fifth save. Blake Newalu had two hits, including a double, and one RBI for the Rebels (13-3).

Dallas Baptist 7, No. 17 Oklahoma 6

In Dallas, Joel Hutter had a game-winning RBI single to cap a four-run ninth as Dallas Baptist rallied past Oklahoma. Boomer Collins had a three-run homer in the third and Austin Elkins (2 for 5, 2 R) delivered a two-run single in the ninth for the Patriots (10-6). Aaron Gilbreath (1-1) got the final two outs in the top of the ninth to pick up the victory. Max White went 2 for 4 with two RBI, while Cody Reine was 3 for 4 with two runs for the Sooners (11-6).

No. 3 South Carolina 5, Charleston Southern 2

In Columbia, S.C., Tanner English went 3 for 4 with a double and a run as South Carolina defeated Charleston Southern in front of 6,836 fans at Carolina Stadium. Grayson Greiner added a pinch-hit two-run single in the seventh for the Gamecocks (14-1). Adam Westmoreland (1-0, 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K) earned the win, while Joel Seddon got a strikeout to end the game and record his first save. Alex Tomasovich and Chase Shelton both went 2 for 4 with a double and a run for the Buccaneers (5-12).

No. 4 North Carolina 5, UNC Greensboro 1

In Greensboro, N.C., Benton Moss tossed 5.2 scoreless innings as North Carolina topped UNC Greensboro in front of 2,726 fans at UNCG Stadium. Moss (2-0) allowed four hits, did not walk a batter and struck out five in earning the victory. Tommy Coyle went 1 for 4 with two runs and one RBI for the Tar Heels (14-2). Kris Richards, Thomas Troelstrup and Lloyd Enzor each had two hits for the Spartans (10-6).

No. 5 Arkansas 1, Gonzaga 0

In Fayetteville, Ark., Arkansas had five pitchers combine on a six-hit shutout against Gonzaga in the opener of a two-game series. Colby Suggs (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) earned the win in relief of Chris Oliver (3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 K) and Cade Lynch (2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K). Ty Wright fanned the first hitter in the eighth before Barrett Astin retired the final five hitters with one strikeout to record his fourth save. Dominic Ficociello (2 for 3) homered in the seventh for the game’s lone run. Marco Gonzales and Travis Forbes both had two hits, including a double, for the Bulldogs (10-4), a team that has lost four straight.

No. 8 Texas A&M 10, Texas-Pan American 4

In College Station, Texas, Mikey Reynolds had two doubles, two walks and two runs as Texas A&M downed Texas-Pan American. Tyler Naquin (1 for 4), Jacob House (2 for 3), Troy Stein (1 for 3) and Jace Statum (1 for 2, 2 R) each drove in two for the Aggies (14-3). Texas A&M used a four-run sixth to break a 4-4 deadlock. Estevan Uriegas (3-0, 1 IP, 1 K) earned the win in relief. Derek Hagy went 3 for 5 with a double, one run and one RBI as the Broncs (8-1) suffered their first loss.

No. 11 Miami (Fla.) 11, Illinois State 6

In Coral Gables, Fla., Peter O’Brien homered twice and drove in four as Miami defeated Illinois State. Stephen Perez added a three-run homer for the Hurricanes (13-3), which scored five in the first to take control. Javi Salas (1-0, 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 UE, 1 BB, 5 K) earned the win in relief. Ty Wiesemeyer went 3 for 5 with two runs for the Redbirds (10-4).

No. 12 UCLA 7, USC 2

In Los Angeles, Grant Watson tossed six strong innings, and Trevor Brown went 3 for 4 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI as UCLA beat USC in the third-annual Dodgertown Classic presented by Coca-Cola before a crowd of 6,034 at Dodger Stadium. Watson improved to 4-0, allowing seven hits and one run with five strikeouts for UCLA, which has won 16 of the past 21 games against the Trojans (12-4). The Bruins (13-3) scored twice in each of the fourth and fifth innings, and Kevin Williams delivered a solo homer in the fifth. James Roberts went 3 for 3 with two runs for USC.

No. 16 Georgia Tech 15, Wagner 4

In Atlanta, Georgia Tech scored five in the first, fourth and fifth in whipping Wagner to give head coach Danny Hall career win No. 999. Jake Davies (2 for 3, 3 R, 3 RBI), Sam Dove (2 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Paul Kronenfeld (2 for 3, 3 RBI) hit consecutive homers in the first for the Yellow Jackets (12-5). Zane Evans went 3 for 3 with three runs and two RBI for Tech. Hayden Hunter was 2 for 4 with a double, two runs and two RBI for the Seahawks (3-10).

No. 18 Georgia 8, Alcorn State 5

In Athens, Ga., Justin Bryan had a two-run double to spark a seven-run sixth as Georgia got past Alcorn State. Levi Hyams had two hits and one run for the Bulldogs (12-5). Luke Crumley (1-0, 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 K) got the win in relief. Angel Rosa went 2 for 4 and knocked in two for the Braves (3-12).

No. 19 Kentucky 9, Wright State 1

In Lexington, Ky., A.J. Reed allowed one run in six innings and had three hits, including a home run, with three RBI as Kentucky topped Wright State to stay undefeated at 17-0. Reed (3-0) allowed seven hits and struck out six without surrendering a walk. Reed had a RBI single in a three-run first and added a two-run homer in the fourth as the Wildcats led 9-0 after four. Michael Williams went 2 for 4 with two RBI, while Cameron Flynn homered for the fifth time for UK. Cody Simon (2 for 2) went deep for the Raiders (6-8).

Arizona State 9, Utah Valley State 0

In Tempe, Ariz., Deven Marrero and Abe Ruiz hit first-inning homers, and Arizona State coasted to a win over Utah Valley State. Marrero finished 2 for 3 with three runs and two RBI, and Ruiz went 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBI for the Sun Devils (11-4). James McDonald added two hits and three RBI to give plenty of support to Adam McCreery, who picked up his first collegiate win with four innings, two hits and five strikeouts. Utah Valley State fell to 5-9.

Pepperdine 3, UC Irvine 2

In Los Angeles, Zach Vincej had a sacrifice fly to snap a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fifth as Pepperdine edged UC Irvine in the Dodgertown Classic at Dodgertown Stadium. Sam Meyer had two hits and one RBI for the Waves (12-4). Jeff Stephens went 1 for 3 with one RBI for the Anteaters (8-7). Matt Mauer (3-0, 5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 4 K) was the starter and winner, while Michael Swanner got the final out for his first save.

Wake Forest 14, Georgia Southern 4

In Winston-Salem, N.C., Mac Williamson went 3 for 4 with a homer, two runs and three RBI as Wake Forest thumped Georgia Southern for its 14th consecutive victory. The Demon Deacons (15-4) scored two in the first, three in the second and five in the fourth to take a 10-0 lead. Carlos Lopez (2 for 3, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Charlie Morgan (1 for 4, 2 R, 3 RBI) both went deep, while Evan Stephens (2 for 3, 2 R, 2 RBI) an inside-the-park home run. Chris Wilson (2-0, 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K) earned the victory. Eric Phillips went 3 for 4 with one RBI for the Eagles (7-10).

VCU 18, East Carolina 11

In Greenville, N.C., Bill Cullen went 4 for 6 with five runs and four RBI as VCU outscored East Carolina. Cullen had three doubles and a triple for the Rams (11-6). Joey Cujas (2 for 4) also drove in four, while Vimael Machin had three hits, including two doubles, and three runs for VCU. Heath Dwyer (2-0, 6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 K) earned the win in relief. Zach Wright had a two-run homer in a five-run first for the Pirates (11-4).

(photo by Jimmy Jones)