March 13, 2008

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Arnold, Richardson lead UCF past Stetson

Oral Roberts batters No. 10 Baylor; No. 1 Arizona State stops Arkansas

In DeLand, Fla., Colin Arnold had two hits to extend his hit streak to 14 as UCF won at Stetson 7-3 on Wednesday. The Knights (13-1) are off to their best start in school history. UCF took a 2-0 lead in the first. Robert Cruz hit a solo in the fifth for the Hatters that tied the game at 2-2. Ryan Richardson (pictured right) tripled in the sixth and scored on a base hit by Eric Kallstrom to take the lead back for good. UCF added one more in the sixth, one in the eighth and two in the ninth to secure the victory.

Oral Roberts 12, No. 10 Baylor 2

In Tulsa, Okla., Michael Notaro knocked in four as Oral Roberts battered Baylor, sweeping the two-game midweek series. The Golden Eagles (10-2) scored six in the second as Notaro had a two-run double and Brian Van Kirk clobbered a three-run homer. Notaro added a two-run single in the third and three more runs in the fourth made it 11-0. The Bears (11-3) scored their two runs in the seventh.

No. 1 Arizona State 7, Arkansas 4

In Tempe, Ariz., Josh Satow fanned seven in 7.2 innings as Arizona State completed a two-game series sweep of Arkansas. Satow (2-0) allowed three hits and two earned runs. Ike Davis scored in the second and Brett Wallace smacked a three-run homer in the third as the Sun Devils (14-0) took a 4-0 lead. Andy Wilkins hit a two-run homer in the sixth for the Razorbacks (11-3), but ASU answered with three in the bottom of the frame to take a 7-2 lead. Petey Paramore had a two-run single in the sixth. Jacob House had a two-run single for Arkansas in the eighth to complete the scoring.

No. 3 North Carolina 10, VCU 2

In Cary, N.C., Kyle Shelton had four hits and tied a school record with two triples as North Carolina took care of VCU. Shelton scored three and drove in two for the Tar Heels (11-3). After the Rams (2-11) tallied a run in the top of the fourth to trail 2-1, UNC scored three in the bottom of the frame to take a 5-1 lead. VCU added a run in the fifth and the Tar Heels scored one in the sixth to make it 6-2. UNC put it away in the eighth as Kyle Seager had a bases-loaded triple and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Georgia 13-3, No. 5 Florida State 10-8

In Tallahassee, Fla., Georgia won the completion of Tuesday’s suspended game before Florida State captured the regularly-scheduled contest. In Game 1, Bryce Massanari had five RBI for the Bulldogs (6-6), including a two-run homer with two outs in the eighth that gave Georgia some insurance. Joshua Fields retired FSU in order in the ninth with two strikeouts to earn his second save and saddle Florida State with its first loss. In the nightcap, Georgia jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Seminoles (13-1) scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to tie it at 2-2. After the Bulldogs reclaimed the lead at 3-2 in the top of the seventh, FSU scored four in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by a two-run single by Dennis Guinn. Stuart Tarpley added a two-run homer in the eighth for the Seminoles.

No. 4 South Carolina 11, Yale 5

In Columbia, S.C., James Darnell hit his first grand slam and Scott Wingo homered for the first time as South Carolina outscored Yale. Justin Smoak had an RBI double in the first for the Gamecocks (10-3). The Bulldogs (3-6) scored single runs in the second and third innings to take a 2-1 lead. Andrew Crisp’s RBI single in the bottom of the fourth knotted the score at 2-2. Wingo’s home run ignited a four-run rally in the fifth for USC. Darnell’s slam came in the sixth for the Gamecocks.

No. 6 Miami (Fla.) 7, Maine 4

In Coral Gables, Fla., Mark Sobolewski had three hits and drove in five as Miami got past Maine to record its sixth consecutive victory. The Black Bears (5-8) built a 3-0 lead before Sobolewski’s three-run homer in the bottom of the second tied it at 3-3. Sobolewski’s fielder’s choice in the third gave the Hurricanes (11-1) a 4-3 advantage. Sobolewski’s RBI single in the fifth capped a two-run rally that gave Miami a 6-4 lead.

Western Kentucky 8, No. 8 Ole Miss 5

In Oxford, Miss., Wade Gaynor had two hits, including a home run, and two RBI as Western Kentucky got by Ole Miss. The Hilltoppers (7-5) hit five home runs, including three in the first. Chad Cregar had a two-run homer, Gaynor added a solo shot and Jake Wells belted a two-run bomb as WKU took a 5-0 lead. Cody Overbeck went deep in the bottom of the first for the Rebels (11-4), but Matt Hightower’s homer in the second pushed WKU’s lead back to five. Scott Kaskie went deep in the ninth for the Hilltoppers. Overbeck had three hits for the Rebels.

No. 9 Vanderbilt 11, Western Carolina 4

In Nashville, David Macias and Curt Casali went deep as Vanderbilt completed a two-game sweep of Western Carolina. Blake Murphy smacked a two-run homer in the first for the Catamounts (4-9). The Commodores (10-3) tied it in the bottom of the frame on a two-run double by Andrew Giobbi. Macias launched a three-run homer in the second to give Vandy the lead for good. Casali added a two-run shot in the third.

No. 15 Rice 7, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3

In Corpus Christi, Texas, Diego Seastrunk had four hits, all doubles, two runs and two RBI to lead Rice past Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Seastrunk’s run-scoring double in the third gave the Owls (9-6) their first run. Seastrunk had an RBI double in a four-run fourth as Rice took a commanding 6-0 lead. Stephen Flora homered for the Islanders (3-10).

No. 16 Virginia 11, Navy 5

In Charlottesville, Va., David Adams went 4 for 4 with two runs and four RBI as Virginia stopped Navy. The Cavaliers (13-2) scored four in the first as Adams had a two-run double and Dan Grovatt smacked a two-run homer. The Midshipmen (6-6) tallied two in the third and two in the fourth to knot the score at 4-4. Tyler Cannon’s RBI single in the bottom of the fourth gave Virginia the lead for good. Adams followed with a run-scoring single and Jeremy Farrell added an RBI double as the Cavs led 7-4.

No. 18 Georgia Tech 10, Georgia State 6

In Atlanta, Derek Dietrich’s two-run homer in the fifth ignited Georgia Tech past Georgia State at the Field at Pantherville. Dietrich’s bomb pulled the Yellow Jackets (13-1) to within one at 5-4. After the Panthers (9-5) added a run in the bottom of the fifth, Brad Feltes’ two-run single capped a three-run rally in the top of the sixth to put Tech ahead to stay. Dietrich had three hits, three RBI and two runs.