March 30, 2008

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

UNC Wilmington stretches win streak to 19

Around the Bases
Haerther goes 7 for 7 as UCLA outscores No. 8 Arizona

Wake Forest stops No. 3 Florida State; McClurg tosses no-hitter for Lipscomb

In Tucson, Ariz.,Casey Haerther (left) went 7 for 7 to lead UCLA past No. 8 Arizona 20-8 Saturday in Pac-10 play in front of 2,260 fans at Jerry Kindall Field. Haerther set a school record for hits and had career highs with four doubles, four runs and four RBI. The last Bruin with six hits in a game was Chase Utley on May 9, 2000. Haerther raised his batting average 73 points (.203 to .276). Jermaine Curtis had four hits and three RBI for the Bruins (2-0, 12-9). Brandon Crawford added four hits, three runs and two RBI for UCLA. T.J. Steele’s two-run homer capped a three-run first for the Wildcats (1-4, 13-9). The Bruins answered with four in the second and seven in the third for an 11-3 lead. Arizona has lost six straight and eight of its past nine.

Wake Forest 4, No. 3 Florida State 2

In Tallahassee, Fla., the Wake Forest pitching staff shut down the powerful Florida State offense as the Demon Deacons avenged their 21-2 ACC loss on Friday. Garrett Bullock pitched six scoreless innings for Wake (5-5, 12-12), allowing six hits and five walks while striking out five. Dustin Hood was 2 for 2 for WFU, with a walk and a pair of RBI. Tyler Smith also had a pair of hits as well as an RBI for the Deacs. The Seminoles (10-1, 22-3) did put up a pair of runs in the ninth on a Jack Rye single and had the tying runs on base, but Brad Kledznik struck out Mike McGee to end the game.

Lipscomb 4, Kennesaw State 0

In Nashville, Brandon McClurg tossed a no-hitter for Lipscomb against Kennesaw State in Atlantic Sun action at Ken Dugan Field. The right-hander walked one and hit four Owls (6-5, 10-15). McClurg (4-0) fanned a season-high 10 and needed 113 pitches to complete the game. Allen Bolden’s RBI single in the second gave the Bisons (9-5, 13-11) the early lead. Caleb Joseph’s two-run inside-the-park homer capped a three-run fifth.

No. 1 Arizona State 13, USC 5

In Tempe, Ariz., Matt Newman’s two-run homer ignited a seven-run second as Arizona State defeated USC in Pac-10 play in front of 3,600 at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. Kiel Roling and Rocky Laguna each had three hits and two RBI for the Sun Devils (2-0, 24-1). Derek Perren and Mike Roskopf had back-to-back homers in the sixth for the Trojans (2-3, 11-13).

No. 2 Miami (Fla.) 8, Duke 1
In Durham, N.C., Enrique Garcia pitched eight innings to lead Miami past Duke in ACC action. Garcia (1-0) allowed one run on three hits with five strikeouts. Offensively, the Hurricanes (9-1, 21-2) used a balanced attack as seven different batters drove in a run. Ryan Jackson had three hits, including two doubles, two runs and one RBI for Miami. The Canes broke the game open with a five-run third, thanks in large part to three Duke errors. The Blue Devils (4-7, 21-7) answered with a run in the bottom half on Jeremy Gould’s RBI single.

NC State 8, No. 4 North Carolina 6
In Cary, N.C., NC State scored three in both the seventh and eighth innings to rally past ACC-rival North Carolina. The Tar Heels (8-3, 21-5) built a 6-2 lead in a wild sixth inning that included two wild pitches and a run-scoring balk. But the Wolfpack (5-6, 15-9) rallied offensively and its bullpen did not allow any further runs. Offensively, the Pack was lead by second baseman Dallas Poulk (4 for 4, 2 RBI) and Pat Ferguson (1 for 2, 2 RBI). Alex Sogard, who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, picked up the victory.

Texas Tech 3, No. 6 Missouri 2
In Lubbock, Texas, Taylor Ashby’s RBI single capped a two-run ninth as Texas Tech handed Missouri its first Big 12 loss. Aaron Senne’s run-scoring single put the Tigers (4-1, 20-4) on the board in the first. The Red Raiders (3-5, 13-12) answered in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Monk Kreder. Missouri added its second run in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to Trevor Coleman. Doug Thennis tied the game in the ninth with a base hit, setting the stage for Ashby’s heroics. Ian Berger went eight innings for Missouri with one run on four hits. Brian Cloud (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.
 

Cal Poly 4, No. 7 UC Irvine 2

In San Luis Obispo, Calif., Luke Yoder and Pat Pezet went deep as Cal Poly evened its Big West series with UC Irvine in front of 1,023 fans at Baggett Stadium. Pezet homered in the first for the Mustangs (1-1, 9-13). After Jeff Cusick’s RBI single in the third for the Anteaters (1-1, 18-3), Yoder went yard in the bottom of the frame for a 2-1 lead. UCI used a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to tie it at 2-2 before Wes Dorrell had an RBI double and scored in the sixth.

No. 9 South Carolina 13, No. 13 Kentucky 7
In Columbia, S.C., James Darnell homered three times for South Carolina as it evened its SEC series with Kentucky. A day after the Wildcats (5-3, 22-3) went deep five times, the Gamecocks (5-3, 17-7) hit five of their own. Darneel had four hits and six RBI and hit three dingers for the second time in 11 days. Phil Disher and Reese Havens also homered for USC. Collin Cowgill (3 for 4) led the way for the Wildcats with three RBI and three runs. Junior lefty Will Atwood picked up his third win.

No. 12 Rice 9, Southern Miss 0

In Houston, Chris Kelley and Matt Evers combined on a shutout, aided by five double plays over the final six innings, as Rice evened its Conference USA series with Southern Miss at Reckling Park. Kelley (3-1) allowed five singles in 6.2 innings with six strikeouts. He induced double-play grounders in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Evers allowed leadoff singles in the eighth and ninth to the Golden Eagles (3-2, 16-8), but used 4-6-3 double plays to keep the shutout intact. Adam Zornes had a sacrifice fly in a two-run first and an RBI single in a four-run second as the Owls (4-1, 19-8) built an early 6-0 lead. Zornes had a leadoff single in the fifth and scored on a homer by Rick Hague. Jared Gayhart had an RBI double in the seventh to complete the scoring.

No. 16 Virginia 9, Virginia Tech 2

In Charlottesville, Va., Pat McAnaney struck out a career-high 13 as Virginia stopped Virginia Tech in ACC action. McAnaney went the distance for the Cavaliers (7-4, 22-5), allowing six hits and two walks. It was the second consecutive complete game by a Cavalier starter against the Hokies (0-11, 8-16), as Jacob Thompson went the distance on Friday. Jeremy Farrell led the way on offense for Virginia, going 3 for 4 with three RBI. Dan Grovatt and David Coleman each added a pair of hits and two RBI.

Santa Clara 12, No. 18 San Diego 10

In San Diego, Tommy Medica had two doubles and five RBI as Santa Clara outscored San Diego in West Coast Conference action at Cunningham Stadium. Evan LeBlanc had two hits and three runs for the Broncos (1-1, 13-9). Medica’s two-run double keyed a six-run second for SCU. Zach Walters had a two-run single in the bottom of the frame for the Toreros (1-1, 19-9). USD eventually tied the game at 10-10 after six before the Broncos plated a pair in the seventh to complete the scoring.