April 23, 2008

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Colon delivers in ninth as No. 18 Fullerton tops No. 4 ASU

Annarummo has 3 HRs, 10 RBI for Elon; Disher's dinger lifts No. 10 USC

In Fullerton, Calif., Christian Colon drove in Gary Brown with the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth as No. 18 Cal State Fullerton nipped No. 4 Arizona State 10-9 Tuesday evening at Goodwin Field. Brown tripled with one down in the ninth for the Titans (24-13) and scored one out later on Colon’s base hit. The Sun Devils (31-7) had tied it in the eighth on an RBI double by Kiel Roling and a run-scoring single by Jason Kipnis. ASU was retired in order in the top of the ninth. The Sun Devils exploded for five in the first before Fullerton scored three in the first and three in the second for a 6-5 lead. The Titans added three more in the sixth before ASU rallied.

Elon 19, Wake Forest 10

In Elon, N.C., Greg Annarummo had three home runs and 10 RBI to lead Elon past Wake Forest at Latham Park. The Phoenix (30-13) reached 30 victories for the ninth consecutive season. After Allan Dykstra’s two-run homer in the top of the first for the Demon Deacons (15-25), Annarummo’s grand slam capped a five-run rally in the bottom of the frame. His two-run dinger finished a four-run second as Elon took a 9-2 lead. Annarummo added an RBI double in the third and a three-run homer in the seventh. Neal Pritchard finished with three hits, four runs and six RBI for the Phoenix.

No. 10 South Carolina 5, Furman 3

In Greenville, S.C., Phil Disher’s three-run homer snapped a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth to lift South Carolina over Furman in front of 6,241 fans at Fluor Field. The Gamecocks (30-11) have won 10 of their past 11 games. Whit Merrifield led off the ninth for USC by getting hit by a pitch and Justin Smoak moved him to third with a double. One out later, Disher went deep for the 14^th time to put the Gamecocks ahead 5-2. The Paladins (23-15) had back-to-back doubles by Bobby Hubbard and Ryan Lee and a base hit by Reese Wade to score a run and bring the winning run to the plate, but a groundout ended the contest. Jay Jackson homered in the third for Furman, while Scott Wingo tied the game in the sixth for USC with a two-run shot.

No. 3 North Carolina 17, Charlotte 0

In Charlotte, N.C., Kyle Shelton had four hits as North Carolina clobbered Charlotte at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium. The Tar Heels (35-7) had a season-high 22 hits, while the 49ers (29-10) were held to four hits. Dustin Ackley went 3 for 3 with three runs. UNC scored three in the first and never looked back.

No. 5 Rice 3, Sam Houston State 2

In Houston, Rice won its 12^th straight contest, nipping Sam Houston State at Reckling Park. Chad Mozingo’s sacrifice fly in the second put the Owls (32-10) on the board. The Bearkats (25-15) used a bases-loaded walk in the third to even it at 1-1. Aaron Luna and Jimmy Comerota each drove in a run in the bottom of the frame to give Rice a 3-1 lead. Bobby Verbick’s RBI double in the fifth pulled SHSU to within one.

No. 6 Missouri 8, Eastern Illinois 6

In O’Fallon, Mo., Rick Zagone fanned six in seven innings as Missouri topped Eastern Illinois at T.R. Hughes Ballpark. Zagone (1-2) earned his first win since May 26, 2007, allowing seven hits and three earned runs with no walks in his longest outing of the season. After Jordan Tokarz homered in the top of the first for the Panthers (18-19), the Tigers (29-10) scored seven in the bottom of the frame, capped by a three-run homer by Kyle Mach. EIU rallied for one in the second and three in the third, keyed by a two-run triple by Tokarz. Mach doubled and scored in the fifth for Mizzou’s final run. Tristan Facer homered in the top of the ninth for the Panthers.

No. 7 Wichita State 6, Kansas 4

In Wichita, Kan., Clint McKeever and Andy Dirks each had two-run singles in a six-run fourth as Wichita State defeated Kansas in front of 6,943 fans at Eck Stadium. John Allman had an RBI single in the third and a homer in the sixth for the Jayhawks (25-19). Tony Thompson’s two-run shot in the seventh pulled KU to within two. Khol Nanney retired the final eight batters of the game, five by strikeout, to earn his third save for the Shockers (31-7).

No. 8 Texas A&M 14, Texas State 11

In College Station, Texas, Jose Duran and Luke Anders each had three hits and three RBI as Texas A&M outscored Texas State in front of 3,603 fans at Olsen Field. The Aggies (34-7) led 14-4 after six before the Bobcats (23-15) scored seven in the eighth to make it close. Laurn Randall had two hits and two RBI for Texas State.

No. 9 Nebraska 4, Creighton 3

In Lincoln, Neb., Ben Kline’s two-run single keyed a four-run sixth as Nebraska edged Creighton in front of 5,946 fans at Hawks Field. Steve Winkelman had a sacrifice fly in the fourth for the Bluejays (25-14). Mitch Abeita’s RBI single in the sixth tied it and Dan Johnston was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Huskers (29-7-1) their first lead. Kline’s base hit pushed the lead to 4-1. Nick Nordgren’s two-run homer in the seventh pulled Creighton to within one. Mike Nesseth got a strikeout in the eighth and pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.

No. 11 Georgia 6, Kennesaw State 2

In Athens, Ga., Ryan Peisel had three hits and two RBI to lead Georgia past Kennesaw State in front of 1,737 fans at Foley Field. Peisel singled and scored in the first for the Bulldogs (28-12-1). The Owls (21-21) answered in the top of the second as Bucky Smith had an RBI double and scored to make it 2-1. Peisel’s squeeze bunt in the bottom of the frame knotted the score at 2-2. Peisel’s RBI single started a four-run seventh for Georgia.

No. 12 San Diego 4, Long Beach State 2

In San Diego, Ricardo Pecina posted a career-high 11 strikeouts as San Diego edged Long Beach State at Cunningham Stadium. Pecina (4-2) allowed four this and one run in 7.2 innings. A.J. Griffin fanned two in the final 1.1 innings to earn his ninth save of the season and 20^th for his career, tying the school record of Tony Perez (2000-03). Sean Nicol’s RBI single in the third started the scoring for the Toreros (32-11). In the bottom of the fourth, Victor Sanchez had an RBI single and Kevin Hansen added a sacrifice fly as USD took a 3-0 lead. James Meador’s run-scoring single in the fifth pushed the lead to 4-0. The 49ers (23-15) broke up the shutout with an RBI single by Steve Tinoco in the eighth. Shane Peterson added a homer in the ninth.

No. 13 California 10, Cal Poly 8

In Berkeley, Calif., Charlie Cutler had three hits and an RBI to lead California past Cal Poly at Evans Diamond. Brent Morel had a two-run single in the first and another in a five-run four as the Mustangs (17-20) built a 7-1 lead. The Golden Bears (27-10-2) got two in the fourth and Josh Satin’s homer in the fifth made it 7-4. Cal took control with a five-run sixth, keyed by an RBI double by David Cooper.

No. 14 UC Irvine 4, Kansas State 3

In Manhattan, Kan., Josh Tavelli knocked in two as UC Irvine edged Kansas State at Tointon Stadium. Tavelli had an RBI single in the first and added a home run in the fourth as the Anteaters (25-9) built a 3-0 lead. Eric Deragisch had an RBI single in the eighth that gave UCI a 4-2 advantage. The Wildcats (18-21) scored two in the sixth and one in the eighth.

No. 16 Oklahoma State 10, Mid-America Christian 4

In Stillwater, Okla., Tom Belza had three hits and four RBI to lead Oklahoma State past Mid-America Christian. Davis Duren added two hits and three RBI for the Cowboys (28-11). Belza’s two-run single in the fifth gave OSU a 5-0 lead. Jon Reed had an RBI single for MACU (10-34) in the sixth. The Cowboys added three in the bottom of the frame to put it away.

No. 17 Vanderbilt 9, Austin Peay 8

In Clarksville, Tenn., Ryan Flaherty and Dominic de la Osa each went deep as Vanderbilt outscored Austin Peay at Raymond C. Hand Park. Flaherty’s two-run shot in the first gave the Commodorew (29-11) the early lead. De la Osa’s three-run blast in the third gave Vandy a 5-2 advantage. VU led 9-6 before Tyler Farrar had an RBI triple and scored in the seventh for the Governors (18-21). Flaherty and de la Osa each finished with three hits.

No. 20 Virginia 9, Georgetown 1

In Charlottesville, Va., Dan Grovatt had four hits to lead Virginia past Georgetown at Davenport Field. Grovatt had three doubles and three RBI. Tyler Cannon had two doubles and drove in three. Four pitchers for the Cavaliers (32-11) combined on a four-hitter. Virginia scored one in the first and five in the second to take control. Kelly Muir had an RBI groundout in the seventh for the Hoyas (14-24).

Louisville 6, No. 21 Kentucky 5

In Louisville, Ky., Chris Dominguez had an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lift Louisville over Kentucky in front of a regular-season record crowd of 3,652 at Jim Patterson Stadium. Brian Rose smacked a two-run homer for the Wildcats (30-10) in the top of the first and hit solo shot in the fourth gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. The Cardinals (24-15) used a four-run fifth to take their first lead, keyed by a two-run single by John Dao. UK tied it in the sixth and an RBI double by Rose in the seventh gave the Wildcats a 5-4 advantage. Dominguez homered in the eighth, his 13^th, to knot the score at 5-5. Josh Richmond led off the bottom of the ninth with a base hit and was sacrificed to second. A pair of walks, one intentional and one unintentional, loaded the bases. Following a strikeout, Dominguez ended the game with a base hit to left center.