May 24, 2008

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Tournaments
Virginia, North Carolina win at ACC Tournament

Vanderbilt ousts South Carolina, Alabama tops Kentucky in SEC tourney

ACC

No. 6 Virginia 5, No. 2 Florida State 3

No. 3 North Carolina 2, No. 7 Wake Forest 0

In Jacksonville, Fla., Jacob Thompson, Matt Packer and Michael Schwimer combined to stymie Florida State Friday as Virginia posted its second win over a top-five team at the ACC Tournament. Greg Miclat and Dan Grovatt each had two RBI, and David Coleman went 3 for 5 for the Cavaliers (38-19). Tony Delmonico went 4 for 4 with a RBI for the Seminoles (47-10), who mustered only five other hits. In the late game, Matt Henry tossed eight scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts to outduel Charlie Mellies as North Carolina improved to 1-1 in the tourney with a 2-0 win over winless Wake Forest. Tim Fedroff went 2 for 4 with a RBI for the Tar Heels.

SEC

No. 6 Vanderbilt 7, No. 5 South Carolina 5 (USC eliminated)

No. 5 Alabama 13, No. 4 Kentucky 4 (Kentucky eliminated)

In Hoover, Ala., Pedro Alvarez and Andrew Giobbi blasted two-run homers to back Nick Christiani as Vandy stayed alive by beating USC. Christiani allowed five hits and one run over 6.1 innings as the Commodores (39-19) built a 7-1 lead. But Phil Disher made it a game, ripping a solo homer in the fourth and adding a three-run bomb in the eighth for the Gamecocks (38-21). Vandy must beat Ole Miss twice Saturday to reach the title game. Later, Alex Kubal’s grand slam sparked Alabama to a win over Kentucky, setting the Crimson Tide up with a date with LSU Saturday. Del Howell allowed three runs in 6.1 innings to pick up his first win of his career. Brandon May went 4 for 5 with two RBI for Alabama (34-25), while Ryan Wilkes went 4 for 5 for the Wildcats (42-17).

Atlantic Sun

No. 1 Lipscomb 12, No. 5 Stetson 4 (Stetson eliminated)

No. 3 Belmont 5, No. 6 Campbell 3 (Campbell eliminated)

In DeLand, Fla., Allen Bolden had three hits and three RBI, and Shane Simpkins went 4 for 6 with two runs and two RBI as top-seeded Lipscomb stayed alive. Brendan Cadavid added three hits and two RBI for the Bisons, who were postponed later in the day against Gardner-Webb. In another game, Derek Wiley blasted his 16^th homer to help Belmont eliminate Campbell. Josh Moffitt worked into the eighth inning, allowing eight hits and three earned runs for the Bruins.

Big South

No. 2 Liberty 14, No. 4 Winthrop 3 (Winthrop eliminated)

No. 1 Coastal Carolina 8, No. 4 Winthrop 6

No. 2 Liberty 11, No. 6 Radford 2 (Radford eliminated)

In Danville, Va., Jeff Jefferson went 5 for 5 with four runs and a RBI, and Cody Brown contributed three hits and three RBI as Liberty eliminated Winthrop to advance to the title round against top-seeded Coastal Carolina. Aaron Grijalva added three RBI for the Flames (34-25-1), who scored eight times in the second and four more in the third. Earlier in the day, Dustin Umberger struck out 10 in a complete game and Garrett Young had four hits and two RBI as Liberty eliminated Radford. Coastal did its part, knocking off Winthrop as Tyler Bortnick went 2 for 4 with a homer and three RBI. Tommy Baldridge added a 3-for-3 day with two runs and a RBI for the Chanticleers (46-11). Liberty needs two wins over Coastal to claim the tourney title.

Southern

No. 2 Furman 13, No. 6 Appalachian State 12 (ASU eliminated)

No. 5 UNC Greensboro 12, No. 4 Georgia Southern 9 (GSU eliminated)

In Charleston, S.C., Furman (33-23) set a school mark for wins in a season when Marcus Rose walked, stole second and third and scored on a slow roller by Jay Jackson, who went 4 for 6 with three runs and five RBI. Isaac Harrow homered twice and drove in four in defeat for ASU. In another game, Greg Feltes ripped a grand slam to fuel a seven-run seventh inning as UNC Greensboro eliminated Georgia Southern. Matt Gaski had a two-run single, and Tim Carrier got things going in the big inning with a solo homer. Furman plays College of Charleston Saturday, with UNCG meeting Elon later in the day.

Sun Belt

No. 4 Florida Atlantic 4, No. 1 Louisiana-Monroe 2 (ULM eliminated)

No. 2 New Orleans 14, No. 7 South Alabama 4 (USA eliminated)

No. 5 Western Kentucky 10, No. 1 Louisiana-Monroe 4

No. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette 8, No. 7 South Alabama 1

No. 2 New Orleans 7, No. 3 Troy 6 (10) (Troy eliminated)

In Lafayette, La., Alex Silversmith’s three-run homer in the third was one of only four hits, but Florida Atlantic rode the arms of Adam Morrison and Chris Eberhart to eliminate top-seeded Louisiana-Monroe on a busy, busy day at the Sun Belt tourney. FAU moves on to meet Western Kentucky, which pounded ULM as Rye Davis allowed four hits in seven splendid innings. Matt Hightower, Terrence Dayleg and Chad Cregar all had three hits for the Hilltoppers, who would have to lose twice to FAU to miss advancing to the title game. Second-seeded New Orleans escaped elimination twice, knocking off Troy in 10 innings in a game started Thursday and routing South Alabama. Johnny Giavotella had a three-run double, and T.J. Baxter had a two-run double in the later game for the Privateers. New Orleans must beat host Louisiana-Lafayette twice Saturday to move to the title game. The Ragin’ Cajuns used a six-run fifth inning, four coming on Chance Harst’s granny to knock off South Alabama. Brent Solich tossed a complete game and struck out a career-best 12.

America East
No. 2 Stony Brook 1, No. 1 Binghamton 0
No. 4 Vermont 5, No. 3 UMBC 1
In Farmingdale, N.Y., Stony Brook's Gary Novakowski pitched the Seawolves into the America East championship game with eight scoreless innings. Stony Brook (33-24) scored its lone run in the eighth when Steven Mazzurco got on with a bunt single, stole second and moved to third on an error by the catcher, then scored on a wild pitch. Novakowski allowed just four hits in his eight innings and struck out nine. Binghamton (28-26) starter Jeff Dennis pitched a complete game, allowing just two hits and the unearned run. Binghamton will play an elimination game against Vermont on Saturday.

Vermont knocked UMBC out of the America East tournament with scrappy offense and a dominant start from Eric Thompson. Thompson pitched a complete game for the Catamounts (27-23), allowing a single unearned run on five hits. Vermont could only muster three hits off UMBC (21-29) starter Ed Bach, but they took advantage of errors and made their hits count. Corey Moylan drove in a run with an RBI triple in the fifth, then scored on a groundout. In the sixth, Matt Duffy had an RBI double and scored on a sac fly later in the inning.

Atlantic 10
No. 2 Charlotte 11, No. 5 Rhode Island 1
No. 1 Xavier 9, No. 3 Duquesne 5
No. 1 Xavier 3, No. 5 Rhode Island 0
In Camden, N.J., Charlotte advanced to the A-10 championship game with an 11-1 thrashing of Rhode Island. The 49ers (42-14) put up five runs in the first two innings and never looked back. Luke Stahl went the distance allowing just two hits and striking out five. Sophomore Rob Lyerly was 3 for 4 and drove in four. Aaron Bray added three hits and an RBI and Shayne Moody had two hits and scored three times. Dan Rhault provided the only offense for Rhode Island (31-26-1) with a solo shot.

Xavier won their first elimination game of the day to knock out Duquesne with an early offensive barrage. The Musketeers (26-30) had eight of their nine hits in the first three innings and scored all nine of their runs. Eight of the nine starters had a hit and Steve Brown had two and drove in a run. Jordan Conley had three RBI. Dante Plassio drove in three runs for Duquesne (26-29-1) in the losing effort.
 

Rhode Island was shut down for a second time Friday, as Xavier shut out the Rams to advance to the A10 championship game. Danny Rosenbaum went 8.1 innings, allowing eight hits and striking out six. Jordan Conley got the final two outs for the save. Conley also had an RBI triple in the seventh and scored on a Billy O'Conner sac bunt. Xavier scored their other run in the third when Robbie Kelley led off with a double and later scored on a groundout. Rhode Island (31-27-1) starter Chris Pickering allowed three hits over seven innings in the losing effort.

Big East
No. 4 Louisville 13, No. 8 Villanova 6
No. 2 Cincinnati 13, No. 6 USF 2
In Clearwater, Fla., Justin McClanahan hit a grand slam in the second for Louisville and the Cardinals continued their run through the Big East tournament, advancing to the championship game. McClanahan later added a solo shot, all part of a monster 5-for-6, seven RBI performance. Louisville (40-19) star Chris Dominguez added a three-run shot in the seventh and the Cardinals racked up 15 hits. Josh Richmond also went deep and scored four runs. Dain Hall and James Dolbier each drove in a pair for Villanova (30-28).

Cincinnati advanced to the Big East championship game, holding down the USF offense and exploding for seven runs in the ninth to effectively end the game. Bearcat (39-19) starter Brian Garman pitched six and a third solid innings, allowing just the two earned runs on six hits and striking out five. Cincinnati's Chris Peters opened to scoring in the second with an RBI single, part of a 2-for-4, three RBI effort. Mike Spina hit a solo in the third, his 19th of the year and Josh Riddell delivered a two-run double later in the inning, one of his three hits. Spina also drove in two more later in the game. Brian Hobbs hit a solo shot for USF (31-26).

Metro Atlantic
No. 1 Canisius 16, No. 2 Manhattan 7
No. 4 Rider 3, No. 3 Siena 0
No. 3 Siena 5, No. 1 Canisius 2

In Trenton, N.J., Canisius put up six runs in the first on its way to a 16-run outburst that knocked Manhattan out of the MAAC tournament. Branson Joseph, the second batter of the game for Canisius (41-12) hit a two-run homer, part of a 2-for-5, four RBI day. Alec Cabello also had four RBI and was 3 for 4. Manhattan (31-20-1) hitters crushed four homers, but all were solo shots.

Rider punched their ticket to the championship game with a shutout of Siena. Jimmer Kennedy fired eight innings, limiting the Saints (28-25) to only three hits. Jon Leise had an RBI single for Rider (28-25) in the third and scored on a wild pitch in the second. James Hayes had the other RBI, on a second inning single. Hayes also pitched a perfect ninth to earn the save.

 

After falling short in the afternoon, Siena earned a spot in the championship game with a victory over top seed Canisius. Nick Messinger was the star for the Saints (29-25), going 2 for 4 with three RBI, including a two-run bomb that broke a 2-2 deadlock in the sixth. Will Hassett had a strong outing on the mound, pitching seven innings and limiting the powerful Canisius (41-13) offense to just the two runs on six hits.

Northeast
No. 1 Monmouth 10, No. 2 Central Connecticut State 9 (10)
No. 4 Mount St. Mary's 5, Wagner 1
No. 4 Mount St. Mary's 6, No. 2 Central Connecticut State 2
Down 9-2 in the eighth, Monmouth staged a remarkable comeback and earned their spot in the championship game in extra innings. Monmouth (37-14) recorded six hits in the in a six-run eighth, the key blow a two-run single by Kyle Higgins. Then, in the ninth, a solo homer by Andy Meyers tied the game and in the tenth Meyers singled home Higgins for the game winner. Meyers was 4-for-5 with four RBI on the day. Sean Allaire led the CCSU (25-23) offense, going 4 for 6 with four RBI.

Mount pitchers dominated Wagner as the Mount won their first elimination game Friday. Mount St. Mary's (18-32) starter Brett Moore went seven innings, allowing just three hits and a singled unearned run and struck out four Wagner (27-28) batters. Mike Matta gave up only one hit over the final two innings to pick up the save. Ryan Murray provided the offense, going 3 for 4 with three RBI and Josh Vittek hit his 18th homer.

The Mount got another strong start from its pitching staff and won its second game of the day to advance to the NEC championship game. Kent Worthington pitched seven strong innings, allowing just the two runs on six hits and striking out five. Mike Matta again pitched the final two innings to earn his second save of the day. The Mount had 13 hits, including a 3-for-4 effort from Kyle Kane and two RBI from Matt Eiden. Drew Counselman hit a solo homer, his fifth. Casey Walko had both RBI for CCSU (25-24), including a solo shot.

Big 12
No. 2 Oklahoma State 14, No. 3 Baylor 3
No. 3 Nebraska 5, No. 7 Kansas State 2
In Oklahoma City, Rebel Ridling went 3 for 4 with two homers, three runs and six RBI as Oklahoma State blitzed Baylor in a run-rule affair. Donnie Webb went 4 for 5 with three runs and a RBI, and Matt Hague and Luis Flores added three RBI apiece for the Cowboys (41-16). Paul Miles went 2 for 3 with a run and a RBI for the Bears (32-25). Earlier, Jake Opitz had three hits and three RBI, and Johnny Dorn allowed no earned runs in 6.2 innings as Nebraska slipped past Kansas State. Jake Mort went 3 for 4 with two runs for the Cornhuskers (40-13-1). Rob Vaughn went 2 for 3 with a run for the Wildcats (28-28).

Big 10
No. 1 Michigan 6, No. 2 Purdue 1
No. 6 Indiana 11, No. 3 Penn State 8 (Penn State eliminated)
No. 6 Indiana 14, No. 4 Illinois 7 (Illinois eliminated)
In Ann Arbor, Mich., Chris Fetter struck out 10 in seven brilliant innings, and Jason Christian went 2 for 5 with two runs, a homer and a RBI as Michigan moved on to the title game. Leif Mahler added two RBI for the Wolverines (44-12). Ethan Wilson (4 for 5, 5 RBI) and Tyler Cox (3 for 5, 4 RBI) had huge days as Indiana eliminated Penn State. The Hoosiers will meet Purdue for the right to face Michigan.

C-USA
No. 4 Houston 2, No. 5 East Carolina 1 (ECU eliminated)
No. 2 Southern Miss 5, No. 6 Marshall 3
No. 8 UAB 5, No. 4 Houston 4
No. 3 Tulane 5, No. 7 UCF 2 (UCF eliminated)
In New Orleans, Bryan Tully and Chase Dempsay limited East Carolina to four hits and one run as Houston eliminated the Pirates. Caleb Ramsey had two hits and a RBI for the Cougars (36-22), who move on to meet UAB, which beat Houston earlier in the day when Ryan Keedy ripped a walkoff homer to left-center. Elsewhere, Drew Carson went 4 for 4 with two doubles, a homer, four runs and a RBI as Southern Miss knocked off Marshall. Seth Henry had a two-run homer late, and Rob Segedin tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless relief as Tulane eliminated UCF.

Arizona 4, No. 3 Arizona State 3 (11)
In Tucson, Rafael Valenzuela's two out single in the bottom of the 11th drove in Jon Gatson allowing the Wildcats to overtake the recently-crowned 2008 Pac-10 champion Arizona State 4-3 Friday night at Kindall Field/Sancet Stadium. Jason Stoffel earned the win in relief for Arizona (11-12, 37-17), pitching two scoreless innings, holding the Sun Devils to just one hit and blanking four. The win ended the Sun Devils' (16-7, 45-10) eight-game winning streak and evened the rivals' series up at one game apiece.

UCLA 8, No. 15 California 0
In Berkely, Calif., Tim Murphy punched out 10 batters in a complete-game shutout over nationally-ranked California for an 8-0 UCLA win Friday night at Evans Diamond. The southpaw's win was his third straight for the Bruins (12-10, 30-24) as he extended his scoreless inning streak to 16.2. The Golden Bears (11-11, 32-18-2) managed only five hits on the day, two coming from David Cooper.

No. 16 Stanford 9, Washington 4
In Seattle, Wash., Austin Yount's first complete game and Joey August's first career-homer helped the Cardinals to a 9-4 win over Washington Friday at Husky Ballpark. August's first homer, a three-run shot to left, lifted Stanford (13-9, 32-20-2) over the Huskies (12-10, 32-21) in the sixth to from 6-4 to a comfortable five-run lead, making Yount's job easy. Yount fanned a career-high nine in the victory, allowing four earned on nine hits.

Pepperdine at No. 9 San Diego (West Coast Conference Championship)
In Linda Vista, Calif., rain postponed the West Coast Conference championship game. The game will be made up tomorrow as the first of a double-header at Cunningham Stadium. The two currently share the regular season WCC title.

UC Santa Barbara 6, No. 14 UC Irvine 2
In Irvine, Calif., Michael Martin held the Anteaters to just two earned runs going just one out shy of a complete game in the Gauchos' 6-2 route of nationally-ranked UC Irvine Friday at Anteater Ballpark. Shane Carlsen's two hits both went for extra-bases to lead UC Santa Barbara (14-8, 35-19) in the Big West Conference contest. The Anteaters' (36-16, 12-10) Scott Gorgen held the Gauchos scoreless through six untill Gunnar Terhune's RBI single ended the shutout.