No. 1 Florida 7, No. 9 Miami 5 (boxscore)
In Gainesville, Fla., Nathan Hickey went 2 for 4 with a homer and three RBI, and Kris Armstrong added a late two-run homer as Florida broke in the new Florida Ballpark with a win over Miami. The Gators scored three times in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie with Hickey doubling down the right-field line to plate two. Armstrong’s homer made it 7-1 in the eighth before the Hurricanes made things interesting with four runs in the ninth, two coming in on Christian Del Castillo’s two-run double. Tommy Mace yielded one run with eight strikeouts over five innings for Florida, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third with some help from Kendrick Calilao, who made a tough catch look easy on a frozen rope to right.
San Francisco 6, No. 2 UCLA 2 (boxscore)
In Los Angeles, Jordan Vujovich homered to spark USF past UCLA. Matt McLain had an RBI single in the third for the Bruins before Harris Williams had an RBI triple and scored in the fourth to put the Dons on top for good. Vujovich went deep in the fifth to make it 3-1. UCLA pulled within one in the sixth before USF scored three over the final two frames to claim the win. Landen Bourassa (5.0 IP, 2 H, R, 3 BB, 2 K) picked up the victory. Jarron Silva went 2 for 4 with one RBI for the Bruins.
Santa Clara 8, No. 11 UCSB 4 (boxscore)
In Santa Barbara, Calif., Mike Bowes went 3 for 5 with a homer, three runs and three RBI, and Austin Reyes homered, drove in two and scored twice as Santa Clara doubled up UCSB. Cole Kitchen tossed 3.2 innings of relief with one earned run and six strikeouts to earn the win, and Travis Howard closed with 3.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts for the Broncos. McClain O’Connor had two doubles and three RBI for the Gauchos.
No. 10 Virginia 2, UConn 1 (boxscore)
In Charlottesville, Va., Andrew Abbott fanned nine over 5.2 scoreless innings as 10th-ranked Virginia edged UConn 2-1 to kick off the 2021 season. Abbott (1-0) allowed two hits and walked one. Stephen Schoch struck out two in a hitless ninth to notch his first save. The Cavaliers tallied single runs in the first and third innings. Zack Gelof went 2 for 3 with a walk, while Nic Kent and Marc Lebreux both went 1 for 4 with a run for UVa. Reggie Crawford (2 for 3) homered in the seventh for the Huskies.
No. 16 Arizona 3, Ball State 0 (boxscore)
In Tucson, Ariz., Chase Silseth fanned seven in 5.2 scoreless innings as UA blanked BSU. Silseth allowed three hits and walked two. Vince Vannell struck out two in the ninth to register the save. Ryan Holgate had a two-run double in the first, and Branden Boissiere knocked in a third run in the fifth for the Wildcats. Trenton Quartermaine went 2 for 3 for the Cardinals.
No. 18 East Carolina 3, Rhode Island 2 (10) (boxscore)
In Greenville, N.C., pinch-hitter Christian Smallwood singled to right field to score Lane Hoover with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as East Carolina slipped past Rhode Island. Tyler Smith allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings for the Pirates, while the Rams got five strong innings from Ryan Twitchell (1 ER) and four scoreless innings with five strikeouts from Nick Robinson. Josh Brodeur had two hits and an RBI for URI.
No. 19 Georgia Tech 12, Eastern Kentucky 6 (boxscore)
In Atlanta, Stephen Reid homered and knocked in four as GT doubled EKU. The Yellow Jackets put up six in the sixth to build on a 2-1 lead. GT added four in the eighth to put the game away. Drew Compton and Jake Holland also went deep for the Yellow Jackets. Kendal Ewell had two doubles and two RBI for the Colonels.
No. 20 South Carolina 12, Dayton 1 (boxscore)
In Columbia, S.C., Wes Clarke clubbed a three-run homer in the first and Andrew Eyster smacked a grand slam in the third to spark USC past UD. Clarke went 3 for 3 with two walks, three runs and four RBI, while Eyster went 3 for 4 with two runs for the Gamecocks. Thomas Farr (6.0 IP, 5 H, R, 2 BB, 8 K) picked up the win. Alex Brickman (2 for 4) went deep in the sixth for the Flyers.
Sacramento State 4, Arizona State 2 (boxscore)
In Tempe, Ariz., Dawsen Bacho belted a grand slam in the top of the ninth to propel SSU past ASU. The Hornets were held to two hits over the first eight innings before a double, a walk and a hit batsman filled the bases in the final frame. Stone Churby worked a hitless ninth to record the save. Cooper Benson was dominant in his start for the Sun Devils, with one hit, no walks and eight strikeouts. Drew Swift had a two-run triple in the fifth for ASU.
NC Central 9, Army 4 (boxscore)
In Durham, N.C., Nick Fajardo smacked a grand slam in the second to carry NCCU past Army. Fajardo walked twice and scored three, while Cort Maynard went 3 for 5 with a double and two RBI for the Eagles. Ross Friedrick had a two-run homer for the Black Knights.
Liberty 4, Campbell 1 (boxscore)
In Buies Creek, N.C., Will Wagner whacked a two-run homer in the seventh as LU won at CU. David Erickson (2 IP, H, BB, 5 K) earned the win for the Flames, while Fraser Ellard tossed three scoreless frames with two hits and three punchouts to record the save. Connor Denning went 2 for 3 with a walk for the Camels.
Wake Forest 8, Northeastern 6 (boxscore)
In Winston-Salem, N.C., Brock Wilken belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth as WFU rallied past NU. Shane Muntz had a grand slam in the first for the Demon Deacons. The Huskies trailed 5-0 after five before a two-run double by Jeff Costello capped a three-run sixth. NU added a run in the seventh, and Spencer Smith had an RBI single and scored in the eighth as the visitors took a 6-5 lead, setting the stage for Wilken’s heroics. Camden Minacci fanned two of the three batters he faced in the ninth to notch the save.
West Virginia 5, Georgia State 3 (10) (boxscore)
In Atlanta, Vince Ippoliti ripped a two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning as West Virginia topped Georgia State. Paul McIntosh added two RBI, Matt McCormick homered and scored twice and Tyler Doanes went 3 for 4 with a run for the Mountaineers. Ashby Smith had three hits, and Will Mize added two hits, a run and an RBI for the Panthers. Earlier in the day, Georgia State announced the passing of Mike Hurst, who guided the Panthers’ program from 1994-2006.
Auburn 14, Presbyterian 3 (boxscore)
In Auburn, Ala., Bryson Ware went 3 for 4 with a run and four RBI, and Rankin Woley added a three-run homer and four RBI as Auburn rolled past Presbyterian. Leadoff man Judd Ward went 4 for 5 with a homer, two RBI and four runs as the Tigers broke from a 6-3 game with four runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh. Jake Wyandt homered and drove in two for the Blue Hose.
Tennessee 5, Georgia Southern 3 (boxscore)
In Statesboro, Ga., Jordan Beck doubled, homered and drove in three, and Chad Dallas tossed 6.1 innings with two hits, two earned runs and seven strikeouts as Tennessee opened with a win over Georgia Southern. Luc Lipcius added two hits, a run and an RBI for the Vols, who built a 5-0 lead after five innings. Noah Ledford had a solo homer, and Christian Avant contributed an RBI double for the Eagles.