Upsets, late heroics, tight games and big-time rallies made for a very memorable day to kick off the NCAA tournament.
At the Greenville Regional, top-seeded East Carolina and second-seeded Wake Forest combined to total just one run, as No. 4 Evansville and No. 3 VCU pulled off stunners.
In the opener, Kenton Deverman (9-1) tossed eight splendid innings with three hits, one earned run and four strikeouts, and Brent Widder (2 for 3) had a two-run single in the top of the night to extend a 2-1 lead as Evansville beat East Carolina 4-1. Kip Fougerousse and Chase Hug each scored twice for the Purple Aces (36-23).
Later in the day, lefty starter Christian Gordon (8-2) was remarkable for VCU in working 7.2 scoreless innings with two hits, one walk and 13 strikeouts as the Rams (38-21) blanked Wake Forest 1-0. Brian Curley picked up his third save with 1.1 relief innings, making a fifth-inning sacrifice fly from Cooper Benzin hold up. The Demon Deacons (38-21) entered averaging 8.5 runs per game and were shut out for only the second time this season.
The top two seeds also fell in Tucson.
Fourth-seeded Grand Canyon scored in each of the final four innings – seven runs in total – and got a big night from Eddy Pelc, who went 2 for 3 with four RBI, in a 9-4 win over host Arizona. Grant Richardson allowed one earned run over six innings, and Isaac Lyon was superb in relief, with two hits and four strikeouts in three scoreless innings for the Lopes. Mason White went 2 for 4 with a run for the Wildcats.
West Virginia, in head coach Randy Mazey’s final season, quieted Dallas Baptist’s explosive offense, thanks to a complete game from Derek Clark. Clark allowed four hits and one earned run with eight strikeouts, and his battery mate Logan Sauve went 2 for 4 with a homer, two runs and three RBI.
Elsewhere around the Regionals…
Corvallis Regional
No. 2 UC Irvine 13, No. 3 Nicholls 12
No. 1 Oregon State 10, No. 4 Tulane 4
Nicholls trailed UC Irvine 9-1 before storming back to take a 12-11 lead on Edgar Alvarez’s three-run homer in the top of the ninth. But the Anteaters got a two-out, two-run single from Caden Kendle to win a thriller. Myles Smith went 3 for 5 with two homers and five RBI, and Kendle finished with three RBI for Irvine. Alvarez went 2 for 4 with three runs and four RBI for Nicholls.
Gavin Turley hit a fifth-inning grand slam, and Micah McDowell went 4 for 5 with a run and two RBI as Oregon State pulled away from Tulane. Connor Rasmussen drove in a pair of runs for the Green Wave.
Chapel Hill Regional
No. 1 North Carolina 11, No. 4 Long Island 8
No. 2 LSU 4, No. 3 Wofford 3
After falling behind 8-5 in the top of the ninth, North Carolina scored six times – the last four coming on a grand slam from Gavin Gallaher (3 for 4, 3 R, 4 RBI) – to avoid an upset. Jacob Pipercic had given LIU the lead with a three-run homer in the top of the ninth.
LSU trailed 3-1 late but scored twice in the eighth and once in the bottom of the ninth – all on solo homers – to overcome Wofford. Michael Braswell III and Jared Jones each homered in the eighth to tie the game at 3, and Steven Milam (2 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI) won it with a homer in the ninth. Jack Renwick had a solo homer, and Brice Martinez had three hits for the Terriers.
Athens Regional
No. 1 Georgia 8, No. 4 Army 7
No. 2 UNC Wilmington 9, No. 3 Georgia Tech 0
Slate Alford went 3 for 5 with three RBI, and Charlie Condon went 3 for 3 with his 37th homer and three runs as Georgia escaped Army. Fernando Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth gave the Bulldogs the game-winning run.
In the second game, RJ Sales hurled 7.1 scoreless innings with three hits, four walks and six strikeouts as UNC Wilmington coasted past Georgia Tech. Bryan Arendt blasted a grand slam in the second inning as part of a five-RBI day, and the Seahawks scored five more in the eighth inning.
Clemson Regional
No. 1 Clemson 4, No. 3 High Point 3
No. 3 Coastal Carolina 13, No. 2 Vanderbilt 3
Tristan Bissetta had two hits, including the game-winning RBI single on a laser shot past the second baseman to score Blake Wright, who had led off the ninth with a double down the right-field line, as Clemson edged High Point. Jarren Purify had two RBI for the Tigers. Charlie Klingler paced High Point with two RBI, and Gus Hughes yielded two earned runs and struck out seven in seven splendid innings.
Zack Beach (2 for 5) and Derek Bender (1 for 4) each had three RBI, and Caden Bodine went 3 for 5 with two runs and two RBI as Coastal Carolina routed Vanderbilt. The Chanticleers scored five times in the second inning and added three more in fourth to take control. Riley Eikhoff allowed one run and struck out three over six innings for Coastal. Alan Espinal went 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBI for the Commodores.
Charlottesville Regional
No. 1 Virginia 4, No. 4 Penn 2
No. 2 Mississippi State 5, No. 3 St. John’s 2 (10 innings)
Henry Godbout launched a three-run homer in the second, and Joe Savino and Chase Hungate made it stick as Virginia squeaked past Penn. Savino struck out eight and allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings, and Hungate closed with 3.1 innings of one-hit relief for the Cavaliers. Davis Baker had an RBI double for the Quakers.
Dakota Jordan ripped an opposite-field, three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning as Mississippi State fought off St. John’s. Logan Kohler went 3 for 4 with a homer, two runs and two RBI for the Bulldogs. Khal Stephen struck out 10 and allowed two earned runs in eight innings for Mississippi State. Marty Higgins drove in both runs for the Red Storm.
College Station Regional
No. 1 Texas A&M 8, No. 4 Grambling 0
No. 3 Texas 12, No. 2 Louisiana 5
Ted Burton went 3 for 4 with a run and three RBI, and four Texas A&M pitchers combined on a shutout. Braden Montgomery went 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI as eight Aggies scored one run apiece and five drove in runs. Tiger Borom, Ashton Inman and Demarckus Smiley each had two hits for Grambling.
Jalin Flores went 2 for 4 with a homer and four RBI, and Dee Kennedy drove in three as Texas rolled past Louisiana. Kimble Schuessler added three hits and three runs, and Porter Brown contributed two hits and three runs for the Longhorns. Trey LaFleur went 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBI for Louisiana.
Fayetteville Regional
No. 1 Arkansas 17, No. 4 Southeast Missouri 9
No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 2 Louisiana Tech (late)
Ben McLaughlin went 3 for 5 with two homers and six RBI, and Hudson White went 2 for 4 with two homers, three runs and five RBI as Arkansas built an 8-0 lead, only to see it completely disappear before pulling away with seven late runs. Ben Palmer went 2 for 5 with a homer, two runs and three RBI, and Josh Cameron added a three-run homer as part of a four-RBI day for SEMO.
Knoxville Regional
No. 1 Tennessee 9, No. 4 Northern Kentucky 3
No. 3 Indiana 10, No. 2 Southern Miss 4
Billy Amick had a homer, three runs and three RBI, and Dylan Dreiling went 3 for 5 with a homer and two RBI as Tennessee topped Northern Kentucky. AJ Causey allowed two earned runs and struck out nine in 6.2 innings for the Volunteers. Brennan Rowe went 2 for 3 with a run for Northern Kentucky.
Brock Tibbitts went 3 for 5 with a homer and four RBI, and Morgan Colopy added two hits, including a homer, two runs and three RBI as Indiana built an 8-0 lead after five innings and knocked off Southern Miss. Ty Bothwell allowed two earned runs and struck out nine over 5.2 innings for the Hoosiers. Nick Monistere went 2 for 5 with a homer and two RBI for the Golden Eagles.
Lexington Regional
No. 1 Kentucky 10, No. 4 Western Michigan 8
No. 3 Illinois 4, No. 2 Indiana State 1
James McCoy went 2 for 3 with a homer, two runs and three RBI, and Mitchell Daly added two hits and two RBI as Kentucky spread 10 runs over each of the first five innings and held off Western Michigan. Robert Hogan closed with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief with four strikeouts after the Broncos scored five in the fifth and three more in the sixth to make a game of it. CJ Richmond had three RBI to lead Western Michigan.
Jack Crowder turned in eight innings with three hits, one earned run and five strikeouts, and Illinois used two late runs to slip away from Indiana State. Drake Westcott delivered a two-run single in the third inning, and the Fighting Illinois added single runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Randal Diaz had a solo homer to account for the Sycamores’ lone run.
Norman Regional
No. 3 Connecticut 4, No. 2 Duke 1
No. 1 Oklahoma 14, No. 4 Oral Roberts 0
Ian Cooke (5.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) and Braden Quinn (3.2 IP, 0 R, 5 K) combined to stifle Duke’s bats as Connecticut surprised the Blue Devils. Korey Morton went 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI, and Tyler Minick went 2 for 4 with a solo homer for the Huskies. Ryan Hyde provided a pair of RBI. Zac Morris had two hits and a run to lead the way for Duke.
Kyson Witherspoon allowed one hit and struck out nine over six innings, and Oklahoma rattled out 17 hits and 14 runs in blasting Oral Roberts. Easton Carmichael had three hits, including a homer, and three RBI, and Scott Mulder contributed two hits, including a homer, and three RBI for the Sooners. Bryce Madron chipped in with a three-hit, three-RBI day. Alex Rodgers had two of the three hits for Oral Roberts.
Raleigh Regional
No. 2 South Carolina 8, No. 3 James Madison 7 (10 innings)
No. 1 NC State 9, No. 4 Bryant 2
James Madison was one strike away from an upset, but Blake Jackson (1 for 3, 2 R, 3 RBI) was hit by a pitch and Cole Messina followed with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. South Carolina went on to win it in the bottom of the 10th on Will Tippett’s sacrifice fly to score pinch-runner Dylan Brewer. Fenwick Trimble had three hits and three RBI for the Dukes.
Alec Makarewicz went 4 for 5 with three doubles, two runs and three RBI, and Brandon Butterworth chipped in with two hits and two RBI as NC State used a four-run sixth inning to pull away from a close game with Bryant. Jackson Phinney hit a solo homer for Bryant.