April 18, 2008

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Ellington's three doubles help TCU defeat BYU

No. 6 Wichita State tops Tabor; Southern Utah outscores South Dakota State

In Provo, Utah, Chris Ellington tied a school record with three doubles as TCU outscored BYU 16-5 in the opener of their Mountain West series Thursday at Miller Field. Ellington also drove in four for the Horned Frogs (9-4, 24-13). Ben Carruthers added four RBI for TCU. Clint Arnold (left) had two hits, two runs and one RBI for TCU. The Horned Frogs took advantage of three errors to score seven in the first, capped by a three-run double by Carruthers. The Cougars (5-5, 15-22) posted single runs in the first and third, but a five-run fourth gave TCU a 12-2 advantage.

No. 6 Wichita State 10, Tabor 1

In Wichita, Kan., Andy Dirks and Cody Lassley each had two hits as Wichita State took care of Tabor at Eck Stadium. The Shockers (28-6) scored a run in the second and three in the fourth for a 4-0 lead. The Blue Jays (17-28) tallied their lone run in the top of the fifth. WSU added a run in the fifth and three in the sixth for a commanding 8-1 lead. Lassley’s two-run triple highlighted the sixth for the Shockers.

Southern Utah 11, South Dakota State 9

In Cedar City, Utah, a two-run homer by Nick Freitas in the bottom of the eighth helped Southern Utah defeat South Dakota State in Summit League action. The Jackrabbits (5-1, 13-17) scored two in the first, three in the second and four in the fourth to build a 9-2 lead. The Thunderbirds (6-2, 19-14) rallied for five in the bottom of the fourth for a 9-7 deficit. An RBI double in the sixth by Bucky Aona, who also homered in the second, made it a one-run contest. A two-run bomb by Freitas in the eighth gave SUU a 10-9 lead. A sacrifice fly plated the final run. SDSU loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth, but Jacob Noyes got three straight strikeouts to record his second save.

Bucknell 14, Penn State Behrend 6

In Lewisburg, Pa., Ben Allen and Chris Pieper each went 3 for 3 as Bucknell beat Penn State Behrend at Depew Field. Pieper’s two-run single capped a three-run first for the Bison (18-16-1). After Bucknell added a run in the third, the Lions (20-6) put four on the board in the fourth to knot the score at 4-4. Ben Yoder’s two-run triple highlighted a three-run fifth as the Bison reclaimed the lead at 7-4. A seven-run seventh put the game away.