May 3, 2008

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Haniger, Rulon lead Georgia Tech past No. 19 Coastal

No. 4 Arizona State rallies past UCLA; Pepperdine tops No. 8 San Diego

In Atlanta, Jason Haniger’s two-run single capped a three-run eighth as Georgia Tech outscored No. 19 Coastal Carolina 10-6 Friday evening at Russ Chandler Stadium. Brad Rulon (left) got two strikeouts and a groundout after the Chanticleers (37-10) had runners on second and third with no outs in the top of the eighth. Rulon retired the side in order in the ninth for his fourth save. Thomas Nichols had a two-run homer in the second for the Yellow Jackets (32-13). Haniger’s homer in the fifth gave Tech a 6-2 lead.

No. 4 Arizona State 10, UCLA 5

In Los Angeles, Jason Kipnis homered twice as Arizona State erased a 5-0 deficit to topped UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Brandon Crawford’s two-run double highlighted a four-run third as the Bruins (6-7, 23-19) led 5-0 after three. Brett Wallace and Petey Paramore homered in the fourth for the Sun Devils (11-5, 36-7). Kipnis hit a two-run homer in a three-run eighth as ASU tied it at 5-5. Kipnis added a two-run homer in the ninth for a 7-5 lead. The Sun Devils added three insurance runs to make it 10-5.

Pepperdine 5, No. 8 San Diego 2

In Malibu, Calif., Ryan Heroy belted a two-run homer and drove in three as Pepperdine topped San Diego in the opener of their West Coast Conference series at Eddy D. Field Stadium. Bryce Mendonca had a two-run single in the second for the Waves (9-3, 28-13). Heroy’s homer in the third gave Pepperdine a 4-0 lead. Nick McCoy had an RBI single in the fourth for the Toreros (13-3, 35-13) and a wild pitch in the fifth made it 4-2. Heroy added an RBI single in the seventh to complete the scoring.

No. 1 Miami (Fla.) 10, Saint Mary's 6

In Coral Gables, Fla., top-ranked Miami bombed Saint Mary's with nine runs in the first four innings. Yonder Alonso was 2 for 2 with a pair of RBI, scored three and cracked his 13th homer. Dennis Raben, Ryan Jackson and Adan Severino each had a pair of RBI for the Hurricanes (37-5). Chris Hernandez (8-0) went five innings with one run on five hits. Joel Staples was 3 for 4 for the Gaels (22-20-1).

No. 9 Oklahoma State 13, Utah Valley 1

In Stillwater, Okla., Jordy Mercer had four hits as Oklahoma State overwhelmed Utah Valley at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. Luis Flores and Dylan Brown added three hits each for the Cowboys (33-11). Andrew Oliver (5-2) allowed one run on four hits in seven innings. OSU plated five in the first, keyed by a three-run homer by Rebel Ridling. Cole Anderson had a sacrifice fly in the sixth for the Wolverines (12-29-1).

No. 13 Georgia 5, Mississippi 4

In Athens, Ga., SEC-leader Georgia held off Ole Miss. Trevor Holder improved to 7-2 with 5.1 innings for the Bulldogs (16-5-1, 30-14-1) and Joshua Fields notched his SEC-leading 13^th save. Gordon Beckham hit his 21st homer, best in the NCAA. Zach Miller was 2 for 4 with two RBI for Ole Miss (11-11, 30-18) and hit his first homer.

Florida 9, No. 14 South Carolina 3

In Columbia, S.C., Florida moved two games ahead of South Carolina in the SEC East with its victory. Cole Figueroa went 2 for 3 with three RBI and Brandon McArthur added three hits with a pair of RBI for the Gators (13-9, 28-16). Billy Bullock pitched 5.1 innings in relief, allowing two runs on four hits, to earn the victory. Reese Havens and Scott Wingo each hit solo homers for the Gamecocks (11-11, 31-15).

No. 15 Missouri 13, Kansas State 10

In Columbia, Mo., Jacob Priday hit two of Missouri’s five home runs in the opener of their Big 12 series with Kansas State at Taylor Stadium. Priday had a two-run homer in the second and a solo shot in the fourth to give him 48 career home runs. Aaron Crow (10-0) allowed six runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts for the Tigers (10-9, 30-15). Aaron Senne hit a two-run homer and Andrew Thigpen had a three-run double in a five-run first for Missouri. The Wildcats (6-13, 21-24) scored three in the sixth and three in the ninth to stay within striking distance. Scooter Hicks recorded the final two outs to earn his fourth save.

No. 17 Vanderbilt 8, Tennessee 5

In Knoxville, Tenn., Vanderbilt jumped on the Volunteers early and held on for the victory. Ryan Flaherty was 2 for 5 for the Commodores (12-9, 32-13) and drove in three. David Macias also had three RBI and was 4 for 4. Mike Minor nearly went the distance, but was tagged in the eighth after throwing seven scoreless frames. Minor did earn the win. P.J. Polk was 2 for 3 for Tennessee (11-11, 25-21), including his third homer.

No. 20 California 11, Arizona 5

In Berkeley, Calif., California used four home runs to outscore Arizona at Evans Diamond in the opener of their Pac-10 series. Charlie Cutler went deep in the first for the Golden Bears (8-8, 28-14-2). Josh Satin’s three-run homer capped a four-run third as Cal took a 5-1 lead. Brett Jackson hit a grand slam and Blake Smith added a solo shot in a six-run seventh for the Bears. The Wildcats (7-9, 30-14) scored one in the eighth and two in the ninth to make the final 11-5. Tyson Ross (7-2) allowed 11 hits and three runs in eight innings with three walks and five strikeouts to earn the victory.