May 15, 2008

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Sellers has four hits as James Madison wins at Marist

No. 12 UC Irvine thumps Loyola Marymount; Davidson wins at UNCG

In Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Brett Sellers (right) had four hits to lead James Madison past Marist 10-3 Wednesday at McCann Baseball Field. Sellers had two doubles and knocked in three. Alex Foltz added three hits and three runs. Turner Phelps (6-0) went seven innings with six hits, two earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts for the Dukes (32-16). After scoring a run in the first, Matt Browning homered and Sellers smacked a two-run double in the second as JMU built a 4-0 lead. Matthew Howard went 2 for 4 with two runs for the Red Foxed (19-26).

No. 12 UC Irvine 18, Loyola Marymount 1

In Los Angeles, Sean Madigan went 5 for 6 with two runs and two RBI as UC Irvine whipped Loyola Marymount 18-1 at George C. Page Stadium. The Anteaters (34-14) had 26 hits and a season-high 18 runs. Brock Bardeen had three hits and three RBI for UCI. Ryan Wheeler homered in the second for the Lions (22-30) before the Anteaters got four in the fourth, single runs in the fifth and seven and 11 in the eighth.

Davidson 9, UNC Greensboro 5

In Greensboro, N.C., Matt Webb went 3 for 5 with two doubles and a home run as Davidson outscored UNC Greensboro in the opener of their Southern Conference series. Tommy Piacenza homered and drove in four for the Wildcats (3-22, 11-36). Piacenza’s three-run homer in the second gave Davidson the lead for good. Webb’s two-run shot sparked a four-run rally in the fifth as the Wildcats took a 7-1 advantage. Ricky Orton had a two-run double in the ninth for the Spartans (14-11, 30-24).

SWAC Tournament

Mississippi Valley State 12, Grambling State 2

In Baton Rouge, La., Joel Gafford’s two-run triple in the sixth gave MVSU the lead for good in its win over Grambling State in the opening game of the SWAC Tournament. Willie Mays smacked a two-run homer in the seventh for the Delta Devils (18-23). Curtin Ford and Hogan Barnes also went deep for MVSU. Chris Mills (8-4) allowed one run on five hits in eight innings with three walks and six strikeouts to earn the victory. Anthony Clifton had an RBI triple for the Tigers (21-26). Rain suspended the second game, as Alcorn State led Prairie View A&M 2-1 in the top of the third. Play is scheduled to resume on Thursday morning at 9 a.m.

Baylor 11, Stephen F. Austin 0

In Waco, Texas, Tim Matthews tossed a three-hitter as Baylor blanked Stephen F. Austin at Baylor Ballpark. Matthews (5-1) walked one and struck out six in recording his first complete game. Paul Miles had two hits, two runs and one RBI for the Bears (30-22). Beamer Weems had three hits, including two doubles, and two RBI for the home team. Aaron Miller had a two-run double in the first to spark Baylor. The Bears are 26-0 all-time against the Lumberjacks (24-27).

Wagner 10, New York Tech 7

In Old Westbury, N.Y., Wagner tied a school record with its 24^th win in defeating New York Tech at President’s Field. Vin Avella had three hits, two runs and one RBI to lead the Seahawks (24-25). Jack Rice (5-3) fanned six with no walks in five innings to earn the win. Andrew Huebner worked the ninth for his 10^th save. Effrey Valdex homered in the first for the Bears (17-28-2) before Wagner rallied for four in the fourth as Avella singled and scored to ignite the outburst. The Seahawks added two in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take control.

Longwood 6, VMI 4

In Lexington, Va., Jake Yocum had three hits and one RBI as Longwood concluded its 2008 season with a win over VMI at Gray-Minor Stadium. The Lancers (23-26-1) scored single runs in the first and third before a three-run fourth gave them a 5-0 advantage. Robbie Bailey homered in the first for Longwood and Brant Jones had a two-run single in the fourth. Sam Roberts went 4 for 4 for the Keydets (26-24).

USC 13, UC Riverside 10

In Riverside, Calif., Robert Stock had three doubles as USC outscored UC Riverside at the Riverside Sports Complex. Anthony Vasquez (2-1) had two hits and pitched the final 3.2 innings to earn the win, allowing two hits and one run. Grant Green went 3 for 5 for the Trojans (24-26) to raise his average to .398. Hector Rabago’s two-run double capped a four-run first for USC. The Highlanders (19-28) scored two in the sixth to tie the game at 9-9 before Stock’s RBI double in the seventh gave the Trojans the lead for good. Roberto Lopez added a two-run double to give USC a 12-9 lead.

Pittsburgh 4, Cleveland State 2

In Lorain, Ohio, Joe Leonard’s three-run homer in the first propelled Pittsburgh to a win at Cleveland State in a game called after five innings due to rain. Nick Mullins added a sacrifice fly in the fourth for the Panthers (19-31). The Vikings (20-27) tallied single runs in the fourth and fifth before play was halted.

Presbyterian 9, Charleston Southern 5

In Clinton, S.C., Presbyterian stopped an 11-game losing streak with a road win over Charleston Southern at Buccaneer Field. William Bolchoz had three hits with one run and one RBI for the Blue Hose (13-37). Steven Henry homered in the second before the Buccaneers (18-31) took a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Casey Carlson had an RBI single and scored in the fifth as PC took a 4-3 advantage. After a sacrifice fly in the sixth for CSU tied it at 4-4, Zac Rhinesmith’s home run in the seventh gave the Blue Hose the lead for good.

Central Arkansas 12, Southeast Missouri State 2

In Cape Girardeau, Mo., Graham Martin drove in three as Central Arkansas defeated Southeast Missouri State at Capaha Field. Richey Irvin had three hits and two RBI for the Bears (25-26-1). UCA scored four in the first and third innings to take control. Irvin’s two-run double highlighted the four-run first. Martin’s two-run single keyed the four-run third for the Bears. Nick Harris had two hits for the Redhawks (22-22).

Illinois-Chicago 9, Purdue 2

In West Lafayette, Ind., Brett Schaefer hit a grand slam to lead UIC past Purdue at Lambert Field. Peter Ifft (2-0) allowed seven hits and one earned run in eight innings with one walk and five strikeouts for the Flames (28-19). The Boilermakers (27-23) scored in the second before Schaefer’s slam in the third put UIC on top to stay.

Saint Peter’s 3, Monmouth 2

In Jersey City, N.J., Conor Mullee’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth plated the game-winner as Saint Peter’s edged Monmouth. The Peacocks (19-29) scored a pair of unearned runs in the third before the Hawks (34-14) scored in the sixth and ninth to knot the score at 2-2. Dennis Alexander drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth and moved to third on a base hit by Brandon Edwards, setting the stage for Mullee’s heroics.