May 22, 2008

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

MAC - No. 3 Bowling Green 5, No. 6 Ohio 4

MAC - No. 2 Eastern Michigan 8, No. 7 Western Michigan 5

MAC - No. 4 Northern Illinois 13, No. 5 Ball State 7

MAC - No. 1 Kent State 4, No. 8 Central Michigan 2

CAA - No. 3 George Mason 8, No. 4 William & Mary 7 (10)

Around the Tournaments
 Coleman's RBI single in 10th lifts Missouri over Texas

Oklahoma defeats top-seeded Texas A&M; Seton Hall eliminated St. John's

 

(Special thanks to Scott Day for his assistance in compiling these recaps)

 

Big 12

No. 4 Missouri 3, No. 5 Texas 2 (10)

No. 8 Oklahoma 4, No. 1 Texas A&M 1

No. 6 Baylor 10, No. 3 Nebraska 4

In Oklahoma City, Trevor Coleman’s RBI single plated Ryan Lollis and gave Missouri a dramatic 3-2 victory in 10 innings over the Texas Longhorns in the opening game of the Big 12 Tournament. The right arm of Chance Ruffin held the Tigers scoreless for five innings until Jacob Priday launched a two-run homer to even the game at 2-2. Luke Anders of Missouri was outstanding out of the bullpen, tossing 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits and notching four strikeouts.

 

A complete game by Andrew Doyle and three unearned runs in the sixth inning propelled the Sooners (33-23-1) to an opening-round upset of top-seeded Texas A&M (42-15). Doyle allowed just five hits over his nine innings, walking two and striking out 12. Aaron Baker landed the decisive blow as he ripped an RBI double into left centerfield in the top of the sixth and fellow classmate Bryant Hernandez lofted a sacrifice fly that scored two more runs due to an Aggie error as Oklahoma plated three runs in the game-changing sixth inning. Three Texas A&M miscues proved costly as all four of Oklahoma’s runs were unearned.

 

Sophomore Shaver Hansen’s three-run triple keyed a four-run seventh inning that helped push the Baylor Bears (32-24) past Nebraska (39-13-1), 10-4, in the first round of pool play at the Big 12 Championship. Hansen, who was making his first career appearance as the Bears’ clean-up hitter, was 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored to key the upset. Shawn Tolleson tossed 6.1 solid innings, allowing four runs on five hits to earn his sixth victory.

 

Big East

No. 5 Seton Hall 12, No. 1 St. John’s 6

No. 7 West Virginia 13, No. 3 Notre Dame 6

In Clearwater, Fla., a nine-run seventh inning by Seton Hall eliminated St. John’s, the top seed in the Big East Tournament, after just two days. The Pirates sent 12 batters to the plate in that frame, collecting five hits and drawing four walks, while capitalizing on three St. John’s errors. Greg Miller was 4 for 5 with two runs scored and three RBIs, while coming up a triple short of the cycle. Jesse Gwaltney picked up the win in relief for the Pirates.

 

Big East Rookie of the Year Jedd Gyorko made sure to validate his award quickly as the youngster blasted a 420-foot grand slam over the right-centerfield wall to highlight a four-run second as seventh-seeded West Virginia (35-20) eliminated third-seeded Notre Dame (33-21-1) with a 13-6 victory. The Mountaineers jumped out to an early 8-1 advantage thanks to back-to-back four run innings and after Notre Dame got within 8-3, West Virginia posted five runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the game out of reach at 13-3. Gyorko ended the day with a 2-for-5 performance with five RBI and two runs while Tyler Kuhn had four hits and three runs for the Mountaineers.

 

ACC

No. 5 Georgia Tech 10, No. 4 N.C. State 9

No. 1 Miami (Fla.) 7, No. 8 Clemson 1

In Jacksonville, Fla., ACC fans saw more back and forth action than a ping-pong table as the Yellow Jackets (39-17) capatilized on three N.C. State errors to plate two runs in the top of the ninth to pick up the dramatic 10-9 win. The Wolfpack (37-19) held a 7-3 advantage heading into the top of the eighth when Georgia Tech scored five runs to grab an 8-7 lead. N.C. State reclaimed the lead in their half of the eighth on a two-run, pinch-hit double by Nick Stanley. On the afternoon, the Wolfpack coughed up five errors accounting for three unearned runs.

 

Top-seed Miami (44-8) got a two-RBI double by Mark Sobolewski in the bottom of the first and never looked back as Chris Hernandez allowed just four hits over eight innings to stifle the Clemson (30-26-1) in the 7-1 Hurricanes victory. Hernandez picked up his 10th victory to improve to a perfect 10-0, while holding Clemson without a run for his eight innings and recording 10 strikeouts. Eight of the nine starters for Miami notched a hit in the victory, with no Hurricanes notching a multi-hit performance.

 

Atlantic Sun

No. 1 Lipscomb 14, No. 6 Campbell 0

No. 4 Gardner-Webb 9, No. 3 Belmont 7

No. 5 Stetson 8, No. 2 Mercer 5

In DeLand, Fla., Rex Brothers and Charlie Williams combined for a two-hitter to lead top-seeded Lipscomb (29-27) to a 14-0 defeat of Campbell (20-36) in the opening round of the Atlantic Sun Tournament. While the two hurlers were stifling the Camels offense, the Bison pounded out 17 hits with Justin Sanders and Allen Bolden leading the way with three hits apiece. Sanders also scored a run and drove in five RBI, while picking up two doubles and a home run.

 

Justin Loyd’s RBI single in the top of the 10th broke a 7-7 tie as Gardner-Webb (27-28) notched a 8-7, extra-inning victory over Belmont (23-31) in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Tournament. The bottom of the Bulldogs lineup was outstanding going 7-for-12 with three runs scored and an RBI with Daniel Cooke leading the way with three hits. Lost in the shuffle was an offensive display put on by Derek Wiley as he went 3 for 5 with four RBI and two runs for Belmont. Wes Cogdill picked up the win in relief for the Bulldogs.

 

With the game tied at 5-5, the Hatters used an RBI single by Casey Frawley and a two-RBI double to Jeremy Cruz to post three runs in the top of the eighth as Stetson picked up a 8-5 victory in Atlantic Sun Tournament action. Robbie Elsemiller was the story on the mound for Stetson as he tossed four innings of solid relief, allowing just five hits and no earned runs, while striking out five. The bottom part of the Hatters’ lineup was outstanding as Jeff Simpson and Josh Clendenin combined to go 5 for 7 with four runs and one RBI.

 

Atlantic 10

No. 5 Rhode Island 7, No. 4 Temple 1

No. 3 Duquesne 16, No. 6 St. Bonaventure 6

No. 4 Temple 5, No. 6 St. Bonaventure 2

In Camden, N.J., an RBI single in the bottom of the first would be the only run senior right-hander Brett Palanski would allow as he scattered seven hits over eight innings of work to propel the Rams (30-25-1) to a 7-1 opening round victory over Temple (26-28). The bottom of three hitters for Rhode Island were clutch all day long going 4 for 9 with three runs and four RBI, while Sean Barksdale had three hits and an RBI in a losing effort for the Owls.

 

Twelve runs over the sixth and seventh innings blew open a tightly-contested game as Duquesne (25-27-1) eased past St. Bonaventure (29-23), 16-6, in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. The Dukes pounded out 20 hits with leadoff hitter Derek Mechling going a perfect 4 for 4 with three runs and an RBI to lead the way. Cody Vincent of St. Bonaventure had held the Dukes in check for most of the contest as the Bonnies held a 4-3 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth, but Duquesne put up seven runs in the frame and followed that up with five runs in the bottom of the seventh to put the game out of reach.

 

The left arm of Mike Mongiardini proved to the difference in the elimination game as the southpaw led Temple (27-28) to a 5-2 defeat of St. Bonaventure (29-24). Mongiardini allowed just one hit in the first seven innings of work and finished with just three hits in 7.2 innings. Stan Orzechowski laced a two-run single down the right field line to key a four-run fifth inning that keyed the Owls offensively. Arshwin Asjes came in to record the final out of the contest and pick up his 10th save.

 

Big South

No. 1 Coastal Carolina 20, No. 8 UNC Asheville 4

No. 6 Radford 15, No. 2 Liberty 4

David Sappelt and Dock Doyle combined for seven hits, seven RBI and six runs to lead a potent Chanticleer offense as Coastal Carolina (44-11) breezed by UNC Asheville (24-34), 20-4 in the opening round of the Big South Tournament. Tyler Bortnick also had four hits for Coastal as he went 4 for 5 with four RBI and three runs. Coastal hit four home runs and Nick McCully tossed five solid innings to pick up the win.

 

The Highlanders (24-30) scored runs in each of the first six innings to upset Liberty (31-25-1), 15-4, in the opening round of the Big South Tournament. All nine of Radford’s starters notched a hit in the victory, led by Ben Toth, who had four hits, three runs scored and three RBIs on the evening. Adam Hoyt was stellar on the hill for the Highlanders tossing seven strong innings, allowing just six hits and three runs, while walking just three. Cody Brown had three hits, an RBI and a run for Liberty.

 

Big Ten

No. 4 Illinois 3, No. 5 Ohio State 2

No. 3 Penn State 6, No. 6 Indiana 1

In Ann Arbor, Mich., Kevin Munson tossed a complete game four-hitter to lead the Fightin’ Illini (31-23) to a 3-2 victory over Ohio State (30-25) in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament. Joe Bonadonna picked a great time for his first collegiate home run as he launched a solo shot over the left field wall in the bottom of the seventh to break a 2-2 tie. Three Buckeye hurlers scattered 11 hits over eight innings, but Bonadonna’s long ball proved to be the difference.

 

Mike Wanamaker (no relation to John) was not issuing any deals this afternoon as he tossed a complete-game gem to lead the Nittany Lions (27-29) to a 6-1 defeat of Indiana (28-29). Wanamaker scattered seven hits over his nine innings of work, while walking just two and striking out four to pick up his sixth victory. Rob Yodice’s two-RBI single in the bottom of the fifth highlighted a four-run inning that put Penn State in command with a 5-1 lead. Wes Borden caused headaches throughout the afternoon for Indiana as he went 3 for 5 with two runs out of the leadoff spot for Penn State.

 

Colonial

No. 2 James Madison 6, No. 5 Old Dominion 1

No. 3 George Mason 8, No. 4 William & Mary 7

No. 1 UNC Wilmington 11, No. 6 Towson 5

In Wilmington, N.C., Turner Phelps tossed a complete game, five-hitter and Steven Caseres notched five RBI to lead James Madison (35-17) to a 6-1 opening round victory over Old Dominion (25-26). Phelps was outstanding in his CAA Tournament debut allowing just one walk and posting 10 strikeouts, while Caseres provided the offense with two hits and five RBI, including a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth to blow the game open.

 

Mark Hill could not have picked a better time to launch his first home run since March 1st as the sophomore smacked a dramatic two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 7-7 and eventually lead George Mason (29-23) to thrilling come-from-behind 8-7, 10-inning victory over William & Mary (35-20). With the game scoreless in the fifth, the Tribe used six hits to post seven runs and claim a 7-0 advantage. Scott Kreiger landed the decisive blow in the bottom of the 10th as he laced an RBI double off the right field wall to plate Spencer Wiggins and send George Mason on to a winner’s bracket meeting with second-seeded James Madison.

 

Daniel Hargrave displayed why he was a first-team All-CAA selection as the second baseman was a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs to lead a 17-hit attack for UNC Wilmington (42-13-1) as the Seahawks blew past Towson (28-27), 11-5, in the first round of the CAA Tournament. Junior ace Bradley Holt allowed just two earned runs over eight innings of work, while striking out seven to pick up his 10th victory of the year. The top three hitters in the Seahawks’ lineup went a combined 10 for 13 with seven RBI and seven runs.

 

Conference USA

No. 4 Houston 5, No. 5 East Carolina 4 (10)

No. 8 UAB 8, No. 1 Rice 2

In New Orleans, Zak Presley’s two-run, bases-loaded single gave the Cougars a thrilling 10-inning victory over East Carolina in the first game of the Conference USA Tournament. Wes Musick of Houston and Seth Maness of East Carolina were stellar on the hill for their squads, allowing just three earned runs apiece over the first seven innings. Brandon Henderson’s RBI double plated Corey Kemp and gave the Pirates a 4-3 advantage in the top of the 10th, but a walk, single and a hit by pitch loaded the bases to set the stage for Presley’s heroics.

 

For just the second time in the history of the Conference USA Tournament, an eighth seed beat the number one seed as Kyle Roberson led UAB (25-32) to a 8-2 defeat of Rice (42-12). Roberson hurled eight outstanding innings, scattering seven hits and four walks, while notching three strikeouts. Ryan Keedy provided the offensive prowess as he notched three hits and three RBI, including a big two-run double in the sixth inning that put the game out of reach at 7-2. The first four hitters in the UAB lineup created havoc all day for Rice combining for 10 for 16 with six runs and six RBI.

 

Horizon 

No. 5 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 10, No. 4 Cleveland State 7 (14)

No. 6 Valparaiso 3, No. 3 Youngstown 2

In Niles, Ohio, Cole Kraft’s RBI single into centerfield broke a 7-7 tie in the top of the 14th and Tim Patzman followed with a two-RBI double as UW-Milwaukee (22-34) claimed a thrilling 10-7 victory in 14 innings over Cleveland State (21-30). Adam Ferrell picked up the win in relief as he allowed just one run over six innings, while allowing just five base runners. Shawn Wozniak led the way offensively for the Panthers with three hits, three RBI and two runs.

 

Valparaiso (20-33) pounded out 12 hits, but still needed three late runs to pick up a 3-2 victory over Youngstown State (23-32) in the Horizon League Tournament. Andrew Quinnette’s RBI double in the top of the eighth tied the scored at 2-2 before Josh Wallace gave the Crusaders their first lead of the contest with an RBI single in the top of the ninth for a 3-2 Valparaiso advantage. Aaron Swenson was outstanding for the Penguins allowing just six hits and one earned run over 6.2 innings of work, while Jon Gulbransen was just as he hurled seven innings of five-hit ball for Valparaiso.

 

Missouri Valley

No. 5 Southern Illinois 5, No. 4 Northern Iowa 3

No. 3 Creighton 14, No. 6 Bradley 2

In Wichita, Kan., the right arm of junior Cody Adams was the difference for the Salukis as the third-year standout posted seven strikeouts to lead Southern Illinois (33-21) to a 5-3 decision over Northern Iowa (29-23). Adams was outstanding all day notching a 1-2-3 inning in five of his nine innings and recorded 17 groundball outs. Scott Elmendorf led the 12-hit attack for the Saluki as he had three hits out of the two-hole in the lineup, while Dean Cademartori scored three runs and picked up an RBI in the victory.

 

A nine-run sixth inning blew a 2-2 game wide open as Creighton (36-19) picked up a 14-2 victory over Bradley in Missouri Valley Conference action. The contest was stopped during the eighth inning due to the tournament’s 10-run rule. All nine Blue Jay starters notched a hit in the win with third baseman Steve Winkelmann going 3 for 4 with two RBI and two runs. Jeremy Hauer tossed 5.2 solid innings to pick up his eighth win of the year for the Blue Jays.

 

Mountain West

No. 3 San Diego State 1, No. 4 BYU 0

In Fort Worth, Texas, Nate Solow and Shane Kaufman combined on a four-hit shutout to lead the Aztecs (31-27) to a 1-0 defeat of BYU (22-36). Solow and Blake Torgerson of BYU matched each other 0-for-0 through the first six innings before Brett Tanos’ RBI single in the bottom of the seventh score Brandon Decker to plate the game’s only run. The two teams combined for just three walks and eight strikeouts for an easy 2:10 opening round contest.

 

SEC

No. 2 LSU 5, No. 7 South Carolina 4

No. 6 Vanderbilt 7, No. 3 Florida 3

No. 8 Ole Miss 4, No. 1 Georgia 1

In Hoover, Ala., Blake Dean’s walk-off, solo home run in the bottom of the 10th capped off a wild, come-from-behind victory for LSU (40-17-1) as they posted five runs in the final two innings to pick up the 5-4, extra inning win over South Carolina (37-20). The Gamecocks held a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth before Matt Clark launched a three-run home run over the right field wall to cut the deficit to one. After a walk and a strikeout, Ryan Schimpf laced a two-out, RBI double down the left field line to plate D.J. LeMahieu and set the stage for Dean’s heroics.

 

Four innings of scoreless relief pitching helped Vanderbilt (38-18) coast by Florida (34-21), 7-3 in the opening round of the SEC Tournament. Steven Liddle and Andrew Giobbi each went 3 for 5 with a run to lead the 14-hit attack for the Commodores, while Dominic de la Osa’s RBI single in the top of the second capped off a three-run frame that gave Vanderbilt an early 4-1 advantage. Hampton Tignor and Brandon McArthur each had RBI singles in the bottom of the sixth for the Gators as Florida got within 6-3, but the relief trio of Drew Hayes, Richie Goodenow and Russell Brewer preserved the victory for Vanderbilt.

 

If Mississippi Head Coach Mike Bianco was told that the Rebels’ two first inning runs would be enough, he might have thought you were crazy, but it proved to be the difference as Ole Miss (35-22) picked up a 4-1 upset victory over Georgia (35-20-1) on the first day of action at the SEC Tournament. Lance Lynn and Scott Bittle were outstanding on the hill for the Rebels holding the ‘Dawgs to just six hits and one earned run, while combing for 16 strikeouts, 12 of which belonged to Lynn. The top of the Ole Miss lineup caused headaches all day for Georgia as Jordan Henry and Fuller Smith each went 3 for 5 with a run.

 

Southern

No. 2 College of Charleston 5, No. 7 Western Carolina 4

No. 3 Furman 10, No. 6 Appalachian State 8 (10)

No. 1 Elon 21, No. 9 Wofford 12

In Charleston, S.C., right-hander Jesse Simpson retired the final 13 batters he faced as the junior led the College of Charleston (37-19) to a 5-4 victory over Western Carolina (29-27). Fellow classmate Jeremie Tice led the Cougars’ offensive attack as he launched two solo home runs, while Mike Hentz delivered what proved to be the decisive blow with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth for the Cougars. J.C. Lyons keyed a four-run outburst for Western Carolina in the top half of the fifth as he sent a three-run blast over the left field wall and gave the Catamounts a brief 4-3 lead.

 

Bobby Hubbard will be telling this story to his kids, grandkids and anyone else that will listen to him for a long time as the veteran capped off a thrilling extra-inning game with a walk-off grand slam that sent Furman (32-22) past Appalachian State (31-26), 10-8 in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament. With the game tied at 5-5, the Mountaineers posted three runs to claim an 8-5 advantage heading into the bottom of the 10th. Three straight walks with one-out loaded the bases for Marcus Rose, who worked a bases-loaded walk of his own to cut the lead to 8-6 and set the stage for Hubbard’s dramatic finish.

 

The electric bill for the Southern Conference Tournament may have tripled after the third contest of the day as Elon (40-16) and Wofford (24-34) combined for 30 hits and 33 runs in a slugfest that ended with the Phoenix picking up a 21-12 victory. With Elon ahead 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the Phoenix pounded out 10 hits to key a 15-run sixth inning that blew the game wide open. Chris Dove led the 17-hit attack for Elon going 3 for 4 with five RBI, while Shane Kirkley had two hits and four RBI in a losing effort for Wofford.

 

Southland 

No. 3 Texas State 22, No. 6 Texas-Arlington 2

No. 2 Lamar 8, No. 7 Southeastern Louisiana 7

In Huntsville, Texas, the theory is that hitting is contagious and the Bobcats sure proved that pounding out a Southland Tournament record 24 hits as Texas State (30-25) blew past UT-Arlington (26-30), 22-2, in a seven-inning game due to the tournament mercy rule. Six different Bobcat hitters had at least three hits in the victory, including Ben Theriot who set a school and tournament record with seven RBI. Along with 24 hits, Texas State set a school and tournament record with 21 RBI in the impressive victory. Lost behind all the offense was Mike Hart who allowed just two earned runs over six innings to pick up his seventh win.

 

Steven Tucker sent an RBI single into left field to cap a four-run, ninth-inning rally that lifted the Cardinals (33-21) to a thrilling 8-7 victory over SE Louisiana (29-26). SE Louisana took a 7-4 lead into the final frame, but Lamar pounded out five hits and two walks to earn the come-from-behind win. Nik Gumeson led the 13-hit attack for the Cardinals going 3 for 4 with two RBI and a run, while Ty Summerlin and Brandon Street each had three hits for SE Louisiana in a losing effort.

 

Sun Belt

No. 4 Western Kentucky 9, No. 5 Florida Atlantic 0

No. 7 South Alabama 14, No. 2 New Orleans 2

No. 1 ULM 8, No. 8 Middle Tennessee 7

In Lafayette, La., eight runs over the first two innings keyed Western Kentucky (30-24) to a 9-0 shutout victory over Florida Atlantic (29-26-1). Matt Ridings and Adam Balcom combined for the six-hit shutout, allowing a total of just nine FAU base runners in the contest. Matt Hightower, Terrence Dayleg and Ched Cregar each had two hits apiece for the Hilltoppers, with Cregar driving in three RBI and scoring twice.

 

The seventh-seeded Jaguars put up five runs in the first and never looked back as South Alabama (32-24) upset second-seed New Orleans (38-18), 14-2, in the opening round of the Sun Belt Tournament. Due to the mercy rule in the Sun Belt Tournament, the game was halted after seven innings. Junior David Doss tied a school and tournament record with three doubles in the contest as South Alabama pounded out 15 hits with all nine Jaguar starters notching a hit in the game. Ray Kruml picked up three RBI on two hits, including a three-run bomb over the left-centerfield fence.

 

Dexter Fontenot’s two-RBI double capped off an improbable come-from-behind victory as ULM (34-22) posted a six-run ninth inning to get past Middle Tennessee (27-28-1), 8-7, in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament. With the Blue Raiders up 7-3 and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, ULM put runners on first and second for Jon Prevost, who promptly laced a double down the left field line to score two and bring the Warhawks within two. An RBI single by Kyle Suire two batters later would set the stage for Fontenot’s heroics.