Feb. 26, 2009

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Brandt brands Cowboys as Pirates post victory

Strasburg fans 16 as SDSU tops Nevada; Leake strikes out 10 in ASU win

In Greenville, N.C., Kevin Brandt pitched 6.1 innings of scoreless relief in his collegiate debut, and East Carolina used an eight-run seventh to get past No. 15 Oklahoma State 14-7 Thursday at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. Trailing 7-1, Brandt (1-0) came on in the third and shut down the Cowboys (4-1), allowing three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts. The Pirates (4-0) scored one in the fourth and two in the fifth before the seventh-inning eruption. An RBI fielder’s choice by Austin Homan put ECU on top, and Stephen Batts’ three-run homer capped the explosion. Drew Schieber and Trent Whitehead both went 4 for 5 for the Pirates with three RBI. Doug Kroll homered twice and drove in three for OSU. Michael Dabbs also went deep for the Cowboys.

San Diego State 5, Nevada 2

In San Diego, Stephen Strasburg fanned 16 as SDSU defeated Nevada at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Strasburg (2-0) worked 6.2 innings with five hits, two runs and one walk. Addison Reed pitched the ninth to earn his second save. Brandon Meredith had two hits, including a double, two RBI and a run for the Aztecs (2-2). Mitch Blackburn scored twice for the Aztecs. SDSU scored three in the third and two in the fifth before the Wolf Pack (2-3) tallied its pair in the seventh. Tyson Jaquez and Nick Melino both had two hits and an RBI for Nevada.

No. 6 Arizona State 2, Missouri 1

In Tempe, Ariz., Mike Leake did not allow a hit until the eighth and finished with 10 strikeouts as Arizona State nipped Missouri in front of 2,603 fans at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark on the first day of the DeMarini Invitational. Leake (2-0) worked eight scoreless innings with one hit and one walk. Zack MacPhee had an RBI single in the first and Mike Murphy added a run-scoring double as the Sun Devils (5-0) built a 2-0 lead. Andrew Thigpen broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff double in the eighth for the Tigers (1-5), but Leake struck out the side to leave Thigpen stranded at second. Aaron Senne drove in Greg Folgia in the ninth for Missouri’s lone run. Jordan Swagerty recorded the final two outs for his second save.

No. 9 Florida State 8, Auburn 7

In Tallahassee, Fla., Mike Meschike’s single in the bottom of the ninth plated Jason Stidham with the game-winner as FSU edged Auburn at Dick Howser Stadium. Stidham started the ninth with a base hit and moved to second on a single by Stuart Tapley. Stephen Cardullo bunted the runners over and Ohmed Danesh was intentionally walked, setting the stage for Meschike’s heroics. Tapley and Tyler Holt both had two hits and two RBI for the Seminoles (5-0). Joseph Sanders went 3 for 3 with two homers and four RBI for the Tigers (2-3). Sanders had a solo shot in the seventh and a three-run blast in the eighth that knotted the score at 7-7.

Oregon State 23, Northern Illinois 7

In Tempe, Ariz., Rob Folsom had four hits and seven RBI as Oregon State outscored Northern Illinois in the opener of the DeMarini Invitational at Packard Stadium. Folsom’s three-run triple was part of a nine-run second for the Beavers (2-1). He added an RBI single in the fourth and then knocked in three with a pair of hits in a nine-run seventh. Stefen Romero had three hits, including a homer, with four runs and three RBI. Troy White went 4 for 4 for the Huskies (1-4) with three RBI.

Florida A&M 21, Texas Southern 15

In Houston, Darryl Evans went 5 for 7 with a homer, four runs and three RBI as Florida A&M outlasted Texas Southern in a five-hour marathon at MacGregor Park. The Rattlers (3-3) scored in every inning but the fourth, posting six in the first and never trailing. Derrick Shaw had three hits, including two homers, three runs and four RBI for FAMU. The Tigers (4-2) scored in each inning except the third and ninth. Deshaun Dilworth had three hits, including a dinger, three runs and three RBI for TSU. Charles Derkowski also had three hits and three RBI for the Tigers. Anthon Espin (1-1) got the win, going 6.1 innings with 15 hits, 12 earned runs, six walks and six strikeouts.

Washington 16, Wisconsin-Whitewater 2

In Minneapolis, Troy Scott smacked a grand slam and knocked in five as Washington whipped Wisconsin-Whitewater at the Metrodome. Jake Rife added four hits for the Huskies (2-2). Ben Kuhlman homered in the first for the Warhawks (0-1) before Scott’s slam capped a five-run second for UW. Brendan Gardner-Young went 3 for 4 with three runs for the Huskies. Kuhlman finished 3 for 3 with two runs for the Warhawks.

Dallas Baptist 10, Siena 9

In Dallas, Ryan Behmanesh had an RBI single that broke a 9-9 tie in the seventh as DBU edged Siena at Patriot Field. Behmanesh’s base hit capped a four-run rally for the Patriots (3-2). The Saints (1-6) had scored six in the top of the seventh to take a 9-6 lead. Ryan Enos was 3 for 5 for DBU with two homers, three runs and four RBI. Ryan Goins also went deep for the Patriots. Anthony Giansanti had three hits and two runs for Siena. Gary DerHagopian had two hits, including a home run, and three RBI for the Saints.

San Francisco 7, UC Riverside 0

In Riverside, Calif., Derek Poppert had four hits, including a double, and two runs as USF blanked UCR at the Riverside Sports Complex. Three hurlers combined on the four-hit shutout. Matt Lujan (1-1) earned the victory, going seven innings with three hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Alex Kalogrides and Bob Mott both tossed a scoreless inning in relief. Poppert doubled and scored to spark a three-run third for the Dons (3-3). USF added a run in the fifth, two in the eighth and one in the ninth. Brandon Schnebly had a double for the Highlanders (3-2).

Hawaii 6, Minnesota 2

In Minneapolis, Vinnie Catricala had two hits and three RBI as Hawaii defeated Minnesota in the Metrodome. The Rainbows (2-3) scored a pair in the third and used a three-run sixth to take the lead for good. They added an insurance run in the seventh. The Golden Gophers (2-2) tallied single runs in the first and fourth. Minnesota out-hit Hawaii 11-10, but stranded 11. Matt Nohelty and Michael Kvasnicka both had two hits and an RBI for the Gophers. Jason Kramer (1-1) got the win, going 5.2 innings with nine hits, two runs, two walks and one strikeout. Sam Spangler kept Minnesota off the board for the final 3.1 innings to earn the save. Spangler allowed two hits and struck out five.