March 31, 2009

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Ackley homers twice, knocks in four for North Carolina

Fullerton tops ASU; Georgia nips Clemson; Combined no-hitter for WKU

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Dustin Ackley (right) smacked a pair of two-run homers to power No. 6 North Carolina past Davidson 9-4 Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium. Ackley finished 4 for 4 with three runs and four RBI. Ackley went deep in the first and his two-run shot in the fourth gave the Tar Heels (21-6) a 9-3 advantage. Seth Freeman had a two-run homer in the fourth for the Wildcats (10-12). Freeman finished with two hits and two runs. Mark Fleury had two hits and two RBI for UNC.

No. 1 Cal State Fullerton 7, No. 4 Arizona State 5

In Tempe, Ariz., Jared Clark homered and doubled and Nick Ramirez tossed 4.1 innings of scoreless relief as Cal State Fullerton topped ASU in front of 3,851 fans at the DeMarini West Coast Challenge. Clark had an RBI double in the first and went deep in the sixth. Gary Brown had a two-out single in the eighth and Joe Scott added an RBI base hit in the ninth for the Titans (19-4). Jason Kipnis had a two-run homer in the ninth for the Sun Devils (19-5). Ramirez (1-1) did not allow a hit in earning his first collegiate win with two walks and two strikeouts. Michael Morrison recorded the final two outs for his fourth save.

No. 2 Georgia 6, No. 20 Clemson 5

In Athens, Ga., Rich Poythress had an RBI single in a four-run third as Georgia nipped Clemson at Foley Field. Jeff Schaus homered in the first for the Tigers (18-8) before Bryce Massanari went deep in the second for the Bulldogs (23-3). Georgia’s Zach Cone had a catch over the wall to rob Brad Miller of a three-run homer in the third before the Bulldogs put up four in the bottom of the frame for a 5-1 lead. Kyle Parker had a two-run homer in the fifth and Chris Epps added a pinch-hit double to make it 5-4. Colby May homered in the sixth for the Bulldogs. Parker added an RBI single in the ninth for the Tigers before Dean Weaver ended the game with a strikeout.

Western Kentucky 15, Kentucky Wesleyan 0

In Bowling Green, Ky., four pitchers combined on a seven-inning no-hitter as WKU thumped KWC at Nick Denes Field. Craig Stem walked four and struck out four in two innings. Tyler Filliland (1-0) walked two and fanned one in three innings. Harry Stubel walked one and struck out three in his inning. Aaron Mayfield worked a perfect seventh with two strikeouts. The Hilltoppers (19-7) scored five in the first, one in the second, three in the fifth and six in the sixth. Wade Gaynor and Matt Rice both went 2 for 4 with a run and three RBI. Lincoln Talley walked twice for KWC (7-22).

Texas State 5, No. 10 Baylor 3

In Waco, Texas, Bret Atwood had three hits and two runs to lead Texas State past BU at Baylor Ballpark. Atwood tripled and scored in the first for the Bobcats (17-9). Tyler Sibley homered in the second for Texas State before Brooks Kimmey’s two-run single in the fourth knotted the score at 2-2. Keith Prestridge had an RBI single in the fifth to put the Bobcats ahead to stay. Shaver Hansen homered in the eighth for the Bears (17-8).

No. 11 UC Irvine 19, Loyola Marymount 8

In Los Angeles, Cory Olson and Eric Deragisch both had career-high four RBI as UCI outscored LMU at Page Stadium. Jeff Cusick and Ben Orloff both had four hits for the Anteaters (17-7). UCI scored seven in the first to take control and added seven in the ninth. Shon Roe had two hits and four RBI for the Lions (16-13). Brad Bauer had three hits, two runs and two RBI for LMU.

No. 13 Texas 5, Oral Roberts 4

In Austin, Texas, Brandon Loy scored the game-winner on a balk with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as Texas nipped ORU at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Loy drew a two-out walk, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a balk. After six scoreless innings, Travis Tucker had an RBI single to spark a four-run seventh for the Longhorns (18-7). Tucker finished with three hits. Michael Notaro had a run-scoring single to cap a four-run ninth for the Golden Eagles (8-8).

No. 14 Texas A&M 16, UTSA 6

In College Station, Texas, Texas A&M scored seven in the second in beating UTSA in front of 3,001 fans at Olsen Field. Kyle Colligan had a homer in the first and a two-run single in the second for the Aggies (19-9). Caleb Shofner added a two-run double in the second for A&M. Brodie Greene had four hits for the Aggies. Tyler Carpenter had three hits and three runs for the Roadrunners (15-11).

No. 16 Ole Miss 8, Jackson State 7

In Oxford, Miss., Evan Button had an RBI single to spark a two-run ninth as Ole Miss rallied past Jackson State at Oxford-University Stadium. Matt Smith scored the game-winner on an errant throw. Smith finished with three hits, including a homer, and four RBI for the Rebels (18-8). Fred Atkins had three hits and three RBI for the Tigers (17-10).

No. 17 Virginia 12, Radford 2

In Salem, Va., Jarrett Parker had a two-run double and Phil Gosselin added a two-run single in a nine-run second as Virginia topped Radford at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium. Gosselin had a sac fly in the first and finished with two hits and three RBI. Parker had two hits, two runs and two RBI for the Cavaliers (23-4). Jeff Kemp had two hits and a run for the Highlanders (10-11).

No. 18 East Carolina 15, Elon 4

In Greenville, N.C., ECU had four homers and put up five in both the first and seventh in its win over Elon. Devin Harris had a three-run homer in a five-run first for the Pirates (21-5). Ryan Wood had a grand slam in the five-run seventh for ECU. Neal Pritchard had two hits, including a homer, and three RBI for the Phoenix (14-9).

No. 25 Florida State 3, No. 19 Florida 2

In Jacksonville, Fla., Jack Posey snapped a 2-2 tie with a homer in the fifth as FSU edged UF at the Baseball Grounds in Jacksonville in a game called after five innings due to rain. Jason Stidham had a sac fly to cap a two-run first for the Seminoles (17-8). Avery Barnes singled and scored in a two-run fourth for the Gators (18-9). Posey and Tyler Holt both finished with two hits for FSU. Buddy Munroe had a double and a run for Florida.

No. 21 Ohio State 9, Xavier 7

In Columbus, Ohio, Ryan Dew had a two-run double and scored the eventual game-winner as OSU won its home opener over Xavier at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes (21-4) matched the 1991 team with the best 25-game record in school history. OSU trailed 7-5 in the seventh before Justin Miller and Dan Burkhart both singled and came home on Dew’s two-bagger to tie it at 7-7. Cory Rupert followed with a triple to plate Dew and give the Buckeyes their first lead of the contest. The Musketeers (13-9) scored four in the first to take the early lead. Zach Hurley and Michael Stephens both homered and drove in two for OSU. Adam Pasono had two hits and two runs for XU. Drew Schmidt and Ben Thomas both had a hit and two RBI for Xavier.

Texas Tech 8, No. 22 New Mexico 4

In Albuquerque, N.M., Michael Reed went 4 for 5 with a homer and two RBI as Texas Tech topped New Mexico at Isotopes Park. Taylor Ashby’s two-run single sparked a three-run first for the Red Raiders (12-17). Reed homered in the eighth for Tech. Joey Kenworthy had three hits and three runs for the Red Raiders. Max Willett had two hits and three runs for the Lobos (24-5). Dane Hamilton and Ryan Honeycutt both had three hits for New Mexico.

No. 23 Cal Poly 7, USC 5

In San Luis Obispo, Calif., Adam Buschini’s two-run single in the seventh broke a 4-4 tie as Cal Poly got past USC in front of 1,463 fans at Baggett Stadium. Buschini finished with three hits and five RBI for the Mustangs (18-7). Mike O’Neill and Grant Green both had three hits and two RBI for the Trojans (11-13).

No. 24 Coastal Carolina 4, UNC Wilmington 3 (11)

In Conway, S.C., Jose Iglesias had an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th as Coastal Carolina edged UNCW. Adam Rice had a one-out double in the 11th and scored on the base hit by Iglesias. Bobby Leeper had an RBI double and scored in a three-run fourth for the Seahawks (17-6). The Chanticleers (20-7) tied it in the eighth on a run-scoring single by Tyler Bortnick. Bortnick finished with two hits and two RBI. Ben Thielsen had three hits and an RBI for UNCW.

(photo courtesy of UNC Media Relations Office)