April 4, 2009

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Haniger's grand slam lifts Georgia Tech past UNC in 11

UCI wins at Fullerton again; Alexander hits five home runs for Air Force

In Atlanta, Jason Haniger had a game-winning grand slam in the 11th as No. 5 Georgia Tech evened its ACC series with No. 6 North Carolina with a 10-6 victory Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of 4,186 at Russ Chandler Stadium, the sixth-largest crowd in stadium history. The Yellow Jackets (9-3, 19-5) scored three in the ninth, sparked by Luke Murton’s second home run, to force extra innings. Murton (3 for 5, 2 HR, 2R, 3 RBI) and Jeff Rowland (3 for 5, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) paced the Tech offense. Garrett Gore had two hits, including a homer, and three RBI for the Tar Heels (8-5, 23-7).

No. 11 UC Irvine 6, No. 1 Cal State Fullerton 1

In Fullerton, Calif., Christian Bergman and Brock Bardeen held Cal State Fullerton to one run as UCI clinched its Big West series at Goodwin Field. Bergman (4-1) allowed one run in 5.2 innings with seven hits, two walks and five strikeouts. Bardeen went the final 3.1 scoreless innings with two hits and three strikeouts to earn his first save. Jeff Cusick had a three-run homer in the first for the Anteaters (5-0, 19-7). The Titans (2-3, 19-7) got a run in the fourth on a RBI single by Dustin Garneau. Ronnie Shaeffer added an RBI single in the eighth and UCI added a pair in the ninth. Ben Orloff and Francis Larson both had two hits for the Anteaters. Josh Fellhauer and Jeff Newman both had two hits for Fullerton.

Air Force 22-18, Utah Valley 21-14

In Orem, Utah, Matt Alexander belted five home runs in a doubleheader sweep for Air Force at Utah Valley. Alexander went 8 for 12 in the two games with eight runs and 11 RBI. The Falcons (10-19) scored seven in the ninth to pull out the opener. Alexander’s two-run homer started the rally. In the nightcap, Blair Kessler and Addison Gentry both went deep in a seven-run fifth for Air Force. Gentry homered twice in Game 2. Head coach Mike Hutcheon earned career win No. 300 in the nightcap. Kirk Doxy had three homers and six RBI on the day for the Wolverines (9-21).

No. 2 Georgia 10, No. 3 LSU 8

In Athens, Ga., Joey Lewis had three hits, including two doubles, as Georgia evened its SEC series with LSU in front of 4,092 fans at Foley Field, the fifth-largest crowd in stadium history. Bryce Massanari also had three hits, two runs and three RBI for the Bulldogs (8-3, 25-4), including a homer in the first. Georgia led 10-3 after seven before the Tigers (7-4, 22-8) got three in the eighth and two in the ninth. Colby May had two hits and three RBI for LSU.

No. 4 Arizona State 12, Washington 1

In Seattle, Josh Spence fanned a career-high 14 as ASU clinched its Pac-10 series at Washington at Husky Ballpark, giving head coach Pat Murphy his 600th win with the Sun Devils (7-1, 22-5). Spence (6-0) pitched eight innings with eight hits and one unearned run. Jason Kipnis had three hits and two RBI for ASU. Drew Maggi added three hits and three RBI. Zack MacPhee had a two-run homer for the Sun Devils. Troy Scott had three hits and Kyle Conley had two hits and a run for the Huskies (1-4, 10-17).

No. 7 Rice 12, Tulane 7

In Houston, Anthony Rendon had two home runs as Rice clinched its Conference USA series with Tulane at Reckling Park. Rendon went 3 for 5 with three runs and four RBI. Daniel Gonzales-Luna had four hits for the Owls (6-2, 20-7). Sam Honeck had a two-run double in the fifth for the Green Wave (1-4, 17-13) to make it 5-2 before Rendon had a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame. Rendon’s solo shot in the seventh sparked a five-run rally as Rice led 12-2. Jared Dyer had a two-run homer in the eighth and his solo blast keyed a three-run ninth for Tulane.

No. 8 Miami (Fla.) 6, No. 25 Florida State 4

In Coral Gables, Fla., Jason Hagerty’s two-run homer ignited a five-run sixth as Miami evened its ACC series with FSU in front of a sellout crowd of 3,500 at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Chris Hernandez (3-2) struck out 11 in 6.2 innings to earn the win. Kyle Bellamy tossed 2.1 perfect innings with five strikeouts to notch his eighth save. Harold Martinez scored twice for the Hurricanes (9-5, 22-8). Jason Stidham had a two-run homer in the first and Stuart Tapley added a two-run double in the third for the Seminoles (7-5, 18-9).

South Carolina 9, No. 9 Arkansas 1

In Columbia, S.C., Nolan Belcher allowed one run in a career-high 8.1 innings as South Carolina evened its SEC series with Arkansas. Belcher (1-1) allowed four hits and three walks while striking out nine. Nick Ebert had two home runs for the Gamecocks (5-6, 20-9). Adam Matthews had an inside-the-park homer for South Carolina. Scott Lyons had two hits and one RBI for the Razorbacks (9-2, 21-6).

Kansas 6, No. 10 Baylor 0

In Lawrence, Kan., T.J. Walz tossed a three-hit shutout as Kansas evened its Big 12 series with Baylor at Hoglund Ballpark. Walz (3-0) walked one and struck out six. Tony Thompson had an RBI double to cap a two-run fourth and a two-run homer to highlight a four-run sixth for the Jayhawks (4-4, 18-11). Dustin Dickerson, Aaron Miller and Ben Booker each had a hit for the Bears (6-5, 19-8).

No. 12 Oklahoma 7, Missouri 4

In Columbia, Mo., Aaron Baker went 2 for 3 with a run and a RBI to lift Oklahoma to the Big 12 win against Missouri. The Sooners (6-2, 25-6) put up four runs in the fifth to break the game open and Casey Johnson and Kaleb Herren each had two RBI. Greg Folgia went 1 for 3 with a run and two RBI for the Tigers (4-7, 14-16), who rotated 10 pitchers into the contest, each throwing an inning or less. Trevor Coleman and Kyle Mach each added an RBI.

No. 15 Oklahoma State 7, No. 13 Texas 1

In Stillwater, Okla., Tyler Blandford allowed one run in 7.1 innings as OSU evened its Big 12 series with Texas at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. Blandford (6-0) allowed two hits with five strikeouts. Dean Green had a solo shot and Eric Walker added a two-run homer in the fourth as the Cowboys (4-4, 21-9) took a 3-1 lead. Green finished with two hits and two RBI. Tyrone Hambly also had two hits for OSU. Tant Shepherd had a double and one RBI for the Longhorns (5-6, 19-8).

No. 14 Texas A&M 13, Texas Tech 7

In Lubbock, Texas, Luke Anders had two home runs and knocked in five as Texas A&M evening its Big 12 series with Texas Tech in front of 2,779 fans at Dan Law Field. Anders had a two-run blast in a three-run first. Adam Smith went deep in the second and Brodie Greene had a two-run dinger in the third as the Aggies (7-4, 20-10) built a 6-0 lead. Anders had a three-run homer in the fourth for A&M. Greene finished with three hits for the Aggies. Willie Rueda (3 for 5, 2 R, 1 RBI) and Joey Kenworthy (4 for 5, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) led the offense for the Red Raiders (5-6, 13-19).

No. 16 Ole Miss 10, Kentucky 3

In Oxford, Miss., Matt Smith went 4 for 5 with two runs and a RBI as Ole Miss scored six in the third and four in the seventh to secure a SEC victory against Kentucky. The Rebels (7-4, 21-8) also got an offensive spark from Logan Power (2 H, 1 R, 2 RBI) and Evan Button (2 RBI). Chris Bisson, Chris Wade and Chris McLendon each had two hits for the Wildcats (4-7, 18-11).

Maryland 8, No. 17 Virginia 7

In Charlottesville, Va., Dan Benick blasted a grand slam in a five-run eighth for Maryland to put away Virginia in ACC action at Davenport Field and bring an end to a 19-game losing streak in the series between the two schools. The Terrapins (4-10, 14-16) also got three runs off the bat of Mike Murphy, who went 2 for 5 at the plate with two runs. Steve Proscia went 4 for 5 with two runs for the Cavaliers (7-5, 25-5) and David Coleman chipped in two RBI. Dan Gentzler came on in the ninth and retired the last two batters to get his first save for Maryland.

No. 18 East Carolina 15-10, UAB 9-9

In Birmingham, Ala., Devin Harris brought home the winning runs in both games of the doubleheader as East Carolina completed the Conference USA series sweep against UAB. In the first game, Harris went 3 for 4 with four RBI and Drew Schieber plated three more runs for the Pirates (8-1, 25-5), who pounded out 31 hits over the two games. Austin Taylor was 3 for 5 with two runs and a RBI for the Blazers (1-5, 16-13) in the opener. Brad Mincey came on to pitch 3.1 innings in the second game and picked up the win, moving his record to a league-leading 7-1. Andrew Manning drove in four for UAB in the nightcap.

Vanderbilt 4, No. 19 Florida 3

In Nashville, Tenn., Caleb Cotham held Florida to four hits in eight innings as Vanderbilt evened its SEC series at Hawkins Field. Cotham (4-3) allowed three runs, one earned, with five walks and six strikeouts. Sonny Gray worked a scoreless ninth for his fourth save. The Commodores (4-7, 18-12) scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh to erase a 3-1 deficit. Alex Hilliard had a triple and a run for Vanderbilt. Buddy Munroe homered for the Gators (7-4, 19-10). Avery Barnes added two hits for Florida.

Duke 10, No. 20 Clemson 7

In Clemson, S.C., Andrew Wolcott held Clemson to three runs in six innings as Duke evened its ACC series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Wolcott (5-1) allowed five hits in earning his third straight win over a nationally-ranked opponent. He defeated North Carolina and Miami (Fla.) in his previous two outings. Alex Hassan recorded the final four outs for his eighth save. Will Piwnica-Worms had two hits and three RBI for the Blue Devils (7-7, 20-10). Jeremy Gould had two hits, including a home run, for Duke. Matt Williams had two runs and two RBI for the Blue Devils. Ben Paulsen had three hits, including a homer, and three RBI for the Tigers (8-6, 19-10). Duke used a six-run fourth to take control.

Michigan State 2-9, Northwestern 0-4

In East Lansing, Mich., Nolan Moody tossed a no-hitter in the inaugural game at McLane Baseball Stadium as MSU swept a Big Ten doubleheader from Northwestern. Moody (4-3) was perfect through 7.2 innings before surrendering a walk to Paul Snieder. He allowed a leadoff walk in the ninth to Kenneth Avila, but after a strikeout, he got a game-ending double play to secure the no-hitter. Moody fanned five in the 100-pitch gem. Eli Boike belted a two-run homer in the sixth for the game’s only runs. AJ Shindler had two hits and four RBI in the nightcap as the Spartans (2-3, 10-17) completed the sweep. Brandon Eckerle and Johnny Lee both knocked in two for MSU. Jonathan Roof was 4 for 4 with three RBI for the Spartans. Chris Lashmet had two hits and two RBI for the Wildcats (1-3, 5-19).

Navy 3-4, Lehigh 1-3

In Bethlehem, Pa., Sam Long pitched a no-hitter in the opener as Navy swept a Patriot League doubleheader from Lehigh. Long walked five and struck out four in his seven-inning gem, throwing 110 pitches. Kendall Bolt had an RBI single to cap a three-run fifth for the Midshipmen (5-1, 11-15-1). Two walks, a sac bunt and a groundout produced a run in the bottom of the frame for the Mountain Hawks (0-4, 6-23-1). In the nightcap, Steven Soares homered in the second to start the scoring as Navy built a 4-0 lead. Lehigh scored three in the seventh, but could not plate the equalizer. Geoff Campbell (4 for 5, 1 R) and Andrew Russell (3 for 5, 1 RBI) led the Mountain Hawks.