April 16, 2009

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

Around the Bases
Five-run seventh leads VCU past Richmond 8-4

Navy wins at Towson; McMahon has four hits for Lafayette against Temple

In Richmond, Va., Doug Otto (right) snapped a 3-3 tie with a two-run single to spark a five-run seventh as VCU won 8-4 Thursday at Richmond’s Pitt Field. It was the 10th straight win for the Rams (17-12) over the Spiders (14-16). Justin Wright had a two-run single in the first and Andrew Dimino added a run-scoring base hit in the second as VCU took a 3-0 lead. Victor Croglio cranked a three-run homer for UR in the third to even the score. Otto’s single in the seventh put the Rams ahead to stay. The Spiders got a run in the ninth before Darryl Stringfield got the final two outs for his first save. Otto and Dimino both had two hits and two runs for VCU. Phil Ruzbarsky scored twice for UR.

Navy 9, Towson 3

In Towson, Md., Mike Guadagnini and Matthew Curley both had three hits as Navy defeated Towson at Schuerholz Park. Curley doubled and scored in the first before the Midshipmen (14-20-1) put up four in the third, keyed by a two-run single by Nick Driscoll. Chris Wychock had a solo shot in the fourth and Gary Helmick (3 for 3) added a two-run homer in the fifth for the Tigers (16-17). Alex Azor had a two-run double in a three-run sixth for Navy.

Lafayette 13, Temple 6

In Easton, Pa., Adam McMahon went 4 for 5 with a homer and three RBI as Lafayette topped Temple at Kamine Stadium. Justin Shepherd had a two-run double in the first for the Leopards (18-16). Rob Froio added a two-run double in the second before a three-run third gave Lafayette a 7-0 lead. McMahon’s two-run homer was followed by a solo shot by Matt Fenster in the sixth for a 10-1 advantage. The Leopards scored their final three in the seventh. Tony Jusino had an RBI double in the eighth and a two-run triple in a four-run ninth for the Owls (13-18). Froio finished with two hits, two runs and three RBI for Lafayette. Jusino had three hits and three RBI for Temple.

SIU Edwardsville 7, Butler 1

In Indianapolis, Ryan Wiggs had an RBI single to spark a six-run ninth as SIUE won at Butler. Josh Street, who homered in the fourth, had a two-run double to cap the ninth for the Cougars (9-21). Luke Vine started and allowed two hits and one run with four walks and eight strikeouts for SIUE. Andrew Beatty (1-4) worked the final two scoreless innings with four walks and one strikeout for the win. Grant Fillipitch scored in the first for the lone run for the Bulldogs (6-27).

Penn 12, La Salle 9

In Philadelphia, Will Gordon had a two-run single to cap a four-run eighth as Penn won at La Salle’s Hank DeVincent Field. The Quakers (12-19) trailed 9-8 after seven before the tying and go-ahead runs came in on wild pitches in the eighth before Gordon’s base hit made it 12-9. Gordon had three hits and five RBI for Penn. Dan Williams scored three for the Quakers. Tony Negrin (3 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI) and Justin Handler (2 for 5, 2 R, 2 RBI) led the offense for the Explorers (13-18).

Nevada 11, New Mexico State 5

In Reno, Nev., Matt Bowman’s two-run homer broke a 4-4 tie and sparked a four-run sixth as first-place Nevada won the opener of its WAC series against NMSU at Peccole Park. Shaun Kort added his own two-run homer in the sixth to give the Wolf Pack (6-2, 17-17) an 8-4 lead. Jeffrey Farnham went deep in the seventh for the Aggies (5-4, 30-7) before Nick Melino had a two-run double and scored in the eighth for Nevada. Westley Moss had three hits and three runs for the Wolf Pack. Kort knocked in three for Nevada. Farnham finished with three hits and two RBI for NMSU.

Southern Utah 22, Western Illinois 8

In St. George, Utah, Bucky Aona homered twice and drove in four as SUU outscored WIU in the opener of the Summit series at Flyer Field. Aona had a two-run blast in the third and added a two-run shot in the fifth as the Thunderbirds (7-1, 17-14) built a 12-2 lead before putting the game away with a 10-run sixth. Colby Ford (3 for 5, 1 R, 5 RBI) and Keli’i Zablan (4 for 4, 4 R, 3 RBI) had big days for SUU. Andrew Hagins belted a grand slam in the eighth for the Leathernecks (3-5, 7-19).

William & Mary 4, Maryland-Eastern Shore 0

In Williamsburg, Va., Cole Shain tossed five scoreless innings as W&M blanked UMES at Plumeri Park. Shain (2-2) allowed five hits with three strikeouts. Garrison Sarrett, Jay McCarthy, Matt Davenport and Logan Billbrough each pitched one scoreless inning for the Tribe (14-19). Tyler Stampone had three hits and two runs for W&M. Elliott Alston had a pair of hits, including a double, for the Hawks (10-28).

Saint Joseph’s 8, Lehigh 6

In Bethlehem, Pa., Mike Plakis had a RBI double and scored in a three-run eighth as Saint Joseph’s rallied past Lehigh for its fourth straight win. The Hawks (14-16-1) trailed 6-5 after seven before Plakis’ double tied it. The go-ahead run came in on a wild pitch and Plakis came home on a sac fly by Joe Cook. Cook (1 for 2, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Dewey Oriente (3 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI) led the offense for Saint Joseph’s. Rob Russell (3 for 5, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Kevin Mihalik (1 for 4, 3 RBI) paced the Mountain Hawks (9-28-1).

(photo courtesy of VCU Media Relations Office)