May 29, 2010

Recaps compiled by Sean Ryan, Brian Buckey, Bart Remington, Michael Perry

click here for complete list of scores

CBI Live: SoCon Game 11: #7 ASU 3, #6 WCU 2

CBI Live: SoCon Game 12: #1 The Citadel 6, #4 Elon 5 (10)

CBI Live: SoCon Game 13: #6 WCU 7, #7 ASU 6

Around the Tournaments
Wittels extends hit streak to 53, FIU in Sun Belt title game

Mercer wins Atlantic Sun, VCU captures Colonial, Saint Louis wins A-10

Sun Belt
#4 FIU 11, #1 Florida Atlantic 9 (FAU eliminated)
#6 Troy 12, #7 Arkansas State 8 (ASU eliminated)
#6 Troy 12, #7 Arkansas State 5
In Murfreesboro, Tenn., Jeremy Patton went 4 for 4 with two homers, three runs and four RBI, and Garrett Wittels stretched his hitting streak to 53 games - five short of Robin Ventura's NCAA Division I record of 58 - as Florida International reached the title game of the Sun Belt Tournament. Wittels was hitless until the eighth, when he lined a shot back up the box and beat the throw with a head-first slide at first. Patton then ripped a three-run homer to spark a four-run inning to lift the Panthers (35-23) to the win. Scott Rembisz, pitching on two days' rest, tossed six innings of three-run relief, and Rudy Flores had two hits and three RBI for FIU. Raymond Church capped a big tourney by going 3 for 4 with a double, homer, four runs and two RBI for the Owls (35-22).

Troy advanced to the title game by beating Arkansas State twice. In the first game, Adam Bryant went 3 for 5 with two homers and four RBI, and Ryan Ditthardt and Miles Hoyle each homered and drove in three for the Trojans. Michael Faulkner went 4 for 5 for Arkansas State. In the nightcap, Murray Watts - one of the bigger players in the country at 6-7 and better than 250 pounds - ripped a grand slam to give the Red Wolves a 7-6 lead in the eighth. But J.R. Myers hit a solo homer to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Chase Whitley then gave Troy an 8-7 lead with a sacrifice fly in the 10th. Todd Baumgartner answered for Arkansas State (30-28) with a solo homer to tie the game at 8. Todd McRae then drove in two runs over a drawn-in infield in the 11th to spark the Trojans (36-24) to the win.

Atlantic Sun
#2 Mercer 7, #5 Jacksonville 3
#2 Mercer 3, #3 ETSU 1 (ETSU eliminated)
 In Nashville, Tenn., tourney MVP Jacob Tanis had a tie-breaking homer in the top of the sixth as Mercer defeated Jacksonville to claim its first Atlantic Sun title since 1983. The game was tied at 2 before the blast by Tanis gave the Bears (37-22) a 3-2 advantage. Nick DiMauro added a RBI single later in the sixth and Thomas Carroll had a two-run single an inning later to make it 6-2. Carroll finished with two hits and three RBI. Michael Langley went 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBI for Mercer. All-Tournament hurler David Teasley pitched 2.1 innings of relief to earn the victory. Dan Gulbransen had three hits, including two doubles, for the Dolphins (27-29).

Earlier in the day, Brandon Love, who entered with a 6.86 ERA, shut down ETSU to the tune of one unearned run over 6.2 innings, and David Teasley came on for his fourth save as Mercer eliminated the Bucs to advance to the title round. The undefeated Bears will meet Jacksonville, which needs two wins to take the title. Billy Burns and Tyler McCarty drove in runs in the third, and Jacob Tanis hit his 21st homer late for Mercer (36-22). Chas Byrne capped a hot tourney by going 2 for 4 with a run, and Bo Burton allowed two earned runs in seven innings in a gritty performance on two days' rest for the Bucs.
 

Colonial
#3 VCU 7, #4 UNC Wilmington 5 (12) (UNCW eliminated)
#4 UNC Wilmington 10, #3 VCU 0
In Wilmington, N.C., Joe Van Meter ripped a two-run homer in the top of the 12th inning to lift VCU to its fifth CAA title since 2002 in a win over UNC Wilmington. The Rams (34-24-1) trailed 5-1 early, but four relievers combined to shut the Seahawks (33-27) out over the final eight innings. Robbie Andrews tossed the final 2.1 innings to post the win. Gregory Fujii went 3 for 4 with a RBI, and Richard Gonzalez scored twice for VCU, which scored three in the fifth and one in the eighth to tie it at 5. Ben Thielsen went 2 for 5 with a RBI for UNCW.

Earlier, Daniel Cropper followed up Tyler McSwain's four-hitter with a four-hit shutout as UNC Wilmington blanked VCU to force a deciding game for the CAA title. Cropper (3-4) allowed four singles and didn't allow a runner past second. Hunter Ridge had two hits and two RBI, and Michael Rooney had two hits and two runs for the Seahawks, who scored five in the third and four more in the fifth.

Atlantic 10
#5 Saint Louis 5, #1 Charlotte 4 (Charlotte eliminated)
In Camden, N.J., Jason Bell tossed four innings of scoreless relief, and Bryant Cotton came on to get a strikeout with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth as Saint Louis squeaked past Charlotte to win the A-10 title. The Billikens (33-27) nearly didn't make the A-10 tourney but played its best ball of the season this week. Jerry Mancuso had a three-run double to cap a five-run first that Saint Louis made stick. Ryan Rivers went 2 for 4 with two homers and three RBI for the 49ers (39-17).
 

ACC
#1 Virginia 12, #4 Miami 7
#7 NC State 10, #6 Virginia Tech 9 (10)

#3 Georgia Tech 17, #7 NC State 5
#2 Clemson 9, #3 Georgia Tech 3
In Greensboro, N.C., Phil Gosselin ripped a three-run homer a four-run sixth, and Steven Proscia added a three-run homer of his own in the seventh as Virginia slugged its way past Miami. Despite the Cavaliers' win, Florida State won this side of the pool and will play for the ACC title Sunday. Proscia finished 3 for 5 with two runs, and John Hicks added two hits, two runs and two RBI for Virginia (47-11). Harold Martinez homered and drove in three for the Hurricanes (40-17).

Pratt Maynard had a RBI single in the top of the 10th as NC State outlasted Virginia Tech to advance to the ACC title game against Florida State. Harold Riggins went 4 for 5 with a homer in the fifth for the Wolfpack (38-21). John Gianis also went deep for NC State. The Hokies (38-20) fell behind 7-1 before a seven-run fourth included a three-run bomb by Andrew Rash and Steve Domecus added a two-run shot.

Tony Plagman went 3 for 4 with three runs and three RBI, and Matt Skole added three runs and three RBI as Georgia Tech pounded NC State to leave both teams at 1-1 in pool play. Because of their rainout last night, Tech and State return to action later Saturday. Derek Dietrich scored four times, and Brandon Crumpton (9-2) gave the Yellow Jackets (45-12) six solid innings. Harold Riggins homered and drove in two for the Wolfpack (37-21).

Richie Shaffer ripped a three-run homer, and Will Lamb shut down Georgia Tech over 6.1 innings as Clemson knocked off the Yellow Jackets. Brad Miller and Mike Freeman each contributed two hits and two RBI for the Tigers (38-21), who salvaged one win in the pool-play format. Matt Skole went 2 for 3 with two runs and a RBI for the Yellow Jackets (45-13), who also won just once.

Big East
#2 Connecticut 7, #6 Rutgers 4 (Rutgers eliminated)

#2 Connecticut 11, #6 Rutgers 10 (10)
#4 St. John's 5, #1 Louisville 3 (Louisville eliminated)
In Clearwater, Fla., Mike Nemeth went 3 for 4 with a homer - a three-run shot in the first - and four RBI as Connecticut eliminated Rutgers late Saturday night. The Huskies (47-13) beat the Scarlet Knights (30-26) twice on the day to advance to Sunday's Big East title game against St. John's. Billy Ferriter went 3 for 4 and contributed a two-run single late to extend UConn's lead to 7-4. Steve Nyisztor drove in three runs for Rutgers.

Earlier, Billy Ferriter drove in Kevin Vance with a sharp grounder to first in the bottom of the 10th inning as Connecticut slipped past Rutgers to force a second game between the two teams later Saturday. After Steve Nyisztor (5 for 6, 3 R, 2 RBI) ripped a two-run homer and Russ Hopkins added a RBI single for a 10-7 Scarlet Knights lead in the seventh, Doug Elliot tied it for the Huskies (46-13) with a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. Rutgers (30-25) rattled out 22 hits but left 15 on base and had four thrown out on baserunning mistakes. Jaren Matthews went 3 for 3 with a triple and three RBI, and Michael Lang went 4 for 6 for Rutgers. L.J. Mazzilli went 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBI for UConn.

St. John's advanced to Sunday's final as Jeremy Baltz went 3 for 4 with two RBI in a win over top-seeded Louisville. The Red Storm (39-18) will play for the championship for the first time since 1999. Matt Wessinger went 2 for 5 with a RBI, and Greg Hopkins and pinch-hitter Jimmy Brennan also contributed RBI for St. John's. Andrew Clark and Josh Richmond each were 2 for 3 with a RBI for the Cardinals (48-12).

Big South
#1 Coastal Carolina 8 vs. #2 Liberty 2 (Liberty eliminated)
#2 Liberty 9 vs. #4 High Point 5 (High Point eliminated)
In Rock Hill, S.C., Daniel Bowman went 3 for 4 with two homers, three runs and four RBI as Coastal Carolina claimed the Big South title by beating Liberty. Rich Witten also homered, blasting a three-run shot to give the Chanticleers (51-7) a 3-2 lead in the third. Trey Wimmer hit a two-run homer for the Flames (42-19), who set a school record for wins and hope they've done enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament - four of their loses came against Coastal. Austin Fleet (6-1) tossed the final 3.1 innings to pick up the win for the Chants, who broke the Big South single-season record for wins.

Big Ten

#1 Minnesota 15, #4 Iowa 5 (Iowa eliminated)
#4 Iowa 11, #2 Michigan 8 (Michigan eliminated)
In Columbus, Ohio, top-seeded Minnesota (30-28) won its ninth Big Ten Championship and first since 2004 by defeating Iowa (30-28). Phil Isaksson pitched 7.1 innings, giving up five hits and one run en route to the win. Matt Puhl led the Golden Gophers with four hits and two runs. Minnesota catcher Kyle Knudson was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Earlier in the day, Iowa (30-27) used four eighth-inning runs to power past Michigan (35-22) and earn a spot in the Big Ten championship game. Kurt Lee paced Iowa with five hits and three RBI. Zach McCool and Ryan Durant added two RBI apiece. Zach Robertson pitched an inning of scoreless relief to record the win.

Conference USA
#2 Southern Miss 7, #1 Rice 4
In Houston, Southern Miss played giant-killer as it defeated red-hot Rice with a superb relief pitching effort from Scott Copeland (11-0). The unbeaten right-hander paralyzed the Owls upon entry into the contest as he tossed 4.1 hitless innings to carry the Golden Eagles to their second Conference USA Title. Copeland’s only performance out of the bullpen earned him the C-USA Championship MVP Award. Rice jumped out to an early 4-1 lead. Taylor Walker recorded a pair of hits and B.A. Vollmuth jacked a home run. Rice starter Boogie Anagnostou (3-4) suffered the loss.
 

Great West

#1 Utah Valley 4, #2 Northern Colorado 3 (10)

In Edinburg, Texas, Utah Valley tied it with two in the eighth and won it in the bottom of the 10th in its win over Northern Colorado in the Great West championship game. Tourney MVP Chris Benson led off the 10th with a single and scored on a base hit by Kevin Arendse. Arendse and Sage Thorpe both had three hits and one RBI for the Wolverines (42-17). Goose Kallunki had two hits and two RBI for UVU. Tony Crudo had three hits for the Bears (34-24).

Horizon
#1 Wright State 7 vs. #2 Milwaukee 14
#4 Valparaiso 1 vs. #2 Milwaukee 3 (Valpo eliminated)
In Gary, Ind., Dan Buchholz went 4 for 6 with a homer, two runs and four RBI as Milwaukee forced an "if necessary" showdown with Wright State by beating the Raiders Saturday night. Cole Kraft contributed three hits, two runs and two RBI, and Ben Long added three hits and two RBI for the Panthers, who scored 12 runs from the third to the sixth innings. Aaron Fields went 4 for 5 with two RBI, and Jake Hibberd drove in three for the Raiders.

Earlier, Kyle Schmidt tossed 6.2 innings with six hits and one run, and Milwaukee scored two runs in the seventh to slip past Valparaiso to advance to meet Wright State.
 

MAC

No. 2 Kent State 5, No. 1 Central Michigan 3 (CMU eliminated)
No. 1 Central Michigan 9, No. 5 Bowling Green 8 (BG eliminated)
No. 2 Kent State 9, No. 7 Eastern Michigan 8 (10) (EMU eliminated)
In Chillicothe Ohio, Kent State (39-23) won its eighth MAC title by defeating Central Michigan (36-22). The Golden Flashes jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the Chippewas struck back for three runs in the eighth inning. However Justin Gill came on in relief for Kent State and shut out Central Michigan over 1.2 innings to earn his fifth save. Kyle Hallock pitched seven innings, allowing two runs while striking out six. Travis Shaw led the KSU offense with two hits and one RBI.

Central Michigan (36-21) used four ninth-inning runs to squeak past Bowling Green (31-23-1) and advance to the MAC championship game. Ricky Clark singled to right field to plate Nate Theunissen for the winning run. Bowling Green scored five in the eighth inning to take a three-run lead but was unable to hold off the Chippewas. Mike Nixon pitched one inning of scoreless relief to earn the win.

Kent State (38-23) scored three runs in the bottom of the  ninth inning to tie the game and used a walk-off walk in the tenth to defeat Eastern Michigan (27-32). Kent State advances to the championship game against top-seed Central Michigan. David Lyon had three RBI, and Travis Shaw added two RBI to pace the Golden Flashes. Kyle Hallock pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

Missouri Valley

#2 Illinois State 17, #1 Wichita State 8

In Wichita, Kan., Illinois State scored in each of the first six innings and every starter had at least one hit in a victory over Wichita State to win its second MVC Tournament Championship at Eck Stadium. Anthony Ruffolo had a two-run homer in the bottom of the first for the Redbirds (31-22) before the Shockers (41-19) put up five in the top of the second. Evan Kohli went deep to spark a five-run rally in the bottom of the frame as Illinois State took the lead for good. Matt Mirabal had a two-run homer in the third as the Redbirds built a 12-6 lead. Zach Amrein went 4 for 5 with four runs and two RBI for Illinois State. Kohli went 4 for 5 with three runs. Mirabal had three hits and three RBI. Bret Bascue had two homers and three RBI for the Shockers (41-19).

NEC
#2 Central Connecticut State 9, #1 Sacred Heart 6
#2 Central Connecticut State 7, #3 Wagner 2 (Wagner eliminated)
In Bridgewater, N.J., Kyle Zarotney had the day of his life. Zarotney blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Central Connecticut State to a win over Wagner, forcing a deciding game Sunday. Earlier in the day, Zarotney ripped a three-run homer to help the Blue Devils get by Wagner. Zarotney went 3 for 7 on the day with two homers, three runs and seven RBI. Pat Epps also had a big day, going 3 for 4 with a run and a RBI in the opener and 1 for 3 with two runs and two RBI in the win over the Pioneers. Tommy Meade hit a two-run homer for the Blue Devils to tie the game with Sacred Heart at 5.

Ohio Valley
#2 Jacksonville State 9, #1 Tennessee Tech 7
#1 Tennessee Tech 15, #3 Murray State 6 (MSU eliminated)
In Jackson, Tenn., Jordan Beistline allowed just three hits in 6.1 brilliant innings of relief, and Blake Seguin went 4 for 4 with three runs and two RBI as Jacksonville State knocked off Tennessee Tech to reach the OVC title game. Beistline (3-3) allowed one earned run and struck out three. The Gamecocks (31-24) scored four times in the eighth, with Seguin, Todd Cunningham and Bert Smith each delivering RBI hits. Ben Burgess went 4 for 5 with four RBI for the Golden Eagles (30-24).

Later, Austin Wolf and Chad Oberacker each drove in three, and Casanova Donaldson and Frankie Beech each added four hits as Middle Tennessee routed Murray State for the right to play Jacksonville State in the title game. Nick Price (2-0) tossed six innings with three hits and one earned run for the Golden Eagles. Brandon Elliott went 3 for 4 with his first homer, two runs and three RBI for Murray State (28-28-1).
 

SEC
#7 Alabama 5, #1 Florida 2 (Florida eliminated)
#8 LSU 8 vs. #6 Ole Miss 0 (Ole Miss eliminated)
In Hoover, Ala., Adam Morgan tossed a seven-inning complete game, allowing two runs on six hits, as Alabama advanced to the SEC title game by beating top-seeded Florida. Freshman Andre Miller had a two-run double, and senior Jake Smith added a two-run single for the Crimson Tide (37-21). Morgan improved to 6-4, striking out five and walking none.

Earlier, Ben Alsup tossed a one-hitter with seven strikeouts as LSU blanked Ole Miss in a seven-inning win. Blake Dean ripped a three-run homer, and Tyler Hanover went 3 for 4 with three RBI for the Tigers (39-20), who set up a final date with Alabama. LSU will be shooting for its third straight SEC tourney title.
 

Southland Conference
#7 Lamar 17, #1 Texas State 7 (TSU eliminated)
#1 Texas State 15, #5 UT Arlington 10 (UTA eliminated)
In Corpus Christi, Texas, with the Southland Conference title on the line, Lamar topped Texas State with two big innings at the plate. The Cardinals (35-24) used a five-run second frame to climb back from a 4-1 deficit. After taking the lead, Lamar posted another five-run inning in the fourth. Every position player notched at lead one hit, with Aaron Buchanan and Quentin Luquette each connected on four hits apiece. Matison Smith and Blake Ford (3-4) split the pitching duties with reliever Ford earning the win. Centerfielder Anthony Moore received the SLC Tournament MVP Award as he knocked two doubles and three long balls, plating 10 runners for a weekend average of .625. The Bobcats finish their season at 38-22.

In the first contest of the day, Texas State scored six runs in the top of the first and managed to ride the lead to a win over UT Arlington. The Bobcats’ Jeff McVaney proved clutch once again with a pair of multi-run homers. Lee Colon (5-3) tallied the win on the mound with his 5.2-inning performance. Fielding Pittman pitched 3.1 relief innings to dispose of the Mavericks (29-31) and earn his first save of the season.

Summit
#2 Oral Roberts 12, #1 South Dakota State 2 (SDSU eliminated)
In Tulsa, Okla., thirteen was anything but unlucky for Oral Roberts, which topped top-seeded South Dakota State for its 13th straight conference title. Nick Baligod went 4 for 5 with a homer and five RBI - including a two-run shot to fuel a five-run first - and P.J. Sequeira went 4 for 4 with two runs and two RBI for the Golden Eagles (35-25). Jeff Burleson improved to 8-4 with six solid innings for ORU. Zach Briggs went 2 for 3 with a solo homer for SDSU (39-21).

WAC
#1 Fresno State 14, #4 Hawaii 5
#1 Fresno State 13, #6 San Jose State 1 (SJSU eliminated)
In Mesa, Ariz., Danny Muno hit for the cycle, going 4 for 6 with four runs and three RBI, and Bobby Coyle went 4 for 5 with a double, homer, three runs and four RBI as Fresno State fought off elimination to beat Hawaii and force a deciding game on Sunday. The Bulldogs (38-24) allowed four in the first and trailed 5-1 in the second before ripping off six runs to take a 7-5 lead. Two runs in the third and two more in the fifth helped FSU pull away. Collin Bennett had two hits and two RBI, and Kolten Wong added two hits and two runs for the Rainbows (32-26).

Earlier, Danny Muno went 2 for 4 with a homer, three runs and two RBI, and Dusty Robinson hit a late grand slam as Fresno State eliminated San Jose State. Charlie Robertson tossed a complete game with five hits and one earned run for the Bulldogs (37-24). Bobby Coyle contributed three hits and two RBI.