May 14, 2010

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Noel homers as Coastal Carolina wins at Liberty

Baltz belts four homers for St. John's at UL, South Carolina nips Arkansas

In Lynchburg, Va., Rico Noel (left) had two hits, including a home run, as No. 4 Coastal Carolina defeated Liberty 5-2 Friday in the Big South series opener at Worthington Stadium. Noel had a leadoff homer in the first for the Chanticleers (21-0, 43-6). Josh Conway added a run-scoring single in the second and Tommy La Stella’s two-run knock in the fifth pushed the lead to 4-0. Coastal added a run in the eighth as Conway singled and scored. The Flames (18-4, 37-13) got their two runs in the bottom of the eighth as Matt Williams had a RBI double and scored on a two-base hit by Nathan Thompson. Anthony Meo (11-1) allowed five hits and two runs in 7.1 innings with one walk and four strikeouts to record the victory. Austin Fleet retired Liberty in order in the ninth with one strikeout for his seventh save.

St. John's 8, No. 9 Louisville 5
In Louisville, Ky., the Cardinals (16-6, 40-10) fell to the hands of St. John’s, with Jeremy Baltz leading the way. The freshman outfielder finished the night 4 for 5, with four homers and a total of seven runs batted in. Baltz has 18 home runs and 68 RBI, both single-season school records. Louisville held a 5-2 leading heading into the top of the eighth inning but the Red Storm (15-7, 34-14) pushed across five runs in the last two innings to hold off the Cardinals. St. John’s closer Kyle Burawa earned his eight save, giving just one hit in the bottom of the ninth. Reliever Ryan Cole (2-0) picked up the win in just 1.1 innings of work. Gabriel Shaw (4-2) surrendered the lead in the eighth inning for his second loss. Andrew Clark went 3 for 4 with a walk for the Cardinals.
 

No. 10 South Carolina 3, No. 12 Arkansas 2

In Fayetteville, Ark., Jackie Bradley Jr. had a RBI double in the top of the seventh to snap a 2-2 tie as South Carolina won the SEC series opener against Arkansas in front of 9,622 fans at Baum Stadium. Adrian Morales had a sacrifice fly in the top of the first for the Gamecocks (18-7, 39-11) before Zack Cox answered with a run-scoring double in the bottom of the frame for the Razorbacks (16-9, 38-12). Kyle Enders had a RBI single in the top of the sixth before Andy Wilkins ripped a run-scoring double in the bottom of the frame to knot the score at 2. Whit Merrifield (2 for 5, 2 R) reached on a bunt single with one out in the top of the seventh and Bradley (2 for 4) brought him home with a double to left center. Blake Cooper (10-0) allowed three hits and two runs in seven innings with two walks and seven strikeouts to earn the win. Matt Price got the final four outs, two by strikeout, to record his sixth save. Drew Smyly (8-1) surrendered six hits and three runs in seven innings for the Hogs with two walks and nine strikeouts.

No. 4 TCU 19-8, Air Force 17-2 (Game 1 – 12 innings)

In Fort Worth, Texas, Jason Coats drove in the tying runs in the top of the ninth and Aaron Schultz knocked in the game-winner in the top of the 12th as TCU won the completion of the March 28 Mountain West contest with Air Force. The victory clinched the fifth straight MWC regular-season crown for the Horned Frogs (18-4, 39-10). Jerome Pena had six hits and five RBI, while Matt Curry, Bryan Holaday and Jimmie Pharr each belted two homers. Matt Purke (10-0) allowed five hits and one run in six relief innings with a career-high 12 strikeouts to earn the victory. Ben Ausbun had three hits and four RBI for the Falcons (1-17, 11-39-1). K.J. Randhawa and Addison Gentry both had three hits, two runs and three RBI for Air Force, with Gentry providing a home run. In the regularly-scheduled contest, Kyle Winkler (8-1) surrendered two runs on nine hits in eight innings with one walk and six strikeouts to earn the win for the Frogs. Coats had a RBI single and scored in a six-run first for TCU. Taylor Featherston had three hits and a run, and Matt Curry added two hits and three runs for the Frogs. Adam Hill and Alex Bast both had two hits for Air Force.

No. 5 Florida 4, Georgia 3
In Gainesville, Fla., the Gators (18-7, 35-12) converted a pair of Georgia fielding errors into game-winning runs in the bottom of the ninth, stealing the SEC tilt. The Bulldogs (3-20, 14-34) had a three-run fourth inning to take a 3-2, but ultimately allowed Florida to stroll home on two fatal mistakes. Greg Larson (3-1) was awarded the win with four scoreless relief innings and Brian Johnson went 2 for 4 with a RBI for the Gators. UGA’s Cooper Moseley (0-4) took the loss, despite facing just one batter, and Kyle Farmer was 2 for 4 with a lone run batted in.

NC State 5, No. 7 Florida State 2

In Tallahassee, Fla., Drew Poulk went 2 for 3 with two runs and a walk to lead NC State (12-13, 32-18) in an ACC series-opening win against Florida State (16-9, 37-13). The Seminoles scored first, taking a 2-0 lead in the first off of RBI singles from Mike McGee and Sherman Johnson. Harold Riggins tied the game in the fourth with a two-run home run, and Kyle Wilson’s RBI single in the fifth gave the lead to the Wolfpack. NC State got another two-run shot in the sixth from Andrew Ciencin. Jake Buchanan (6-4) earned the win by striking out six, walking two, and allowing six hits and two runs in 7.1 innings. Grant Sasser retired the final five batters to pick up the save (4).

No. 8 Georgia Tech 14, No. 11 Miami (Fla.) 3

In Atlanta, Cole Leonida went 3 for 3 with two RBI and two runs as Georgia Tech (18-7, 40-9) won its ACC series opener against Miami (18-7, 36-12). Yasmani Grandal hit a solo home run to lead off the second and give Miami its only lead. The Yellow Jackets took the lead when Chase Burnette hit a three-RBI triple in the second. Jay Dantzler hit a two-RBI triple to cap a five-run third inning that put Georgia Tech up 9-1. Tony Plagman added a two-run home run in the fifth to make the score 13-1. David Villasuso and Ryan Perry hit RBI singles for the Hurricanes in the ninth to end the game’s scoring, but two pinch-hit strikeouts ended the game. Deck McGuire (7-3) pitched seven innings – striking out nine, walking three, and allowing four hits and one run – to earn the win.

No. 13 UCLA 13, USC 7

In Los Angeles, Blair Dunlap went 3 for 4 with two RBI as UCLA won the Pac-10 series opener with USC in front of 1,707 fans at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Tyler Rahmatulla had two hits, three runs and two RBI for the Bruins (11-8, 35-11). Brett Krill had two hits and three runs for UCLA. Ricky Oropesa had four hits, including a home run, and four RBI for the Trojans (5-14, 23-26). Justin Uribe had a RBI double and Krill added a run-scoring triple in a four-run first as the Bruins took the lead for good.

No. 14 Cal State Fullerton 12, Long Beach State 2

In Long Beach, Calif., Carlos Lopez and Christian Colon both had three hits and three RBI as Cal State Fullerton thumped Long Beach State in the Big West series opener at Blair Field. Noe Ramirez (7-1) allowed eight hits and one run in seven innings with five strikeouts to earn the win. Lopez had a run-scoring single in the first and Colon belted a three-run homer in the second as the Titans (16-3, 32-14) never trailed. Fullerton led 11-0 in the seventh before Jonathan Jones knocked in a run in the bottom of the frame for the Dirtbags (7-9, 22-24). Jones had another RBI single in the ninth for LBSU. Billy Marcoe had two hits and three RBI for Fullerton. Steve Tinoco had three hits for the Dirtbags.

Memphis 4, No. 15 Oklahoma 3
In Norman, Okla., Memphis took the first of three on road with a win over Oklahoma. The Sooners (35-14) posted a shallow 1-0 lead in the bottom of third that held up until the sixth frame, when the Tigers (26-24) plated three runs. Memphis would follow with a single run in the seventh and would hold OU to two runs to hang on for the win. Jacob Wilson plated a pair during his 3-for-4 performance. Ryan Fraser (7-2) fanned six in six innings for the win and Chase Joiner notched his second save. Sooner starter Zach Neal (7-2) gave up three runs and the lead for his second loss of the year. Caleb Bushyhead notched a solo blast in the bottom of the eighth for OU.

No. 16 Ole Miss 5, Alabama 4
In Tuscaloosa, Ala., reliever Brett Huber preserved the one-run lead through the last two innings to give Ole Miss (16-9, 36-15) the SEC victory over Alabama. The right-hander hurled a scoreless eighth and ninth inning, retiring three of the seven batters he faced on strikes for his 10th save. The Crimson Tide (10-15, 29-21) looked to make a late-game comeback, but failed to figure out Huber. Rebel starter Drew Pomeranz (7-1) tallied the win, striking out nine in his five innings. At the dish Tim Ferguson went 3 for 5, plating three runs, including a two-run round tripper in the third. Adam Morgan (5-4) suffered the loss and Cody Trotter was 1 for 3 with two RBI for Alabama.

No. 17 Virginia Tech 11, Duke 3

In Blacksburg, Va., Sean Ryan went 3 for 4 with three runs and two RBI as Virginia Tech topped Duke in the ACC series opener at English Field. The Hokies (15-10, 35-15) scored single runs in the first and third before putting up five in the seventh for a 7-0 lead. Jake Lemmerman had a three-run homer in the top of the eighth for the Blue Devils (7-18, 28-23) before Tech answered with four in the bottom of the frame. Steve Domecus went 3 for 5 with two runs and one RBI for the Hokies, while Austin Wates and Ronnie Shaban both had two hits and two RBI. Justin Wright (7-3) (pictured) allowed six hits and three runs in 7.2 innings with two walks and three strikeouts to earn the victory.

Tennessee 9, No. 18 Auburn 3

In Auburn, Ala., Stephen McCray allowed three runs in 7.1 innings to lead Tennessee past Auburn in the SEC series opener at Plainsman Park. It was the seventh straight win for the Volunteers (12-13, 29-21) and the sixth consecutive conference victory. McCray gave up seven hits and struck out five. Cody Hawn (2 for 3, 2 R, 3 RBI), Blake Forsythe (2 for 4, 3 RBI) and Matt Ramsey (2 for 5) all homered for Tennessee. Brian Fletcher drove in two for the Tigers (15-10, 33-17). Hunter Morris had two hits, including a home run, for Auburn.

No. 19 Vanderbilt 13, Mississippi State 8

In Starkville, Miss., Connor Harrell went 4 for 5 with four RBI as Vanderbilt stormed past Mississippi State in the opener of their SEC series at Dudy Noble Field. Luke Adkins had a two-run double to highlight a four-run second as the Bulldogs (5-20, 21-29) built a 5-1 lead. Curt Casail had a three-run homer to cap a four-run third as the Commodores (13-10, 37-13) tied it at 5. Harrell’s three-run double in the fifth put Vanderbilt ahead to stay. Aaron Westlake (2 for 6, 3 RBI) added a two-run dinger in the sixth for the Commodores. Anthony Gomez had four hits, one run and one RBI for Vanderbilt. Connor Powers and Wes Thigpen both went deep for MSU.

USF 12, No. 20 Connecticut 1

In Tampa, Fla., Jonathan Koscso went 3 for 5 and scored two runs during USF’s (14-8, 23-27) Big East series-opening victory against Connecticut (16-5, 39-11). George Springer hit a solo home run in the first to give Connecticut its lone run. Eric Sim tied the game with a RBI single and Ryan Lockwood gave USF the lead with a two-RBI double in the Bulls’ six-run second. Alex Mendez hit a two-run home run in the sixth to give USF its final runs. Randy Fontanez (5-6) picked up the win, striking out six and allowing four hits and one run through seven innings.

FIU 6, South Alabama 5

In Miami, Pablo Bermudez had a RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth to plate the game-winner as FIU edged South Alabama in the Sun Belt series opener. Garrett Wittels had a run-scoring single in the top of the first to extend his hit streak to 43, the fourth-longest in Division I history. The Panthers (14-11, 28-20) led 5-3 after seven before Sean Laird belted a two-run homer in the top of the eighth for the Jaguars (16-9, 30-21) to even the score at 5. Junior Arrojo scored from first on Burmudez’s three-bagger in the bottom of the frame to put FIU up by one. Eric Berkowitz pitched the ninth for his seventh save.

Rhode Island 6, Richmond 0

In Kingston, R.I., Tim Boyce tossed a two-hitter, his second straight complete-game shutout, as Rhode Island blanked Richmond in the Atlantic 10 series opener at Bill Beck Field. Boyce (4-3) walked one and struck out a career-high 10. He has 25 consecutive scoreless innings, a school record. Evan Laude had two hits and drove in two for the Rams (14-8, 25-21). Oliver Palmer had two hits and scored twice for URI. Mike Mergenthaler and Billy Barber both had hits for the Spiders (8-14, 22-25). Ian Marshall (3-4) allowed 10 hits and six runs in seven innings with 10 strikeouts, matching his career high.

Bryant 3-4, Quinnipiac 0-3

In Hamden, Conn., Eric Polvani allowed one hit in seven innings in the opener as first-place Bryant swept a NEC doubleheader from Quinnipiac at QU Baseball Field. Polvani carried a no-hitter into the sixth, broken up by a two-out single by Chris Migani. Polvani struck out nine and walked two in going the distance. Zakary Cianciolo had a sacrifice fly and Jamie Skagerlind added a run-scoring single for the Bulldogs (21-6, 30-21). Nick Campbell had two hits and two runs for Bryant. In the nightcap, the Bulldogs scored three in the second to take control. Mike Delponte went 3 for 3 with one run and three RBI, while Skagerlind went 3 for 3 with two runs. Chris Migani had two hits and two RBI for the Bobcats (13-14, 14-34).

Michigan State 9, Indiana 8

In East Lansing, Mich., Chris Roberts had a game-winning single to cap a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth as Michigan State upended Indiana at McLane Baseball Stadium. Trailing 8-6, Bo Felt reached on an error to start the ninth. Ryan Jones walked and Torsten Boss (2 for 5, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) loaded the bases with a bunt single. Felt scored on a wild pitch and Jones tied it on a fielder’s choice by Jonathan Roof. Jeff Holm was intentionally walked, setting up the heroics for Roberts (3 for 5, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI). Brandon Eckerle had three hits and one RBI for the Spartans (9-10, 31-16). Micah Johnson had three hits, including two doubles, two runs and one RBI for the Hoosiers (9-10, 24-23). Josh Lyon drove in two for IU.

(photo courtesy of Coastal Carolina Media Relations Office)