May 15, 2010

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Around the Bases
Nelson goes the distance as Auburn blanks Tennessee

Air Force wins at TCU, South Carolina triumphs again at Arkansas

In Auburn, Ala., Cole Nelson threw Auburn’s first complete-game shutout since 2005 and first in SEC play since 2002 as the No. 18 Tigers trounced Tennessee 18-0 Saturday in front of 2,995 fans at Plainsman Park to even their series at one game apiece. Auburn (16-10, 34-17) moved into a three-way tie for first in the SEC West and clinched a spot in the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2003. Nelson (6-3) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out three. Trent Mummey (3 for 6, 3R, 7 RBI) (pictured) and Brian Fletcher (3 for 5, 3 R, 3 RBI) both belted two home runs. Mummey had a grand slam in the third to give the Tigers an 11-0 lead. Ryan Jenkins went 3 for 5 with three runs and two RBI. Cody Hawn had a double for the Volunteers (12-14, 29-22).

Air Force 4, No. 6 TCU 2

In Fort Worth, Texas, five pitchers combined to hold TCU to two runs as Air Force won the Mountain West match-up in front of 2,912 fans at Lupton Stadium. Kincaid Koehler allowed one hit in one inning of relief to earn the victory. Sean Carley got the final out to record his first save. Addison Gentry (2 for 4) had a solo homer in the first for the Falcons (2-17, 12-39). After the Horned Frogs (18-5, 39-12) tied it in the bottom of the second, Nathan Carter went deep in the sixth to put Air Force on top to stay. Garrett Custons had a two-run triple in the ninth for some insurance for the Falcons. TCU got one in the bottom of the ninth, but would get no closer. Brance Rivera and Bryan Holaday both had three hits for the Frogs. TCU out-hit Air Force 12-4, but stranded 13. Both of the Falcons’ two MWC wins have come against the Frogs.

No. 10 South Carolina 5, No. 12 Arkansas 0

In Fayetteville, Ark., Sam Dyson pitched a complete-game shutout as South Carolina clinched its SEC series against Arkansas in front of 8,670 fans at Baum Stadium. Dyson (5-4) allowed six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. Bobby Haney had a RBI single in the top of the second for the Gamecocks (19-7, 40-11). Brady Thomas added a two-run homer in the fourth for a 3-0 advantage. Jackie Bradley Jr. had a RBI double and scored in the eighth to complete the scoring. Tim Carver had two hits for the Razorbacks (16-10, 38-13).

No. 2 Virginia 3-5, North Carolina 2-1

In Charlottesville, Va., John Barr had a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth in the opener, and Robert Morey tossed a three-hitter in the nightcap as Virginia swept an ACC doubleheader from North Carolina at Davenport Field. In Game 1, the Tar Heels (11-15, 32-19) got a run in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 2. Jarrett Parker led off the bottom of the frame with an infield single and was sacrificed to second. With two outs, Barr singled to left to plate Parker with the game-winner. Morey (8-2) pitched his second straight complete game with three hits, two walks and eight strikeouts. Phil Gosselin and John Hicks both homered for the Cavaliers (20-6, 42-9). Seth Baldwin had a leadoff double in the sixth and scored for UNC. Parker went 4 for 7 on the day, while Gosselin drove in four.

No. 3 Arizona State 12, Arizona 4

In Tuscon, Ariz., Riccio Torrez had three hits and three RBI to lead Arizona State past Arizona in the Pac-10 series opener at Sancet Stadium. Deven Marrero also had three hits for the first-place Sun Devils (15-4, 42-5). Kole Calhoun homered and drove in three for ASU. The Wildcats (9-10, 20-17) scored a pair in the second, but the Sun Devils answered in the top of the third as Matt Newman had a RBI double and scored. ASU took the lead for good in the fourth on a run-scoring groundout by Raoul Torrez. Zack MacPhee and Riccio Torrez both had RBI doubles in the fifth as the Sun Devils pushed the lead to 5-2. AU pulled within a run in the bottom of the frame on a two-run homer by Rafael Valenzuela. Austin Barnes (2 for 4, 2 R) added a two-run double in the sixth and Calhoun’s two-run dinger in the seventh gave ASU a 9-4 advantage. Riccio Torrez had a two-run single in a three-run eighth.

No. 4 Coastal Carolina 7, Liberty 1

In Lynchburg, Va., Chance Gilmore had three hits as Coastal Carolina defeated Liberty to clinch its 13th Big South regular-season title. Tommy La Stella and Adam Rice both had two hits for the Chanticleers (22-0, 44-6), which have won 32 straight Big South contests. Jose Iglesias drove in Rico Noel with a groundout in the first and a base hit in the third as Coastal took a 2-0 lead. Josh Conway had a RBI double in a two-run fourth as the Chants doubled the lead to 4-0. The Flames (18-5, 37-14) got a run in the fifth on a base hit by Matt Williams. Coastal added three in the seventh, keyed by a homer by Rice. Cody Wheeler (10-0) allowed seven hits and one earned run in six innings with one walk and seven strikeouts to earn the win. Keith Hessler pitched three hitless innings with one strikeout to record his first save. Curran Redal had two hits for Liberty.

No. 5 Florida 4, Georgia 3
In Gainesville, Fla., the Gators (19-7, 36-12) defeated Georgia 4-3 for the second time this weekend to clinch the SEC series. Florida’s Ben McMahan stroked a walk-off home run to break through a 3-3 tie. Reliever Kevin Chapman (3-0) locked down the win, finishing out the game by giving up just one run in 1.2 innings. The Bulldogs’ Steve Esmonde (2-1) surrendered the game-winner for the loss. Kevin Ruiz went 3 for 4 at the plate for Georgia (3-21, 14-35).

No. 7 Florida State 7, NC State 5

In Tallahassee, Fla., James Ramsey and Stephen Cardullo each went 2 for 4 to lead Florida State (17-9, 38-13) as it evened its ACC series with NC State (12-14, 32-19). Drew Poulk gave the Wolfpack an early lead with a three-run home run in the first inning. Ramsey tied the game with a solo home run to lead off the seventh, and Devon Travis gave the Seminoles their first lead with a two-RBI double later that inning. Andrew Ciencin hit a RBI single in the eighth to tie the game, but Ramsey’s single in the bottom of the inning drove in the game-winning run. Geoff Parker (3-0) struck out two, walked one, and allowed three hits and two runs in 1.2 innings to earn the win. Mike McGee picked up the save (9), striking out two and walking one in a shutout ninth inning.

No. 11 Miami (Fla.) 9, No. 8 Georgia Tech 2

In Atlanta, Chris Pelaez went 3 for 5 with four RBI and two runs to help Miami (19-7, 37-12) tie its ACC series against Georgia Tech (18-8, 40-10). Harold Martinez gave the Hurricanes the lead with a two-run home run in the second inning. With Miami leading 4-0, Chase Burnette drove in the Yellow Jackets’ runs with a two-run home run in the fourth. Pelaez, who hit a RBI single in the third and a three-run home run in the seventh, and Yasmani Grandal, who hit a RBI double in the fifth and a solo home run in the ninth, drove in the Hurricanes’ final six runs. The winning pitcher was Chris Hernandez (8-2), who struck out six, walked four, and allowed five hits and two runs in six innings.

No. 9 Louisville 10, St. John's 6
In Louisville, Ky., the Cardinals (17-6, 41-10) knotted up the weekend Big East series with St. John’s (15-8, 34-15). Both teams broke out of the gate at full speed, but Louisville posted a four-run sixth inning to coast to the win. At the dish, Ryan Wright went 2 for 5 with three RBI. Tony Zych (2-2) entered the game in relief to pitch five scoreless innings for the win. Red Storm reliever Stephen Rivera (3-2) gave up two runs for the loss. Greg Hopkins was 2 for 4, plating four runs.
 

No. 13 UCLA 15, USC 2

In Los Angeles, Brett Krill went 3 for 4 with a homer, three runs and three RBI as UCLA thumped USC in front of 1,360 fans at Steele Field at Jackie Robinson Stadium to clinch the Pac-10 series. Trevor Bauer (8-3) allowed seven hits and two runs in seven innings with 11 strikeouts to earn the victory. The Trojans (5-14, 23-27) scored in the top of the first before the Bruins (12-8, 36-11) tied it in the third on a run-scoring single by Beau Amaral, who extended his hit streak to 15. UCLA scored five in the fourth, two in the fifth, five in the sixth and two in the seventh. Tyler Rahmatulla went 3 for 5 with one run and one RBI, and Cody Keefer added a three-run homer. Ricky Oropesa and Keith Castillo both had one hit and one RBI for USC.

No. 14 Cal State Fullerton 8, Long Beach State 0

In Long Beach, Calif., Daniel Renken pitched a complete-game shutout as Cal State Fullerton defeated Long Beach State at Blair Field to clinch the Big West series. The first-place Titans (17-3, 33-14) have won six straight games and nine consecutive series. Renken (9-2) allowed eight hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Fullerton scored one in the fourth and broke it open with six in the sixth, highlighted by Christian Colon’s grand slam. Gary Brown doubled and scored in the ninth for the game’s final run. Joey Terdoslavich and Steve Tinoco both had two hits for the Dirtbags (7-10, 22-25).

No. 15 Oklahoma 14, Memphis 6
In Norman, Okla., Oklahoma rebounded from a Friday night loss with a 14-6 win over Memphis (26-25). The Sooners (36-14) plated runs from the second to the seventh inning, capping it off with a five-run seventh. Cameron Seizter went 2 for 4 with three runs batted in and knocked his 13th long ball of the year in the bottom of the fifth. Jack Mayfield (4-0) pitched 6.2 innings for the win, allowing just two runs. The Tigers’ Brennon Martin (4-6) allowed six runs in four innings for the loss. Tyler Huelsing was 3 for 4 with three RBI and a walk.

Alabama 4, No. 16 Ole Miss 1
In Tuscaloosa, Ala., both teams remained scoreless until Alabama (11-15, 30-21) put together a one-run seventh followed by a three-run eighth to even the SEC series with a win over Ole Miss (16-10, 36-16). The Crimson Tide received a strong plate performance from Josh Rutledge who went 1 for 4 with two RBI. Jimmy Nelson (6-2) pitched all nine innings, surrendering just one run on four hits while fanning 11. Matt Tracy (3-3) entered the tilt in relief for the Rebels, but gave up all three-runs in the eighth for the loss. Matt Smith tallied his team’s lone run with a two-out RBI single in the eighth.

No. 17 Virginia Tech 18, Duke 8

In Blacksburg, Va., Ronnie Shaban had six RBI and Michael Seaborn belted a grand slam as Virginia Tech thumped Duke at English Field to clinch the ACC series. Seaborn’s slam came in the second and tied the game at 4. Shaban (4 for 5, 3 R) put the Hokies (16-10, 36-15) ahead to stay with a three-run homer in the fourth. He added a two-run single in the fifth and a RBI base hit in the seventh. Steve Domecus went 4 for 6 with three runs and three RBI for Tech. Dennis O’Grady had three hits for the Blue Devils (7-19, 28-24).

No. 19 Vanderbilt 13, Mississippi State 7 (10)

In Starkville, Miss., Mike Yastrzemski had a three-run double in an eight-run 10th as Vanderbilt defeated Mississippi State in front of 6,134 fans at Dudy Noble Field to secure the SEC series victory. Jason Esposito went 5 for 5 with two runs and one RBI, and Andrew Giobbi had two hits, including a homer, and four RBI for the Commodores (14-10, 38-13). Vanderbilt scored two in the ninth to tie the game at 5 before the eight-run explosion in the top of the 10th. Ryan Duffy (2 for 3, 2 R) and Jonathan Ogden both homered for the Bulldogs (5-21, 21-30).

No. 20 Connecticut 13, USF 5

In Tampa, Fla., Nick Ahmed went 3 for 5 with two runs and one RBI, and Connecticut (17-5, 40-11) beat USF (14-9, 23-28) to set up a rubber match in Sunday’s Big East series finale. The Huskies built an early 3-0 lead, but in the fourth, Chad Taylor’s two-RBI single and Eric Sim’s two-RBI double put USF on top. Connecticut regained its lead when Mike Nemeth hit a two-RBI single in the sixth. Other highlights of the Huskies’ 10-run sixth inning were Mike Olt’s solo home run and RBI doubles from Billy Ferriter and Pierre LePage. The win went to Greg Nappo (7-5), who pitched seven innings, striking out three, walking four, and allowing seven hits and four runs.

FIU 8, South Alabama 1

In Miami, Scott Rembisz allowed five hits and one run in 8.1 innings as FIU defeated South Alabama in Sun Belt action at FIU Baseball Stadium. Rembisz (7-4) struck out seven and did not walk a batter. Pablo Bermudez, T.J. Shantz and Jose Behar each homered for the Panthers (15-11, 29-20). Garrett Wittels went 3 for 5 with two runs to extend his hit streak to 44. Taylor White had two hits for the Jaguars (16-10, 30-22).

Bucknell 11-4, Army 9-6

In West Point, N.Y., Doug Shribman of fourth-seeded Bucknell belted three home runs in a doubleheader split with top-seeded Army in the Patriot League semifinal series. B.J. LaRosa went deep twice for the Bison, including the game-winning two-run dinger in the eighth in the opener. The Black Knights were held to one run in the first seven innings of Game 2, but Clint Moore’s three-run blast keyed a five-run eighth as Army forced a deciding Game 3 on Sunday. Shribman went 5 for 9 with five runs and four RBI on the day for Bucknell. Kevin McKague went 4 for 8 with three runs and two RBI for Army.

Holy Cross 2-1, Lehigh 1-4

In Bethlehem, Pa., pitching was the key as third-seeded Holy Cross and second-seeded Lehigh split their Patriot League semifinal series. Nate Koneski went the distance in the opener for the Crusaders, allowing seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He was just a bit better than Andrew Berger of the Mountain Hawks, who allowed one earned run in the complete game with six hits and two walks. Nick Ciardiello had a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth to plate the game-winner. Ken Longermecker got the win in Game 2 for Lehigh, surrendering seven hits and one run in seven innings. Stephen Wadsworth went 3 for 5 on the day for Holy Cross, while John Sills went 3 for 8. Austin Borden had four hits in the two games for Lehigh.

(Mummey photo by Jimmy Jones, Fletcher photo by Todd Van Emst/AU)