March 12, 2011

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Around the Bases
Bases-loaded walk in eighth lifts LSU past Fullerton

Virginia nips Clemson, HBU upsets TCU, Cal outlasts Rice in 15

In Baton Rouge, La., Tyler Hanover forced in the game-winner with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth as No. 7 LSU secured a series victory against No. 10 Cal State Fullerton 7-6 Saturday in front of 9,511 fans at Alex Box Stadium. Matty Ott (right) pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his fourth save. The Tigers (14-1) tallied a pair in the first, third and fifth to build a 6-2 lead. The Titans (8-5) responded with two in the sixth and tied it with two in the top of the eighth. Hanover contributed two hits and two runs, while JaCoby Jones went 3 for 4 for LSU. Michael Lorenzen homered and drove in two for Fullerton.

No. 7 Virginia 8, No. 6 Clemson 7

In Clemson, S.C., Virginia scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth to rally past Clemson and clinch an ACC series victory in front of 5,374 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Cavaliers (2-0, 15-1) took advantage of three errors by the Tigers (0-2, 7-5) to plate three in the eighth and tie the game at 7. In the ninth, John Hicks (2 for 5, 2 R) had a run-scoring single with two outs to break the deadlock. Branden Kline fanned two in a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his sixth save. UVa had built a 4-1 lead before Clemson got two in the sixth and four in the seventh to take a 7-4 advantage. Ryan Levine had two hits and two RBI, while John Barr added two hits and two runs for the Cavs. Brad Miller went 3 for 5 with two runs, while Jeff Schaus (2 for 5) and Rickie Shaffer (HR) both knocked in two for the Tigers.

Houston Baptist 7, No. 8 TCU 4

In Fort Worth, Texas, David Pfuntner had two hits and three RBI to lead Houston Baptist past TCU in front of 4,011 fans at Lupton Stadium. The Huskies (1-14) took the lead for good with a three-run fourth, handing Matt Purke (2-1, 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) his first collegiate loss. Kolby Arnst went 2 for 3 with three runs for HBU. Brance Rivera homered for the Horned Frogs (9-5). Stephen Nikonchik (1-1, 6 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) earned the victory for the Huskies.

California 7, No. 19 Rice 6 (15)

In San Francisco, Tony Renda scored on a bunt single by Derek Campbell in the bottom of the 15th as Cal outlasted Rice in the Cal Baseball Classic at AT&T Park. Kyle Porter (1-0, 4 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K) earned the win for the Golden Bears (9-5). Devin Rodriguez went 5 for 5 with three doubles, while Mitch Delfino went 4 for 5 with a double and four RBI for Cal. The Owls (9-8) built a 6-1 lead after five before the Bears scored in four straight innings for force the extra frames. Michael Ratterree went 3 for 6 with a homer and three RBI for Rice.

Texas State 17, Houston 15

In San Marcos, Texas, Casey Kalenkosky belted a game-winning three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, his second in as many innings, as Texas State stormed past Houston at Bobcat Ballpark. The Cougars (7-8) held a 15-4 led in the middle of the eighth before Kalenkosky’s first dinger keyed an eight-run eighth for the Bobcats (11-3). Jeff McVaney (4 for 6, 3 R, 4 RBI) had a two-run single in the ninth to pull Texas State within one before Kalenkosky’s second bomb ended the contest. Kalenkosky finished with three hits and seven RBI, while Andrew Stumph went 4 for 4 with one RBI for the Bobcats. Caleb Ramsey (5 for 5, 3 R, 1 RBI) and Matt Creel (4 for 5, 2 R, 4 RBI) led the offense for Houston.

Air Force 6, Bowling Green 0

In Auburndale, Fla., Sean Carley pitched a two-hit shutout as Air Force blanked Bowling Green in a battle of Falcons at Lake Myrtle Park. Carley (1-2) allowed a base hit in the first and a leadoff single in the second before retiring the final 24 batters. Carley struck out a career-high 12 in recording his first collegiate complete game. Patrick Lobo drove in four, while Nathan Carter had two hits and three runs for Air Force (6-8). Jon Berti and Clay Duncan had hits for BGSU (4-8).

No. 9 Arizona State 9, Auburn 5

In Auburn, Ala., Matt Newman homered twice and drove in four as Arizona State clinched a series win against Auburn in front of 3,272 fans at Plainsman Park. Newman had a two-run shot in a three-run fourth to tie the game at 4-4. He added a RBI double in the seventh and went deep again in the ninth. Joey DeMichele went 5 for 5 with four runs for the Sun Devils (11-2). Zach Alvord went 2 for 2, while Justin Hargett and Wes Gilmer both went 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI for the Tigers (10-5).

Wake Forest 10, No. 14 North Carolina 2

In Winston-Salem, N.C., Carlos Lopez homered twice and drove in four as Wake Forest evened its ACC series with North Carolina at Wake Forest Baseball Park. The Demon Deacons (1-1, 5-9) scored multiple runs in four of the first five innings in building a 10-1 advantage against the Tar Heels (1-1, 14-2). Lopez (3 for 4, 3 R) had two-run dingers in both the third and fifth. Pat Blair had three hits, including two doubles, while Steven Brooks and Matt Conway both knocked in two for WFU. Ben Bunting had two hits for UNC. Tim Cooney (2-1, 7.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 5 K) earned the victory.

No. 1 Florida 12, Rhode Island 4

In Gainesville, Fla., Zack Powers had a two-run triple to key a seven-run second as Florida defeated Rhode Island at McKethan Stadium. Preston Tucker (2 for 3) had a two-run homer in the first for the Gators (13-2) before the explosion in the second made it 9-1. Nolan Fontana went 3 for 4 with two runs and one RBI for Florida. Mike LeBel went 2 for 4 with a triple, one run and two RBI for the Rams (7-5). Hudson Randall (2-0, 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) was the starter and winner for the Gators.

No. 2 Oklahoma 2, UALR 1

In Norman, Okla., Cody Reine drove in both runs as Oklahoma edged UALR at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Sean Bignall (2 for 4) went deep in the top of the first for the Trojans (6-8). Reine was hit by a pitch with the bases full in the third to knot the score at 1. He drove in the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth for the Sooners (16-0). Ryan Duke (1-0, 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 K) earned the win in his return for OU. Dillon Overton (6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K) was solid in relief for the Sooners. Chris Ellison had two hits for OU.

No. 2 Vanderbilt 9, UIC 8 (10)

In Nashville, Tenn., Mike Yastrzemski drove in the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th as Vanderbilt fought back from a six-run deficit to nip UIC at Hawkins Field. Yastrzemski (2 for 5, 2 RBI) had a hit-and-run double to score Tony Kemp from first. The Flames (3-9) built a 7-1 lead before the Commodores (15-1) scored five in the fifth and one in the eighth. Both teams tallied one in the ninth. Curt Casali (3 for 3, 2 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI) reached five times for VU, while Anthony Gomez (2 for 4, 1 R) scored three. Alex De LaRosa went 3 for 4 with one run and two RBI for UIC.

No. 4 South Carolina 5, Cal State Bakersfield 2

In Columbia, S.C., Steven Neff allowed one run in 5.1 innings as South Carolina secured a series win against Cal State Bakersfield at Carolina Stadium. Neff (2-0) allowed four hits and struck out two. Martin Medina had a run-scoring single in the top of the fourth for the Roadrunners (11-5) before the Gamecocks (11-1) responded with three in the fourth and two in the fifth. Robert Beary had two hits and two runs for USC. Jeremy Rodriguez had one hits and one RBI for CSUB.

No. 5 Florida State 15, Boston College 6

In Tallahassee, Fla., Sherman Johnson had three hits, including two doubles, and three RBI to lead Florida State past Boston College in ACC play in front of 5,010 fans at Dick Howser Stadium. The Seminoles (2-0, 14-1) scored multiple runs in five of their first seven at-bats, including six in the second. Rafael Lopez (3 for 4, 2 2B, 2 RBI) scored three, while James Ramsey (2 for 5, 1 2B, 1 R) drove in three for FSU. Garret Smith had two hits and two runs for the Eagles (0-2, 6-7).

No. 11 Texas 4-3, Brown 3-7

In Austin, Texas, Ryan Zrenda homered and drove in two in the nightcap as Brown earned a split in its doubleheader with Texas in front of a crowd of 6,399 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Zrenda’s two-run dinger keyed a three-run third for the Bears (1-5). Brown broke a 3-3 tie with three in the seventh. Graham Tyler knocked in two, while Matt Colantonio had two hits and two runs for the Bears. Brandon Loy went 2 for 3 with two runs for the Longhorns (10-5). In the opener, Erich Weiss erased a 3-0 deficit with a grand slam in the fifth for UT. Paul Montalbano and Jordan Etier both had two hits for the Longhorns. Zrenda had two hits and two runs for the Bears.

No. 13 UCLA 10, Saint Mary’s 2

In Los Angeles, Dean Espy’s first-inning grand slam sparked UCLA to a win over Saint Mary’s at Jackie Robinson Stadium in the Dodgertown Classic. Trevor Bauer (4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB) struck out 13 in 7.1 innings to earn the win. He raised his career strikeout total to 303, the fourth-highest total in school history. Espy’s slam highlighted a six-run first for the Bruins (8-5). Steve Rodriguez (3 for 3) and Pat Valaika (2 for 3, 1 R) both drove in two for UCLA. Brenden Kalfus had two hits, while Patrick Wisdom went deep for the Gaels (3-8). John Savage earned his 200th win as head coach of the Bruins.

No. 15 Arizona 11, Northern Colorado 1

In Tucson, Ariz., Kurt Heyer struck out a season-high 11 as Arizona thumped Northern Colorado at Kindall Field/Sancet Stadium. Heyer (2-1) allowed five hits and one run in eight innings with one walk. The Wildcats (11-3) used a four-run second and five-run fifth to take control. Joey Rickard went 3 for 3 with two RBI, while Bryce Ortega went 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBI for Arizona. Bret Fanning and Adam Hilker both had two hits for the Bears (0-5).

FIU 2, No. 17 Texas A&M 1 (10)

In College Station, Texas, Jabari Henry scored on a wild pitch in the top of the 10th as FIU nipped Texas A&M at Olsen Field. The Aggies (11-4) put two on in the bottom of the frame, but Bryam Garcia (1-0, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K) got a strikeout to end the contest. Joel Capote singled and scored in the third for the Panthers (12-4). A&M tied it in the eighth as Jace Statum scored from second on a wild pitch and throwing error.

San Diego State 3, No. 18 Arkansas 2

In San Diego, Cody Slader had a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to carry San Diego State past Arkansas at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Corey Black allowed eight hits and two runs (one earned) in eight innings with a career-high 13 strikeouts for the Aztecs (3-12). Matt Reynolds had a run-scoring double in the third and the Razorbacks (12-2) scored on a catcher’s balk in the fourth in taking a 2-0 lead. Jomel Torres put SDSU on the board in the sixth with a RBI double. The Aztecs had a double and hit batsman to start the ninth. A sacrifice and strikeout set the stage for Slader’s heroics. Slader, Tim Zier and Brad Haynal each had two hits for SDSU. Dominic Ficociello went 3 for 4 with a run for Arkansas.

No. 20 UC Irvine 5, Sacramento State 3

In Irvine, Calif., Jordan Fox went 2 for 3 with four RBI as UC Irvine edged Sacramento State at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark. It was career win No. 900 for head coach Mike Gillespie (900-526-2, 23 seasons). Fox had a bases-clearing double in the third to give the Anteaters (11-1) a 3-2 advantage. After the Hornets (4-11) tied it in the top of the fourth, Jordan Leyland homered in the bottom of the frame to put UCI ahead for good. Fox added a sac fly in the seventh to complete the scoring. Derrick Chung (2 RBI) and Eli Davis both had three hits for Sacramento State. Jimmy Litchfield (2 IP, 3 H, 2 K) earned the win in relief, while Brian Hernandez (1 IP, 1 K) registered his second save.

Wichita State 1, Tulane 0

In New Orleans, Tim Kelley tossed a three-hit shutout in 1:48 as Wichita State evened its series with Tulane in front of 2,861 fans at Turchin Stadium. Kelley (2-0) walked three and struck out six. The Shockers (10-3) plated their lone run in the top of the first. Tyler Grimes and Preston Springer drew one-out walks and Chris O’Brien drove in Grimes with a base hit. Briggs Barrios had two hits for the Green Wave (10-4).

(photo courtesy of LSU Media Relations Office)