March 20, 2011

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Around the Bases
Florida rallies to complete first sweep at LSU

Texas A&M wins series over Oklahoma, Mississippi State outscores Vanderbilt

In Baton Rouge, La., top-ranked Florida fought back from an early 3-0 deficit to complete its first SEC sweep at No. 7 LSU with a 7-3 win Sunday at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers (0-3, 16-4) scored two in the second and one in the third before the Gators (3-0, 18-2) erupted for five in the fourth, keyed by two-run singles by Mike Zunino and Jeff Moyer (3 for 3, 2 R, 3 RBI). Adams (2 for 4) added a homer in the sixth and Moyer went deep in the ninth for Florida. Preston Tucker had three hits and one run for the Gators. JaCoby Jones (1 RBI) and Ty Ross both had two hits for LSU. Austin Maddox (1-0, 4.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K) (pictured) earned the win in relief for the Gators. Florida has won eight straight and matched the most wins through 20 games in program history, as the 1952 squad was 18-1-1. The three-game series set a stadium record for total attendance (28,215) and tickets sold (34,562).

No. 12 Texas A&M 5, No. 3 Oklahoma 2

In Norman, Okla., Jacob House had a key two-run double in the top of the seventh as Texas A&M won its Big 12 series against Oklahoma at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Kenny Jackson and Charlie Curl had RBI singles in the fourth as the Aggies (2-1, 15-5) took a 3-1 lead. Garrett Buechele, who drove in the first run for the Sooners (1-2, 17-5) in the third, homered in the fifth to pull OU within one at 3-2. The double by House (2 for 4) in the seventh gave A&M insurance at 5-2. Krey Bratsen and Kenny Jackson both had two hits for the Aggies. Evan Mistich had three hits and a run for the Sooners. Ross Stripling (4-1, 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 7 K) earned the win, while Joaquin Hinojosa (1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB) worked the ninth for his second save.

Mississippi State 9, No. 2 Vanderbilt 8

In Nashville, Tenn., pinch-hitter Adam Frazier had a two-run single to tie the game, and C.T. Bradford singled in the game-winner as Mississippi State rallied for five runs in the eighth inning to avoid a SEC sweep and end Vanderbilt's 12-game winning streak. After being shut out in the first two games of the series, the Bulldogs (1-2, 15-6) got a RBI single from Taylor Stark to start the comeback. Cody Freeman was hit by a pitch, bringing in another run, and Frazier tied it with a bases-loaded single. Jarrod Parks, who opened the eighth with a single, went 3 for 5 with a two-run homer for MSU. Aaron Westlake went 3 for 4 with a homer and three RBI for the Commodores (2-1, 19-2).

No. 4 South Carolina 8, Georgia 3

In Columbia, S.C., Forrest Koumas led four South Carolina relievers who totaled eight innings of one run-ball as South Carolina won the rubber game of its SEC series with Georgia. Koumas worked 3.1 innings to improve to 2-0 and was followed by John Taylor, who tossed 2.1 hitless innings. Bryan Harper struck out the only batter he faced, and Matt Price struck out four in two scoreless innings for his fifth save. Evan Marzilli had a two-run double as the Gamecocks (2-1, 14-4) scored three times in the eighth to break the game open. Adam Matthews went 3 for 3 with two runs and a RBI to pace South Carolina. Curt Powell went 2 for 5 with a RBI for the Bulldogs (1-2, 9-11).

No. 5 Florida State 12, No. 6 Virginia 11 (10)

In Charlottesville, Va., Rafael Lopez led off the 10th inning with a homer, and Florida State edged Virginia to salvage the final game of their ACC series. It's been a nail-biting week for the Seminoles (4-2, 16-4), who have played four straight extra-inning games and five straight one-run games. The win was their 23rd straight Sunday victory dating to 2009. James Ramsey went 2 for 4 with five RBI, and Lopez's game-winning homer gave him three hits, four runs and three RBI on the day. John Hicks went 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBI, and Reed Gragnani also drove in two for the Cavaliers (5-1, 19-2).

No. 8 Texas 6, Kansas State 5 (14)

In Austin, Texas, Brandon Loy's double down the right-field line scored Tim Maitland with the game-winner as Texas completed a Big 12 sweep of Kansas State, beating the Wildcats in extra innings for the second straight day. The Wildcats (0-3, 12-7) led 5-1 before the Longhorns (3-0, 15-5) scored four times in the seventh, the big blow being a two-run single by Cohl Walla. Kirby Bellow, Corey Knebel and Kendal Carrillo (1-0) combined to allow three runs in seven innings of relief for Texas. Nick Martini had two hits, a run and a RBI for Kansas State.

Oral Roberts 5, No. 9 Arizona State 2

In Tempe, Ariz., Brandon King drove in two runs in a five-run fifth inning, and Oral Roberts used eight pitchers to shut down Arizona State. T.J. Bennett and Brett Burch each had two hits and a RBI for ORU. Austin Barnes and Joey DeMichele drove in runs for ASU.

No. 10 TCU 8, UNLV 4

In Las Vegas, Jerome Pena had four hits and three RBI as TCU won its Mountain West series at UNLV. Joe Weik also had four hits for the Horned Frogs (2-1, 12-7). TCU scored three in the top of the first and tallied single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth to extend a 5-4 advantage. The Frogs turned three double plays over the final four frames. Steven Maxwell (2-0, 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) earned the win for TCU. Pena, Brance Rivera (2 for 5, 2 RBI) and Jason Coats (2 RBI) each homered for the Frogs. Travis Feiner went deep for the Rebels (1-2, 17-6).

No. 11 Arizona 7, San Francisco 0

In Tucson, Ariz., Kyle Simon pitched seven scoreless innings as Arizona blanked San Francisco for the second straight game at Kindall Field/Sancet Stadium. Simon (5-0) allowed eight hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Matt Chaffee pitched a perfect eighth and ninth with three strikeouts. Robert Refsnyder had a sacrifice fly and Johnny Field (3 for 4, 2 RBI) added a run-scoring single in the first for the Wildcats (15-5). Field added a RBI triple and scored in a three-run fifth. Cole Frenzel (2 for 5, 2 R) had a run-scoring base hit and came home in the eighth to complete the scoring. Jett Bandy had three hits, two runs and one RBI for Arizona. Stephen Yarrow and Travis Higgs both had two hits for the Dons (9-10).

Auburn 8, No. 13 Arkansas 7

In Auburn, Ala., Casey McElroy drove in four, including a pair in a four-run eighth, as Auburn won its SEC series against Arkansas at Plainsman Park. The Razorbacks (1-2, 15-4) led 5-4 before the Tigers (2-1, 14-6) rallied for an 8-5 lead after eight. Kyle Robinson (2 for 5) and Dominic Ficociello (4 for 5, 3 RBI) both had RBI singles in the top of the ninth, but Justin Fradejas threw out Matt Reynolds at the plate to cut down the potential tying run. McElroy had three hits, including a homer, and three runs. Brooks Beisner scored twice for Auburn. Collin Kuhn drove in two for Arkansas.

No. 14 Clemson 9, Duke 3

In Clemson, S.C., Scott Firth allowed three hits in 6.2 innings with no earned runs as Clemson completed the ACC sweep of Duke at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Firth (1-0) walked one and struck out five in his first start of the season. Phil Pohl (2 for 3) had a RBI single in the first as the Tigers (3-3, 10-7) took the lead for good. Chris Epps (2 for 4, 3 RBI) homered in the fifth to push Clemson’s lead to 6-0. Jeff Schaus had three hits, three runs and two RBI for the Tigers. Christopher Marconcini had a double and scored for the Blue Devils (2-4, 15-7).

No. 17 North Carolina 7, Virginia Tech 6

In Blacksburg, Va., Jesse Wierzbicki had three hits and two runs as North Carolina nipped Virginia Tech to complete the ACC sweep at English Field. The Tar Heels (4-2, 18-3) scored one in the top of the ninth and held on as the Hokies (0-6, 12-10) tallied two in the bottom of the frame, but came up short. Tommy Coyle drove in two, while Seth Baldwin had two hits and two runs for UNC. Chad Pinder had four hits, while Tony Balisteri and Michael Seaborn both had three hits for Tech. Andrew Smith (2-0, 1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K) earned the win, while Chris Munnelly (1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) picked up his first save.

(photo by Jimmy Jones)