May 8, 2011

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

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Around the Bases
Esposito sparks Vanderbilt past Kentucky

Princeton win Ivy title, Hofstra blanks Miami, Ole Miss nips South Carolina

In Lexington, Ky., Jason Esposito (right) had a run-scoring single with two away in the bottom of the ninth to spark a three-run rally as third-ranked Vanderbilt won its SEC series over Kentucky with a 6-3 victory Sunday at Cliff Hagen Stadium. After Esposito’s base hit gave the Commodores (19-5, 40-6) a 4-3 lead, Mike Yastrzemski and Curt Casali followed with run-scoring singles to push the advantage to 6-3. Navery Moore (4-1, 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K) picked up the win, while Corey Williams got the final out for his second save. Aaron Westlake went 2 for 3 with a homer, two walks, two runs and two RBI for Vanderbilt. Thomas McCarthy went 3 for 4 with a double, one run and one RBI, while Michael Williams belted a two-run homer in the fourth for the Wildcats (5-19, 21-27).

Princeton 8, Dartmouth 5

In Princeton, N.J., Steve Harrington had two hits and three RBI as Princeton defeated Dartmouth in the deciding game of the Ivy League Championship Series at Clarke Field. The Tigers (23-22) scored in five of the first six innings in claiming the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Princeton won its 17th league crown and first since 2006. Sam Mulroy went 3 for 5 with two runs and two RBI, while Jonathan York added two hits and two RBI for the Tigers. A.J. Goetz (3-1) allowed one run in 4.2 relief innings with four hits, no walks and two strikeouts to earn the victory. Jason Brooks (3 for 5) homered twice and Chris O’Dowd also went deep for the Big Green (30-12).

Hofstra 5, No. 18 Miami (Fla.) 0

In Coral Gables, Fla., David D’Errico and Jeff Guthridge combined on the shutout as Hofstra salvaged the finale of its series against Miami in front of 2,280 onlookers at Alex Rodriguez Park. D’Errico (5-5) allowed five hits in six innings with two walks and four strikeouts to earn the victory. Guthridge tossed three hitless innings with two walks and one strikeout to record the save. Joe Perez went 2 for 3 with a homer and three RBI, while Jared Hammer went 3 for 4 with two runs and one RBI for the Pride (12-29). Brad Fieger and Harold Martinez both had two hits for the Hurricanes (31-16).

Ole Miss 7, No. 2 South Carolina 6

In Oxford, Miss., Preston Overbey had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to give Ole Miss the SEC series victory over South Carolina in front of 7,964 fans at Oxford-University Stadium. With the score knotted at 6, Matt Tracy (2 for 2, 3 BB, 1 RBI) drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth and moved to third on a base hit by Miles Hamblin, setting the stage for Overbey’s heroics. Matt Snyder went 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBI, while Blake Newalu scored three for the Rebels (11-13, 27-21). Brady Thomas had a double, a triple, two runs and two RBI for the Gamecocks (18-6, 37-10). Jake Morgan (3-0, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 K) earned the victory for Ole Miss.

No. 5 Oregon State 4, California 2

In Corvallis, Ore., Ben Wetzler allowed one run over seven innings as Oregon State won its Pac-10 series over California in front of 2,297 spectators at Goss Stadium. Wetzler (6-2) allowed a leadoff homer to Tony Renda (2 for 4, 2 RBI), but surrendered only three more hits through seven. He did not walk a batter and struck out seven. Tony Bryant worked the final 1.2 innings with one hit and one strikeout to notch his ninth save. Brian Stamps went 2 for 2 with three runs, while Kavin Keyes added two hits and two RBI for the Beavers (14-4, 34-11). Austin Booker went 2 for 3 with a run for the Golden Bears (12-9, 28-16).

Nebraska 6, No. 6 Texas 3

In Lincoln, Neb., Kash Kalkowski went 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBI as Nebraska defeated Texas in front of 3,018 fans at Hawks Field to win the Big 12 series. The Cornhuskers (7-13, 27-20) scored single runs in the third and fourth before a four-run fifth made it 6-0. Bryan Peters had two hits and one run for Nebraska. Jonathan Walsh had two hits and two RBI for the Longhorns (17-7, 36-12). Tyler Niederklein (7-2, 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K) picked up the win, while Casey Hauptman (3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 K) earned his eighth save.

No. 7 Arizona State 17, Long Beach State 9

In Tempe, Ariz., Andy Workman had five hits, two homers and seven RBI, all career bests, as Arizona State completed the series sweep of Long Beach State at Packard Stadium. The Sun Devils (35-11) scored multiple runs in five of their eight at-bats, including six in the fifth to take an 11-2 advantage. Johnny Ruettiger (2 R, 3 RBI) and Zach Wilson (3 R) both had three hits for ASU. Brennan Metzger went 4 for 4 with two RBI, while Johnny Bekakis had three hits and three RBI for the Dirtbags (23-22). Jake Barrett (7-3, 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 K) registered the victory.

No. 8 Florida State 6, UCF 1
In Tallahassee, Fla., Jayce Boyd drove in three runs, and Mike McGee allowed only one hit and one run in seven innings and also went 2 for 2 with a homer as Florida State captured its series with UCF. McGee (2-2) made his second start of the season a memorable one, walking three and striking out seven. The one hit he allowed was a solo homer by Derek Luciano. Devon Travis had two hits and two runs for the Seminoles (36-12). UCF fell to 29-19.

No. 9 TCU 8, No. 19 Oklahoma State 7 (10)
In Stillwater, Okla., TCU blew a 7-1 lead but escaped thanks to a 10th-inning homer by Zac Jordan as the Frogs captured their series with Oklahoma State. Brance Rivera went 4 for 5 with a run and a RBI out of the leadoff spot, and Jason Coats homered and drove in two as TCU 33-14 built a six-run lead after the top of the sixth. But the Cowboys (31-15) rallied with five runs over the next two innings, with Zach Johnson (4 RBI) delivering the big blow with a three-run homer in the seventh. Johnson tied the game in the ninth with a sacrifice fly. Trent Appleby established a school record for TCU with his 89th career appearance.

No. 11 Cal State Fullerton 3, UC Riverside 2
In Riverside, Calif., Tyler Pill delivered a RBI single through a drawn-in infield in the seventh as Cal State Fullerton completed a sweep of UC Riverside - its first road sweep of Riverside. Colin O'Connell (6-3) was perfect in three innings of relief, and Nick Ramirez picked up his third save in as many games. Ivory Thomas and Michael Lorenzen each contributed two hits and a run for the Titans (14-4, 33-13). Justin Shults paced UCR (6-9, 23-18) with two hits and two RBI.

No. 12 Georgia Tech 10, UIC 2
In Chicago, Mott Hyde went 3 for 3 with two RBI, and Jacob Esch went 4 for 5 with a RBI as Georgia Tech routed UIC in the second game of their series. Jed Bradley (6-2) allowed five hits and two earned runs in six solid innings for the Yellow Jackets (33-14). Zane Evans contributed two RBI, and DeAndre Smelter and Matt Skole added two hits and two runs for Tech. Joe Betcher and Jon Ryan had RBI for the Flames (22-21).

No. 12 Oklahoma 11, Kansas 7

In Norman, Okla., Ricky Eisenberg had a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the ninth as Oklahoma completed a Big 12 sweep of Kansas at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Jayhawks (9-15, 22-27) tied it with three in the top of the ninth before the Sooners (13-9, 35-13) won it on the slam by Eisenberg (2 for 4, 6 RBI). Casey Johnson went 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBI for OU. Tyler Ogle (2 R, 1 RBI) and Caleb Bushyhead (1 R) both had three hits for the Sooners. Brandon Macias (2 R, 2 RBI) and Chris Manship both homered for Kansas.

No. 14 North Carolina 8, Maryland 4

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Colin Moran went 4 for 5 with a homer and two RBI as North Carolina swept Maryland in ACC action at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels (16-8, 37-10) scored four in the fifth to erase a 3-2 deficit. Jesse Wierzbicki had two runs and two RBI for UNC. Tim Kiene and Michael Montville both went 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBI for the Terrapins (5-22, 20-32). Chris Munnelly (5-3, 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 7 K) got the win, while Michael Morin (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) earned his fourth save.

No. 15 Southern Miss 8, UAB 5

In Hattiesburg, Miss., Southern Miss scored all its runs in the final three innings as Southern Miss swept Conference USA rival UAB in front of 3,231 fans at Pete Taylor Park. The Golden Eagles (14-4, 36-11) were held hitless through the first six innings and trailed 5-0 before scoring two in the seventh and three in the eighth to tie it. Kameron Brunty belted a three-run homer in the ninth to claim the victory. B.A. Vollmuth homered and drove in two for Southern Miss. Patrick Palmeiro (2 for 4, 2 RBI) and Keith DePew (2 for 3, 2 RBI) both went deep for the Blazers (9-12, 25-22). Collin Cargill (5-3, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB) was the winner for the Eagles.

Louisiana Tech 8, No. 16 Fresno State 4

In Ruston, La., Mike Jefferson retired the final 10 in going the distance as Louisiana Tech split its WAC series with Fresno State at J.C. Love Field. Jefferson (5-3) allowed nine hits and four runs with three walks and six strikeouts. Alex Williams had a three-run homer to cap a four-run third as the home Bulldogs (9-11, 27-24) took the lead for good at 4-3. Clint Ewing (2 for 4) also went deep for Tech. Jordan Ribera homered and drove in three for the visiting Bulldogs (12-7, 32-11).

No. 17 Clemson 5, Gardner-Webb 1

In Boiling Springs, N.C., Justin Sarratt allowed one unearned run in six innings as Clemson topped Gardner-Webb in front of a record-crowd of 1,328 at Moss Stadium. Sarratt (6-1) gave up four hits and one walk with six strikeouts. Richie Shaffer went 2 for 3 with a home run for the Tigers (32-15). John Harris went 1 for 3 with one RBI for the Bulldogs (28-17-1).

No. 20 UCLA 4, Oregon 0

In Eugene, Ore., Adam Plutko tossed a two-hit shutout as UCLA completed a Pac-10 sweep of Oregon in front of 1,554 fans at PK Park. Plutko (4-3) walked one and struck out seven in facing three over the minimum. It was the ninth shutout of the season for the Bruins (14-7, 27-16). Cody Keefer had a RBI single in the eighth to snap a scoreless tie and capped a three-run ninth with another run-scoring base hit. Cody Regis went 4 for 4 with one RBI, while Dean Espy had two hits and two runs for UCLA. Brett Thomas and J.J. Altobelli both had hits for the Ducks (5-13, 23-23).

Bethune-Cookman 9, Delaware State 4

In Daytona Beach, Fla., Alejandro Sanchez went 3 for 3 with a homer, three runs and three RBI as Bethune-Cookman completed the sweep of Delaware State at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Wildcats (18-0, 32-20) went undefeated in the MEAC for the second straight season and won their 43rd consecutive conference game, an NCAA record. B-CU took control with four in the second and added three in the fourth and two in the fifth. Patrick Goelz (7-3, 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K) earned the victory for the Wildcats. Keith Hernandez went 2 for 4 with one RBI for the Hornets (11-7, 23-24).

Georgia 14, Auburn 11

In Auburn, Ala., Kyle Farmer had a grand slam to cap a nine-run ninth as Georgia rallied past Auburn to avoid the SEC sweep in front of 3,080 fans at Plainsman Park. The Tigers (11-13, 25-22) erupted for eight in the first and built an 11-5 lead before the big finish by the Bulldogs (14-10, 25-23). Davidson had a three-run homer to start the ninth-inning comeback. It was the second dinger of the game for Davidson (2 for 2, 3 R, 5 RBI). Tyler Maloof (2-1, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 K) earned the win for Georgia. Creede Simpson had a three-run homer in the first, and Casey McElroy went 4 for 5 with two runs and two RBI for Auburn.

(photo by Jimmy Jones)