March 2, 2012

Rankings are from CBI Composite Poll

click here for complete list of scores

Around the Bases
South Carolina edges Clemson in 11

Florida wins at Miami, Fresno State stuns Stanford, Texas outscores Rice

In Charleston, S.C., one of college baseball’s best rivalries got off to a great start in 2012 Friday night. No. 3 South Carolina scored twice in the top of the 11th inning then celebrated a win as Evan Marzilli made a diving catch in center with the tying run on third base in a 3-2 win over No. 14 Clemson. The Gamecocks (8-0) took the lead on two-out hits from Sean Sullivan and Connor Bright. Richie Shaffer doubled off Forest Koumas (1-0) and scored on an error to bring the Tigers (4-3) within one. With runners on first and third and two outs, pinch-hitter Jay Baum lined a shot off Nolan Belcher to center, where Marzilli was barely able to get his glove under the ball. Starters Michael Roth (South Carolina) and Kevin Brady (Clemson) were splendid. Roth worked 7.1 innings with four hits, an earned run and seven strikeouts. Brady tossed six innings with four hits, an earned run and seven strikeouts.

No. 1 Florida 7, No. 8 Miami (Fla.) 5

In Coral Gables, Fla., Mike Zunino went 4 for 5 with two doubles, a homer and two RBI, and Austin Maddox tossed 3.1 scoreless innings of relief with seven strikeouts as Florida won its ninth straight game against rival Miami. Hudson Randall (2-0) worked into the sixth, allowing four earned runs, in picking up the win for the Gators (8-1). Maddox also went 3 for 3 with a run and a RBI, and Tyler Thompson went 3 for 4 with two runs and a RBI as Florida roughed up Hurricanes starter Eric Erickson for six runs on nine hits in five innings. Tyler Palmer homered and drove in two, and Julian Santos also drove in two runs for Miami (8-1).

Fresno State 7, No. 2 Stanford 4

In Fresno, Calif., Aaron Judge homered twice as Fresno State handed Stanford its first loss. Judge (2 for 2, 3 R, 2 BB) had a two-run dinger in the second and a solo shot in the fourth. Chris Marsical ripped a three-run double to cap a four-run sixth for the Bulldogs (5-5). Justin Haley (1-1, 3.1 IP, 3 K) earned the win in relief. Mark Appel (2-1, 8 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 11 K) went the distance for the Cardinal (8-1). Brian Ragira had a double and knocked in two for Stanford.

No. 18 Texas 11, No. 4 Rice 8

In Houston, Alex Silver had a pinch-hit two-run double to snap a 3-3 tie and spark a six-run fifth as Texas outscored Rice in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Brooks Marlow had three hits and drove in three for the Longhorns (4-5). Christian Stringer and Craig Manuel both had three hits and two RBI for the Owls (9-1). Nathan Thornhill (2-1, 6 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K) was the starter and winner for Texas, while Parker French (3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K) earned his first save.

No. 5 Texas A&M 7, Michigan State 3

In College Station, Texas, Tyler Naquin had two hits, including a double, and three RBI as Texas A&M topped Michigan State. The Aggies (9-1) scored two in the third and three in the fourth to take a 5-1 advantage. Mickey Reynolds and Blake Allemand both had two hits and two runs for A&M. Torsten Boss (2 for 5) homered in the first for the Spartans (4-4). Michael Wacha (2-0) allowed eight hits and two runs in seven innings with one walk and seven strikeouts in earning the win for the Aggies.

No. 6 Arkansas 3, Texas Tech 1

In Houston, Ryne Stanek fanned a career-high seven as Arkansas topped Texas Tech in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Stanek (3-0) allowed six hits and one run in seven innings with one walk. Barrett Astin (2 IP 1 H, 3 BB, 4 K) earned his second save. Sam Bates belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the first for the Razorbacks (10-1). Jake Wise went 2 for 3 for Arkansas. Reid Redman went 2 for 3 with one RBI for the Red Raiders (8-2).

No. 7 North Carolina 11, USC 1

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Cody Stubbs went 4 for 5 with three RBI to lead North Carolina past USC. Stubbs had two doubles and a home run for the Tar Heels (7-1), who scored three in the second and two in the third to take an early 5-0 lead. UNC finished with two in the seventh and four in the eighth. Colin Moran (2 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI) also went deep for the Heels. Kent Emanuel (3-0, 6 H, 2 BB) struck out eight in six innings. Kevin Roundtree had three hits for the Trojans (7-2).

No. 9 Georgia 4, Western Illinois 1

In Athens, Ga., Alex Wood was fabulous, striking out a career-best 14 and allowing two hits in eight scoreless innings as Georgia topped Western Illinois. Wood (3-0) was nearly unhittable, and his 14 strikeouts were the most by a Bulldogs pitcher since Brooks Brown tallied 14 in 2006. Colby May went 2 for 3 with two RBI, and Kyle Famer went 3 for 4 with two runs and a RBI for Georgia (9-1). Matt Igara hit a solo homer in the ninth for the Leathernecks (3-5).

No. 10 Florida State 6, Maine 0
In Tallahassee, Fla., Seth Miller’s three-run triple in the bottom of the second sparked Florida State past Maine. John Nogowski and Justin Gonzalez both had two hits each to help lead the Seminoles (7-1) offense, while freshman Brandon Leibrandt picked up his second win, lasting five innings, allowing four hits, and striking out six.  Maine (3-3) struggled defensively, committing five errors, but DH Fran Whitten and RF Brian Doran both hit doubles for the Black Bears.

No. 11 Georgia Tech 16, Rutgers 2
In Atlanta, Brandon Thomas went 5 for 5 to spearhead a 23-hit offensive outburst and lead Georgia Tech past visiting Rutgers. The Yellow Jackets (8-2) jumped all over Rutgers (3-4) starting pitcher Ryan Fasano and scored four runs in the bottom of the first.  Kyle Wren (4 for 5, 3 R), Zach Evans (3 for 5, 2 R, RBI) and Sam Dove (3 for 5, R, 3 RBI) also joined in for the Yellow Jackets. Buck Farmer earned the win, going seven innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs, and striking out nine.  Patrick Kivlehan and Brian O’Grady both had two hits for the Scarlet Knights.

No. 12 Arizona 7, Harvard 1

In Tucson, Ariz., Kurt Heyer struck out 14 in going the distance for Arizona against Harvard in front of 1,611 at Hi Corbett Field. Heyer (3-0) allowed six hits and one earned run without walking a batter. Trent Gilbert (2 for 4, 1 R) drove in three for the Wildcats (6-2). Johnny Field, Robert Refsnyder, and Brandon Dixon combined for seven hits. Harvard starter Brent Suter was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs on five hits over five innings. Brandon Kregel homered for the Crimson (0-1).

No. 13 LSU 8, Dartmouth 4
In Baton Rouge, La., Mason Katz went 3 for 3 with a home run to lead LSU over visiting Dartmouth. Ty Ross and Ralph Rhymes also had three hits for the Tigers (8-2). Ross’s double in the bottom of the sixth sparked a four-run inning for LSU, erasing a 4-3 deficit. Dustin Selzer, Ennis Coble, David Turnbull, Jake Carlson all had two hits for Dartmouth (0-1), while Jeff Keller gave the Big Green a 2-1 lead in the top of the second with a two-run double. Kevin Gausman earned his third win of the season for LSU, as he worked around 10 hits in 6.1 innings.

No. 15 Cal State Fullerton 6, Utah Valley 1

In Fullerton, Calif., Ivory Thomas had three hits and drove in the tie-breaking run for Cal State Fullerton in the fifth against Utah Valley at Goodwin Field. Titan starter Dylan Floro (1-1) went eight innings and struck out five while giving up only one run on five hits. Casey Watkins tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth with a single up the middle, which scored Thomas. Utah Valley starter Jeremy Gendlek (0-3) took the loss after giving up three runs on five hits over 4.1 innings and walked three. Goose Kallunki went 2 for 4 for the Wolverines (2-6).

No. 17 Oklahoma 7, New Mexico 6 (10)

In Albuquerque, N.M., New Mexico scored three in the bottom of the ninth before Jack Mayfield’s RBI single in the top of the 10th gave Oklahoma the one-run victory. Tanner Toal (3 for 4) had a two-run single in a five-run first for the Sooners (5-3). Jordan John (3-1, 1.1 IP, 1 K) earned the win in relief. Evan Mistich went 3 for 5 with one run and one RBI for OU. D.J. Peterson went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBI for the Lobos (2-6).

Miami (Ohio) 9, No. 19 Ole Miss 8

In Oxford, Miss., John Crummy had three hits and three RBI as Miami nipped Ole Miss. Crummy had a two-run single in a six-run third as the RedHawks (4-3) built a 7-0 lead. Alex Johnson (4 for 5, 1 R, 1 RBI) and Matt Honchel (3 for 5, 2 R) also contributed to the Miami offense. Joe Neff (1-0, 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K) earned the win in relief, while Nathan Williams (2.2 IP, 2 H, 5 K) notched his first save. Alex Yarbrough went 2 for 3 with a double, two runs and three RBI for the Rebels (7-2).

No. 20 Oregon 5, Long Beach State 4

In Eugene, Ore., Vernell Warren scored the game-winner on a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth as Oregon nipped Long Beach State. With the game tied 4-4, pinch-runner Warren was on second with one out. A ground ball to short was fielded cleanly but the throw was low to first base. Warren was running aggressively and was able to score just ahead of the tag to give the Ducks (8-1) the win over the Dirtbags (4-5). The Ducks used five hits and 10 walks to manufacture five runs. Brett Hambright went 1 for 2 with two RBI. Starter Alex Keudell went seven innings of nine-hit ball while giving up four runs and striking out six, but Jeff Gold (2-0) picked up the win with just one hit over two innings. Kyle Friedrichs (0-1) was saddled with the loss while only giving up one run on no hits over 0.2 innings. Matt Duffy and Ino Patron both had two hits for the Dirtbags, while Patron knocked in two.

Arizona State 4, Northern Illinois 3

In Surprise, Ariz., Abe Ruiz hit a walk-off single to give Arizona State the win over Northern Illinois in the Coca-Cola Classic. The Sun Devils (7-1) rode Matt Dunbar (1-0) as he went two innings of scoreless ball in relief to pick up the win over the Huskies (0-9). ASU starter Alex Blackford went seven innings with three runs and 10 strikeouts. ASU tied it up in the third as Andrew Aplin doubled down the left-field line and Deven Marrero came through with an RBI single. NIU starter Jake Hermsen allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out eight in 7.2 innings, but reliever Ben Etcheverry took the loss.

East Carolina 1, Stony Brook 0

In Greenville, N.C., Kevin Brandt and Tyler Johnson threw up zeroes most of the night, but Corey Thompson’s sacrifice fly scored Philip Clark in the sixth inning as Brandt and East Carolina inched past Stony Brook. Brandt (2-1) allowed four hits and struck out four in eight scoreless innings before giving way to Drew Reynolds, who picked up his fourth save. Thompson made a pair of nice plays down the third-base line, and Clark made a sliding catch in right and doubled up Maxx Tissenbaum (2 for 4) to end the fourth inning. Johnson (0-1) tossed a complete game, allowing six hits and one earned run with two walks and no strikeouts.

College of Charleston 7, Elon 1

In Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Josh Renfro tossed six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, and Cody Martin went 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBI as College of Charleston topped Elon in the Southern Conference. Rob Harding had a double and three RBI, and Brandon Murray went 3 for 4 with a homer and two runs for the Cougars (7-1). Alex Swim and Ryan Kinsella had two hits apiece for the Phoenix (5-4), who lost a league opener for the first time.

(photo by Jimmy Jones)