Feb. 27, 2008

Manno Strikes Out 10 In 8-1 Blue Devil Victory

Christopher Manno struck out 10 batters and held Alabama A&M to one run through six innings to lead the Duke baseball team to an 8-1 win over the Bulldogs Tuesday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field.

Manno (1-0) surrendered just seven hits without allowing a walk in his third career start. The sophomore southpaw needed only 75 pitches - 61 of which were strikes - to pick up his first career win.

Relievers Ryan Perry and Ryan Knott combined for three hitless innings of relief after Manno's departure. Perry, a senior, logged two innings and one strikeout, while Knott, a freshman, closed out the ninth with two strikeouts in his first career appearance.

Duke (5-0) received a 2-for-4, two-RBI performance from junior Nate Freiman, who also contributed his third home run of the season. Freiman has now driven in a team-high 11 RBI, all of which have come in the last three games.

Freshmen Lead No. 22 Georgia Tech to 11-2 Win Over Georgia Southern

Freshman starting pitcher Deck McGuire gave up one run on three hits and Thomas Nichols and Jeff Rowland drove in three runs apiece to lead No. 22 Georgia Tech (4-0) to a 11-2 win over Georgia Southern (1-3) Tuesday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.

McGuire (1-0) faced three batters over the minimum and allowed just one runner past first base to earn the first win of his career. He also struck out three and walked one.

Nichols and Rowland, also freshmen, smacked the first home runs of their careers while another newcomer, shortstop Derek Dietrich, drove in a pair of runs with a double in the third inning. Nichols went 2-for-2 with two runs and three RBI.

Chris House and Charlie Blackmon led the Yellow Jackets with 3-for-4 performances at the plate, and Tony Plagman and Jason Haniger added two hits apiece.

Marlins Take Exhibition Game over No. 9 Hurricanes, 7-2

Sophomore shortstop Ryan Jackson delivered a 3-for-4 performance with three doubles, but the Florida Marlins scored four unanswered runs and held on for a 7-2 win over the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes Tuesday afternoon at Roger Dean Stadium in their annual exhibition game. Mark Sobolewski and Jason Hagerty each had two hits for Miami.

The Hurricanes out-hit the Marlins, 10-8, but committed three errors. Miami used nine pitchers in the game. Redshirt junior pitcher Carlos Gutierrez struck out two of the four batters he faced. Sophomore righty John Houset was saddled with the loss allowing two earned runs in one inning of work.

Jai Miller's solo home run in the bottom of the sixth put the Marlins ahead, 7-2.

Miscues Doom No. 2 Tar Heels In 8-6 Loss To ODU

No. 2 North Carolina held Old Dominion scoreless through seven innings but allowed seven unearned runs over the final three frames in an 8-6, 10-inning loss Tuesday in the home opener at Cary's USA Baseball National Training Complex. First baseman Bryan Cipolla went 3-for-6 with six RBI, as the Monarchs (2-1) handed the Tar Heels (3-1) their first loss in a home opener since 1993.

Cipolla's third hit of the night, a three-run double in the 10th inning, proved to be the difference. He also hit a game-tying solo home run in the ninth and a two-run single in the Monarchs' four-run eighth, which also featured three of the Tar Heels four errors. Center fielder Jimmy Miles also had two hits and scored two runs for ODU.

For the Tar Heels, freshman left fielder Ben Bunting went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles in his first career start. Senior Chad Flack and sophomore Tim Fedroff, who had his second homer of the season, each added two hits on the night.

Terps Drop Home Opener to Towson

Maryland baseball lost its home opener to in-state rival Towson at a cold and wet Shipley Field this afternoon, 11-6.

The Terps (1-3) led the Tigers (2-1) 5-3 after four innings, but Towson scored six runs in the top of the fifth to build a four-run lead it would not relinquish.

Maryland loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first inning and scored runs on a bases-loaded walk and bases-loaded balk to go up 2-0. Towson went ahead 3-2 in the top of the second before the Terps re-took the lead in the fourth.

With two outs and two men on base in the fourth, senior outfielder Nick Jowers (Beltsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) drilled a two-run double to left field. Senior Chad Durakis (Cockeysville, Md./St. Pauls) followed with an RBI double of his own.

Virginia Baseball Game with Coppin State Postponed to Thursday

Rain Cancels Exhibition Match Between the Seminoles and the Phillies