Baseball ACCtion: Friday, March 21 :: Home teams win four of six series openers on Friday.

March 22, 2008

Florida State Remains Undefeated In The ACC With A 9-4 Win Over Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Va. - Florida State (17-2, 7-0) opened its first road conference series of the year with a 9-4 victory over Virginia Tech (7-13, 0-7) on Friday evening at English Field. The Seminoles recorded 16 hits in game one scoring eight of their nine runs in the first two innings. Senior Jack Rye returned to the line-up and tied a career-high with his fifth career four-hit game and first of the season.

Six Seminoles registered two or more hits including Rye who ended the night 4-for-5 with a home run and three singles. The 16 hits by Florida State were the second most posted by the club this season as FSU beat Virginia Tech for the fifth straight game and for the sixth time in seven all-time appearances in Blacksburg. Rye and Jason Stidham led all players with three RBIs each.

Matt Fairel (5-0) remained perfect on the year as he worked into the seventh inning for the fourth consecutive outing. The sophomore left hander gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits. He walked two and struck out five. The three runs were the most given up by Fairel in five starts this year.

NC State Baseball Slips Past Clemson, 5-4

Webcast on ACC Select

CLEMSON, S.C. - A good baseball game should keep the fans on the edge of their seats until the last out. NC State's 5-4 victory over Clemson on Friday night at Kingsmore Stadium did all of that and more, keeping the crowd of 4,560 in suspense all the way until Ryan Pond outraced Kyle Parker to the first-base bag to record the game's final out with the potential tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run heading for second base.

The Wolfpack, which improved to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, pushed the winning run home when Clemson left fielder Jeff Schaus caught Nick Stanley's fly ball in foul territory in the top of the eighth inning, allowing Matt Payne to score from third base on the sacrifice fly. The ball was foul only by a matter of a foot or so, leaving Schaus little choice but to make the catch and not chance letting the ball drop fair. Payne's run made a winner of Joey Cutler (4-0), who pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Clemson reliever Casey Harman (0-2), who came in to finish the sixth inning, gave up the single to Payne and was charged with the loss after allowing the one run on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. The loss dropped the Tigers to 12-7 overall and a shocking 2-5 in the ACC.

NC State took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning when Tommy Foschi led off with a double to left, took third on a groundout and scored on Marcus Jones's double to right. Jones came around to score on Payne's single through the left side of the infield.

Starting pitcher Eric Surkamp made the 2-0 lead hold up until the bottom of the fifth, when Ben Paulsen and Parker belted back-to-back home runs. Paulsen's was a three-run shot, and the Tigers led 4-2 heading into the sixth.

No. 19 Virginia Uses Big Inning to Top Boston College, 7-3

Webcast on ACC Select

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia baseball team ran its home winning streak to 15 games with a 7-3 win over Boston College Friday night at Davenport Field. The Cavaliers exploded for six runs in the fourth inning to rally from an early deficit and roll to the win.

Virginia starter Jacob Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) pitched six-plus innings, allowing two earned runs, four hits and five walks while striking out seven. He improves to 3-0 on the season and recorded his 24th career win, a school record. Matt Packer (So., Germantown, Tenn.) pitched the final three innings to earn his first career save.

Boston College's Terry Doyle (2-2) took the loss after going six innings and giving up seven runs (five earned), eight hits and three walks while striking out seven.

Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, Va.) and David Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) each had two hits for the Cavaliers (17-4, 3-4 ACC), while David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) had a game-changing three-run double and Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) hit a solo home run.

Boston College (9-9, 2-5) jumped on Thompson for single runs in the first and second inning. In the first, Tony Sanchez doubled to right-center to score Barry Butera. In the second, Garret Smith singled to plate Mike Belfiore. After the two runs, Thompson settled down and struck out five over the next four innings.

No. 17 Georgia Tech Holds Off Duke, 5-4

Webcast on ACC Select

ATLANTA - Andrew Robinson scattered two hits over the final four innings to help No. 17 Georgia Tech (16-4, 4-3 ACC) hold off Duke (18-4, 3-4 ACC), 5-4, Friday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Robinson, who made his seventh scoreless appearance of the season, faced just two batters over the minimum and recorded three strikeouts while walking none to earn his first career save. Starter David Duncan (3-0) retired the first six batters he faced and picked up his third win of the season, giving up four runs on five hits to the Blue Devils.

Jeff Rowland, Charlie Blackmon and Derek Dietrich each had two hits for the Yellow Jackets, while Tim Sherlock led Duke's offense with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate and Matt Williams has two RBI.

Three costly errors by Duke helped Georgia Tech to a four-run third inning to take a 5-2 lead. Jeff Rowland earned a one-out walk and moved to third on an error by second baseman Gabriel Saade. Blackmon singled home the first run, and Dietrich single home another to put the Jackets in front. After Brad Feltes grounded out, Blackmon and Dietrich came around to score on consecutive ground-ball errors by Saade and Ryan McCurdy.

Duke closed the gap to 5-4 with a pair of two-out runs in its half of the fifth. Saade and Williams each drew walks from Duncan, and came around to score on back-to-back singles from Alex Hassan and Jeremy Gould.

Terrapins Topple No. 3 North Carolina, 4-2

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Mike Murphy continued his hot hitting and Scott Swinson gritted out eight solid innings on the mound as the Terrapins' baseball team knocked off the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 4-2, Friday night at Shipley Field. It was Maryland's first win against a top-five team since April 2, 2006 when it beat then-No. 3 Georgia Tech.

Murphy (Silver Spring, Md./Georgetown Prep) homered for the third consecutive game, a two-run shot to center field in the bottom of the fifth inning to give him a team-high six on the year, a career high. Murphy also doubled in the game to raise his average to .329 on the season.

After a complete-game victory at Wake Forest last Friday, Swinson (Ellicott City, Md./George Washington University) lasted eight innings against Carolina, allowing two runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts.

The game was scoreless through 4 ½ innings with Swinson and Tar Heel Preseason All-American Alex White in control on the mound.

Maryland (11-9, 2-5 ACC) broke through in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a key error by White. Center fielder Nick Jowers (Beltsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) led off with a double down the right-field line. Shortstop Joe Palumbo (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) attempted to sacrifice Jowers to third with a bunt. White fielded the bunt and appeared to have a play on Jowers at third, but White's throw was off to the right and eluded third baseman Chad Flack, allowing Jowers to score and Palumbo to get to second.

No. 4 Hurricanes' Six Homers Down Wake Forest, 17-4

Webcast on ACC Select

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Sophomore lefty Eric Erickson won his fifth straight and six different Hurricanes hit a home run as No. 4 Miami routed Wake Forest, 17-4, in game one of their Atlantic Coast Conference series in front of 2,920 fans at Mark Light Field Friday night. Yonder Alonso, Jason Hagerty, Dennis Raben, Mark Sobolewski, Joey Terdoslavich and Jemile Weeks each hit long balls for the Hurricanes (16-2, 6-1 ACC), who homered six times in a game for the first time since 1999.

Erickson (5-0) started off slow but ended up tossing six solid innings for Miami. He allowed three earned runs in the first two innings before settling down to two-hit the Demon Deacons (11-8, 4-3 ACC) over the next four innings. He finished with seven strikeouts. Sophomore right-hander David Gutierrez earned a three-inning save as he limited the Demon Deacons to one run on two hits and struck out four.

Weeks and Tekotte each finished with three hits. Weeks added three RBI - all three coming on a seventh-inning three-run home run to left field. Sobolewski and Alonso each added a pair of hits for the Hurricanes, who pounded out 14 hits in the game.

Ben Hunter (1-3) took the loss for Wake Forest as he allowed seven runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He also walked five and struck out two. Weldon Woodall finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and Dustin Hood collected two hits for Wake Forest.