April 9, 2008

Georgia Tech Topples Georgia, 9-4

ATLANTA - Luke Murton had four hits and drove in three runs to pace a 16-hit attack, and freshman Deck McGuire tossed 5-2/3 solid innings to lift Georgia Tech past Georgia, 9-4, in college baseball Wednesday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.

The first of three scheduled 2008 meetings pitting teams currently ranked 10th (Georgia Tech, now 26-7) and 11th (Georgia, now 20-12) in the nation was played before a stadium record crowd of 4,609.

Murton, a junior from McDonough, Ga., had a double and a home run among his four hits. He singled home a run for Tech in the fifth and capped the Jackets' scoring with a two-run homer in the eighth. Thomas Nichols drove in a pair of runs with a double and triple, and Derek Dietrich added three hits for the Jackets.

Boston College Downs Northeastern, 13-6, to Advance to Beanpot Championship

LYNN, Mass. - Eric Campbell went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI on his 21st birthday to lead Boston College past Northeastern, 13-6 in the Beanpot semifinal matchup at Fraser Field. The Eagles will play the winner of the nightcap between Harvard and Massachusetts next Wednesday at Fenway Park.

BC extended its win streak to seven games and now owns an 18-14 overall record, while Northeastern dropped to 11-14-1.

The Eagles pounded out 14 hits and drew nine walks off five different Northeastern pitchers. Matt Hamlet joined Campbell with a three-hit day at the plate. Hamlet collected three doubles and two RBI, while eight other BC players tallied base hits on the day.

Geoff Oxley (1-1) earned the win in relief of Eagles' starter Pat Dean. In his first collegiate start, Dean went 4.2 innings with three strikeouts. Oxley worked 2.1 innings of perfect relief with two strikeouts to collect his first win of the season.

Strong Pitching Leads Virginia Tech Past VCU, 9-1

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Four Virginia Tech pitchers combined to scatter eight hits over nine innings while walking none to lift the Hokies to a 9-1 non-conference victory over VCU on Wednesday night at English Field.

Usual reliever Justin Wright (Chesterfield, Va.) got his first collegiate start for the Hokies and left the game in the third with Tech up 4-0, so fellow freshman Jesse Hahn (Groton, Conn.) was credited with the win after pitching effectively in relief for 2.2 innings to move to 2-3 on the year. Freshman Sean McDermott (Walpole, Mass.) and redshirt sophomore Rob Waskiewicz (Manchester, Md.) each contributed two innings of scoreless work.

The one run by VCU (8-19) tied a season low for a Tech opponent this season, and it was the first game of the year that the Hokies (13-20) did not issue a single walk. In fact, the Tech pitching staff has only allowed 10 runs over its past three games, which goes down as the most effective three-game stretch of the season thus far.

No. 4 Tar Heels Dispatch Aggies, 5-0

CARY, N.C. - North Carolina senior right-hander Mike Facchinei and four relievers combined for a three-hit shutout, as the No. 4 Tar Heels defeated in-state foe North Carolina A&T, 5-0, Wednesday evening at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. Sophomore first baseman Dustin Ackley and sophomore right fielder Tim Fedroff combined for five hits and five runs batted in to pace the Carolina offense.

For the second day in a row, UNC (26-7) found itself locked in a pitcher's duel, as Facchinei and Aggie righty Marquis Frink traded zeros for the first five innings. Facchinei (2-0) was especially effective, facing just two over the minimum through a career-long 6.1 innings and matching a career-high eight strikeouts, despite throwing just 71 pitches.

Carolina finally broke a 15-inning scoreless drought in the sixth with an unearned run off Frink (1-3). Ackley led off with a sharp single to right that was misplayed by Joe McIntyre, allowing Ackley to advance to third. After a Garrett Gore lineout, Fedroff singled to right to plate Ackley for a 1-0 advantage.

Duke's Manno Fans Nine In 10-0 Win Over UNC Greensboro

DURHAM, N.C. - Christopher Manno struck out nine batters over five innings and combined with three other Blue Devils for a two-hit shutout to lead Duke to a 10-0 win over UNC Greensboro Wednesday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field.

Manno (3-0) fanned nine hitters for the second straight start while giving up just one hit and three walks over five scoreless innings. UNC Greensboro (19-12, 5-4 SoCon) put just seven balls in play against the Blue Devil southpaw, two of which were botched sacrifice bunts while two others were popups in foul territory. The performance marked the third time this season that Manno struck out at least nine batters in a single game and improved his strikeout average to 13.04 punchouts per nine innings.

Following Manno's scoreless outing, freshmen John Bunder and Ryan Knott took over in relief to retire nine straight through the eighth inning before senior Ron Causey finished the game with a scoreless ninth to lock up the win. From the fourth through the eighth inning, Manno, Bunder and Knott combined to retire 14 straight batters before UNC Greensboro's three hitter Greg Feltes broke the streak with a single in the ninth.

Seven-run First Inning Propels Terps Past Mount Saint Mary's, 12-3

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Terps scored seven runs on eight hits in the first inning, including back-to-back home runs from Gerry Spessard and AJ Casario, to cruise to a 12-3 win against the visiting Mount Saint Mary's Mountaineers Wednesday evening.

The victory was the Terps' 20th of the season and 11th straight against non-conference opponents.

Eight of the Terps' nine starters had a first-inning hit off Mountaineers starting pitcher Costa Kapothanasis.

Steve Braun (Granada Hills, Calif./Pierce CC) led things off with a sharp double down the left-field line and scored two batters later on a Jensen Pupa (Germantown, Md./Northwest) RBI single to center. Chad Durakis (Cockeysville, Md./St. Paul's) drove in two runs with a single to left, making it 3-0 Maryland (20-14).

With one out and two men on base, Spessard (Hagerstown, Md./Smithsburg) wasted no time launching a monstrous three-run homer to right field, doubling the lead to 6-0. Casario (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook) followed Spessard with a home run to center field. It was the second time this season the Terps hit back-to-back home runs.

No. 24 Virginia Earns 7-3 Win over Liberty

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia baseball team rallied from an early three-run deficit to knock off Liberty, 7-3, Wednesday evening at Davenport Field. After the Flames scored three runs in the first two innings, the Cavaliers' pitching staff buckled down to allow just one base hit over the final seven innings.

Virginia starting pitcher Jeff Lorick (So., Duluth, Ga.) settled down after a rough beginning and went five innings, giving up three runs (two earned) and three hits while striking out three as he improved to 3-1 this season. Jake Rule (Sr., Waynesboro, Va.) pitched a perfect sixth inning before Robert Morey (Fr., Virginia Beach, Va.) tossed the final three innings to earn his second save. Morey gave up a hit and a walk while striking out a career-high five batters.

Tyler Light (1-1) started for Liberty and allowed five runs (four earned) and seven hits over 3.1 innings as he absorbed the loss.

#14 South Carolina Tames Tigers 7-1 Wednesday

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Four home runs that accounted for seven runs allowed #14 South Carolina to defeat Clemson 7-1 in front of 5,763 fans at Sarge Frye Field on Wednesday night. The Gamecocks, who took a 3-0 lead in the four-game, regular-season series, improved to 22-10 overall, while the Tigers dropped to 18-14.

Nick Godwin (3-2) pitched 8.0 superb innings, allowing just four hits, one run, and no walks with eight strikeouts in throwing 115 pitches. His 8.0 innings pitched tied his career-long outing, while his eight strikeouts were a career-high. Tiger starter Craig Gullickson (3-2) suffered the loss, as he allowed six hits and five runs in 2.1 innings pitched.

James Darnell led South Carolina's 11-hit attack by going 4-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs. Justin Smoak, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, and Phil Disher also added long balls.

Columbia native Doug Hogan provided Clemson's lone run with a solo homer in the first inning, as five different Tigers accounted for the team's five hits.

Florida Atlantic Defeats No. 1 Miami, 6-3

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Florida Atlantic second baseman William Block hit two home runs and starter Michael Obradovich tossed eight strong innings as FAU (19-11) defeated No. 1 Miami, 6-3, to snap the Hurricanes 14-game winning streak Wednesday night at Mark Light Field. Miami fell to 27-3 on the season and lost for just the second time at home this season.

Ryan Jackson recorded his team-high 15th multiple-hit game, going 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Hurricanes. Jason Hagerty and Jemile Weeks each finished with two hits.

UM starter John Housey (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season, giving up four earned runs on nine hits while striking out two and walking one in five innings of work. Michael Rudman and Rene Guerra each worked two scoreless innings in relief of Housey, combining to allow just three Owl hits over the final four innings.

No. 22 Coastal Stops Wolfpack 5-4 With Four-Run Sixth

RALEIGH, N.C. - Coastal Carolina scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning Wednesday, taking advantage of a pair of walks, two infield singles and an error, to surge past NC State and defeat the Wolfpack 5-4 at Doak Field at Dail Park.

The loss snapped NC State's seven-game winning streak and dropped the Pack to 21-10 on the season, but the intensity of the game and the Wolfpack's competitiveness helped head coach Elliott Avent overcome any disappointment in the loss. Coastal, ranked No. 22 in the latest Baseball America poll, improved to 25-7.

"That game was like what you would see in an NCAA Regional," Avent said. "That's a great baseball team that hosted a regional last year, and they threw seven great arms at us. The game had the intensity of a postseason game from the first inning on, especially in the middle innings. You always want to win and I'm disappointed that we lost, but I'm really proud of how our guys battled and competed."

High Point Rallies for 12-8 Defeat of Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - High Point rallied for eight runs over the final three innings to hand Wake Forest a 12-8 loss Wednesday afternoon at Hooks Stadium.

The Demon Deacons drop to 12-19 overall with the loss. The Panthers move to 12-20 on the year. The two teams split the 2008 season series at a game apiece, with each team winning on the road.

On Wednesday, Wake Forest fell behind early but rallied to take a 6-4 lead after four innings, only to see the advantage evaporate late in the game. High Point rallied for four runs in the seventh to take an 8-6 lead. The Panthers then pushed two runs across in each the eighth and ninth innings to seal the win.