May 31, 2009

No. 7 Virginia Blanks No. 1 UC Irvine, Advances to Regional Final

Danny Hultzen (Fr., Bethesda, Md.) pitched a masterful 7.1 shutout innings and the Virginia offense broke through for five runs in the fifth and sixth innings as the Cavaliers shut out top-ranked UC Irvine, 5-0, Saturday night at the 2009 NCAA Irvine Regional at Anteater Ballpark in Irvine, Calif. UCI is the top seed in the regional and the No. 6 national seed, while UVa is the No. 2 seed in the regional. Virginia (45-12-1) advances to the regional championship game at 11 p.m. ET Sunday.

Hultzen (9-1) went a career-high 7.1 innings and pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in his career. He allowed six hits and just one walk while striking out three. Tyler Wilson (So., Midlothian, Va.) pitched an inning before Matt Packer (Jr., Germantown, Tenn.) tossed the final two-thirds of an inning as the Cavaliers became the first team to shut out the Anteaters this season.

Franco Valdes (Jr., Miami, Fla.) had two hits, including a key two-run single in the fifth inning, while Dan Grovatt (So., Tabernacle, N.J.) added a pair of hits to run his hitting streak to seven games. Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.) had an RBI single to push his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games.

Florida State Downs Georgia 8-2 Behind Gilmartin's Complete Game
Florida State (44-16) advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional with an 8-2 victory over Georgia (38-23) Saturday afternoon on Mike Martin Field inside Dick Howser Stadium. Behind a complete game from freshman Sean Gilmartin and some timely hitting from the Seminole offense, Florida State will face the winner of the Georgia/Ohio State game on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

Gilmartin (12-3) was the story on Saturday throwing all nine innings against the Bulldogs for his second complete game of the season and first covering all nine innings. The freshman southpaw limited the Georgia offense to just two runs on five hits, a day after the Bulldogs scored 24 runs on 23 hits against Ohio State in the first game of the Tallahassee Regional.

Gilmartin showed great command of his pitches getting ahead in the count throughout the afternoon. He went to a three ball count just twice on Saturday, once in the second and one more time in the eighth. His only hiccup came in the fourth inning as both runs were scored on a two-run shot by Rich Poythress. The Moorpark, Calif., native finished the game with six strikeouts and did not walk a batter for the first time in 14 starts this year. 

Tar Heels Roll Past Coastal Carolina, 14-5
Levi Michael and Dustin Ackley had four hits apiece, and Colin Bates allowed just one hit over 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen to send No. 4 national seed North Carolina past Coastal Carolina, 14-5, in the winner's bracket of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Saturday at Boshamer Stadium. The Chanticleers (47-15) will face Kansas in an elimination game at 1 p.m. Sunday, and the Tar Heels (44-16) will meet the winner at 5 p.m. with a chance to claim the regional title.

Michael, who posted his third career four-hit game, and Ackley, who recorded his 15th career game with at least four hits, spearheaded a balanced attack for Carolina, which pounded out 17 hits. Michael, Ben Bunting and Kyle Seager each drove in a game-high three runs.

Michael singled home a run in the first, singled in the third and sixth innings and belted a key two-run double in the seventh. Ackley was 4-for-4 with two walks and is now 7-for-9 in the regional. He singled and scored in the first, doubled home a run in the eighth and picked up a second school record in as many nights with career runs 220 and 221.

Boston College Loses Epic 3-2 Decision To Top-Seeded Texas In 25 Innings

It took an NCAA record 25 innings and just over seven hours, but the national No. 1 seed Texas pushed the game-winning run across in the top of the 25th to beat Boston College, 3-2, in front of 7,104 spectators at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

BC has to turn around and face Army, which beat Texas State in the elimination game earlier in the day, at noon CT on Sunday. Should they win, the Eagles would then have to take on Texas again in the first championship game at 6 p.m.

A lot of numbers in the game broke records, but none were more impressive than the duel between junior Mike Belfiore and Austin Wood on the mound. Both serve as the closers on their respective teams, but the two combined for 22.2 innings pitched and 298 pitches.

Belfiore entered the game in the ninth inning and worked 9.2 scoreless innings and allowed just three hits. He struck out 11 in his outing, throwing 86 strikes and 129 total pitches. Wood tossed 13.0 innings after entering the game in the seventh and kept BC hitless for 12.1 innings. He allowed two hits, walked four and struck out 14. He threw 169 pitches and 120 for strikes.

Top-Seed Florida Downs No. 2-Seed Miami, 8-2
Florida lefty Stephen Locke limited third-seeded Miami to two runs in 7 1/3 innings as the top-seeded Gators (41-20) defeated the third-seeded Hurricanes, 8-2, Saturday night in the winner's bracket of the NCAA Gainesville Regional at McKethan Stadium. The Hurricanes (37-21) will now face Jacksonville (37-21) in an elimination game Sunday at 1 p.m.

Chris Herrmann led the Hurricanes at the plate going 2-for-4. UM starter Chris Hernandez (7-5) took the loss as he allowed six earned runs on seven hits and struck out four. Rene Guerra and Daniel Miranda combined to toss the final 2 2/3 innings. Guerra struck out three and allowed one run and one hit.

Locke (5-2) allowed just six hits and the two runs were unearned. He walked one and struck out three. Jonathan Pigott, Preston Tucker and Brandon McArthur each had two hits for the Gators. 

Cowboys Outlast #14 Tigers 3-2 in Clemson Regional Saturday
Nobody is bashing Oklahoma State anymore.

The Cowboys, perhaps the most criticized selection for the 64-team NCAA baseball tournament, proved they belong Saturday night with a 3-2 victory over top-seeded Clemson in the Clemson Regional.

Neil Medchill drove in Micheal Dabbs with a two-out single in the eighth inning for the winning run in the second-round, winners bracket game. Medchill's sharp grounder hit the glove of sprawling Clemson first baseman Ben Paulsen and trickled into the outfield grass, allowing Dabbs to score from second without a throw. Dabbs had reached second when the Tigers failed to make a catch in left-center on a play ruled a double. html

Southern Miss Sends Tech into Elimination Game, 10-7
J.R. Ballinger scattered seven hits over a career-long 8 1/3 innings, and B.A. Vollmuth drove in four runs with a double and a home run as Southern Miss downed 13th-ranked Georgia Tech, 10-7, Friday night in the winners' bracket of the NCAA Atlanta Regional baseball at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Southern Miss (37-23) has advanced to the championship game of a regional for the fourth time in 10 tries, and will play at 7 p.m. Sunday night against the winner of the 3 p.m. elimination game pitting Tech against Elon. The Golden Eagles are 2-0 in an NCAA regional for the first time.

Tech (36-18-1) is 19-19 in elimination games in NCAA regional and super regional games, and just 1-6 in such games since 2000. Tech fell to 22-14 record in NCAA Tournament games at Russ Chandler Stadium, and 8-7 when the Yellow Jackets are the visiting team.