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OWH: Lions roar as Nebraska bats stay silent
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OWH: Lions roar as Nebraska bats stay silent
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OWH: Lions roar as Nebraska bats stay silent
LJS: Two-out hits doom Huskers in series-opening loss at Loyola-Marymount
Loyola-Marymount scored three runs - all with two outs - in the fifth inning Friday night to take the series opener against the Nebraska baseball team 4-1 in Los Angeles.
Nebraska struggled to get anything going at the plate against the Lions (6-2) and starter Colin Welmon, who struck out nine over 7 2/3 innings. NU (4-4) finished with 11 strikeouts.
Luckily for the Huskers, starter Chance Sinclair was cruising through the early innings.
But the senior right-hander ran into trouble in the fifth inning.
Joe Murray, the Lions' No. 9 hitter, started a two-out rally with a base hit. After moving to second on a wild pitch, Murray scored on a single by Austin Miller to tie the game at 1-1.
After walking Bill Wilson, Sinclair gave up a two-run double to David Fletcher.
"(Sinclair) was breezing, he was rolling," NU coach Darin Erstad said on his postgame radio show. "You feel bad for him, because he did have it going.
"We've got two outs and the nine-hole hitter at the plate with an 0-2 count and we throw a breaking ball and we're trying to get that thing in the dirt and get him to swing over it. He gets a base hit, and the next thing you know, there's three runs on the board."
Sinclair was chased from the game after giving up a two-out run in the sixth inning.
It was Sinclair's second loss of the season. He went 10-1 last season.
Ryan Boldt hit a double off the left-field wall and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Miller in the fourth.
But NU was unable to string many hits together after that.
Tanner Lubach began the seventh with a single, but Welmon quickly ended the threat with two strikeouts and a groundout.
The Huskers had two on with two outs in the eighth, but Marymount reliever Michael Silva got Miller to strike out to end the inning.
Austin Christensen hit a one-out single in the ninth, but Lion closer J.D. Busfield got Austin Darby to ground out before striking out Christian Cox.
"That's a Friday night game," Erstad said. "It's going to be well-pitched on both sides and whoever makes a couple more mistakes is going to lose the ballgame, and unfortunately we were the ones that made a couple mistakes."
Briefly
* Because of rain in the forecast, starting times for Saturday's and Sunday's games have been moved up. Saturday's game will start at 4 p.m. (CST), with Sunday's game starting at 1 p.m.
Sunday's game will be streamed online for free at LMULions.com.
* Nebraska relievers Jake McSteen and Garett King combined to pitch three scoreless innings.
* Boldt finished with two hits to push his season total to 15. Lubach also had two hits.
Loyola-Marymount scored three runs - all with two outs - in the fifth inning Friday night to take the series opener against the Nebraska baseball team 4-1 in Los Angeles.
Nebraska struggled to get anything going at the plate against the Lions (6-2) and starter Colin Welmon, who struck out nine over 7 2/3 innings. NU (4-4) finished with 11 strikeouts.
Luckily for the Huskers, starter Chance Sinclair was cruising through the early innings.
But the senior right-hander ran into trouble in the fifth inning.
Joe Murray, the Lions' No. 9 hitter, started a two-out rally with a base hit. After moving to second on a wild pitch, Murray scored on a single by Austin Miller to tie the game at 1-1.
After walking Bill Wilson, Sinclair gave up a two-run double to David Fletcher.
"(Sinclair) was breezing, he was rolling," NU coach Darin Erstad said on his postgame radio show. "You feel bad for him, because he did have it going.
"We've got two outs and the nine-hole hitter at the plate with an 0-2 count and we throw a breaking ball and we're trying to get that thing in the dirt and get him to swing over it. He gets a base hit, and the next thing you know, there's three runs on the board."
Sinclair was chased from the game after giving up a two-out run in the sixth inning.
It was Sinclair's second loss of the season. He went 10-1 last season.
Ryan Boldt hit a double off the left-field wall and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Miller in the fourth.
But NU was unable to string many hits together after that.
Tanner Lubach began the seventh with a single, but Welmon quickly ended the threat with two strikeouts and a groundout.
The Huskers had two on with two outs in the eighth, but Marymount reliever Michael Silva got Miller to strike out to end the inning.
Austin Christensen hit a one-out single in the ninth, but Lion closer J.D. Busfield got Austin Darby to ground out before striking out Christian Cox.
"That's a Friday night game," Erstad said. "It's going to be well-pitched on both sides and whoever makes a couple more mistakes is going to lose the ballgame, and unfortunately we were the ones that made a couple mistakes."
Briefly
* Because of rain in the forecast, starting times for Saturday's and Sunday's games have been moved up. Saturday's game will start at 4 p.m. (CST), with Sunday's game starting at 1 p.m.
Sunday's game will be streamed online for free at LMULions.com.
* Nebraska relievers Jake McSteen and Garett King combined to pitch three scoreless innings.
* Boldt finished with two hits to push his season total to 15. Lubach also had two hits.
NU: Huskers Drop Series Opener at LMU
Los Angeles - The Nebraska baseball team (4-4, 0-0 Big Ten) took a 1-0 lead in its series opener against the Loyola Marymount Lions (6-2, 0-0 WCC) on Friday night, but the Lions scored the final four runs of the game to take the opener, 4-1 on Friday night at Page Stadium.
The Husker were unable to get their offense going on the night, as they notched seven hits, while striking out 11 times. Nebraska's pitching staff limited the Lions to eight hits, but seven of the eight came with two outs. Two-out hitting was key for the Lions, as all four of their runs scored cross the plate with two outs.
Nebraska started Chance Sinclair dropped his second straight start to fall to 1-2 on the year after posting a 10-1 record last season. LMU starter Colin Welmon went 7.2 innings in the win and struck out nine Huskers.
After Sinclair got out of a jam in the third, the Huskers broke the scoreless game with a run in the top of fourth. Reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Ryan Boldt led off with a double off the blue monster in left field and was quickly 90 feet from home after Blake Headley executed a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Ben Miller then stepped in picked up his eight RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Sinclair was cruising in the fifth and had just retired his sixth straight Lion when No. 9 hitter Joe Murray started a two-out rally with a base hit. Murray moved to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a single by Austin Miller that tied the game, 1-1. Sinclair was unable to end the bleeding, as he walked Billy Wilson and then David Fletcher delivered a two-RBI double that put the Lions ahead 3-1.
With momentum on the Lions side, the Huskers had a chance to respond in the sixth with the heart of their order up, but Welmon retired NU in order. LMU chased Sinclair from the game in the sixth and added another two-out run on a double that pushed its lead to 4-1.
The Huskers had life in the seventh when Tanner Lubach led off the with a single, his second of the game, but Welmon quickly ended the threat with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout. The Huskers then started a two-out rally in the eighth on back-to-back singles by Boldt and Headley, but Michael Silva came in from the bullpen and struck out Ben Miller to keep the Lions on top, 3-1.
Austin Christensen picked up a one-out single in the ninth, but the Husker couldn't put anything else together on closer J.D. Busfield.
The Huskers and Lions continue their series tomorrow at 4 p.m. (CT). The game was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. (CT), but was moved due to rain forecasts.
NU: Huskers Drop Series Opener at LMU
Los Angeles - The Nebraska baseball team (4-4, 0-0 Big Ten) took a 1-0 lead in its series opener against the Loyola Marymount Lions (6-2, 0-0 WCC) on Friday night, but the Lions scored the final four runs of the game to take the opener, 4-1 on Friday night at Page Stadium.
The Husker were unable to get their offense going on the night, as they notched seven hits, while striking out 11 times. Nebraska's pitching staff limited the Lions to eight hits, but seven of the eight came with two outs. Two-out hitting was key for the Lions, as all four of their runs scored cross the plate with two outs.
Nebraska started Chance Sinclair dropped his second straight start to fall to 1-2 on the year after posting a 10-1 record last season. LMU starter Colin Welmon went 7.2 innings in the win and struck out nine Huskers.
After Sinclair got out of a jam in the third, the Huskers broke the scoreless game with a run in the top of fourth. Reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Ryan Boldt led off with a double off the blue monster in left field and was quickly 90 feet from home after Blake Headley executed a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Ben Miller then stepped in picked up his eight RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Sinclair was cruising in the fifth and had just retired his sixth straight Lion when No. 9 hitter Joe Murray started a two-out rally with a base hit. Murray moved to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a single by Austin Miller that tied the game, 1-1. Sinclair was unable to end the bleeding, as he walked Billy Wilson and then David Fletcher delivered a two-RBI double that put the Lions ahead 3-1.
With momentum on the Lions side, the Huskers had a chance to respond in the sixth with the heart of their order up, but Welmon retired NU in order. LMU chased Sinclair from the game in the sixth and added another two-out run on a double that pushed its lead to 4-1.
The Huskers had life in the seventh when Tanner Lubach led off the with a single, his second of the game, but Welmon quickly ended the threat with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout. The Huskers then started a two-out rally in the eighth on back-to-back singles by Boldt and Headley, but Michael Silva came in from the bullpen and struck out Ben Miller to keep the Lions on top, 3-1.
Austin Christensen picked up a one-out single in the ninth, but the Husker couldn't put anything else together on closer J.D. Busfield.
The Huskers and Lions continue their series tomorrow at 4 p.m. (CT). The game was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. (CT), but was moved due to rain forecasts.
NU: Huskers Drop Series Opener at LMU
LMU: Lions Take Down Nebraska in Game One
The LMU baseball team (7-2) took the first game of a three-game series with Nebraska on Friday, beating the Huskers (4-4) by a score of 4-1 from Page Stadium. Senior Colin Welmon was outstanding again in the start, tossing 7.2 innings and allowing just one run on six hits and one walk while striking out nine to improve to 2-1 on the year. Sophomore David Fletcher contributed the biggest hit, lining a two-RBI double into the gap in the three-run fifth inning to hand LMU the lead it would not relinquish.
Fletcher, who has now reached in 24 straight games, including hitting safely in 35 of his last 37, went 1-for-4 on the night. Fellow sophomore Austin Miller had a two-hit night out of the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, a stolen base and an RBI. Senior David Edwards, who served as the DH on Friday night, also posted a two-hit game at 2-for-4.
Seven of LMU's eight came with two out, with the exception being a bunt single in the second inning with one out.
After LMU stranded a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the third, Nebraska got on the board first with a run in the top of the fourth. Ryan Boldt doubled off the Mikos Blue Monster to start the inning before moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from Blake Headley. Boldt came in to score one pitch later when Ben Miller lined a sacrifice fly to left field to collect his eighth RBI of the year. Boldt finished the game 2-for-4 with the double and the run scored, while Tanner Lubach also went 2-for-4 serving as the Nebraska catcher.
The Lions punched right back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three times on three hits and an error to take a 3-1 lead after five. Joe Murray got the two-out rally going with a single through the left side before moving to second on a wild pitch. Miller followed with a single into left centerfield to knot the tally at one run apiece, extending the inning for Billy Wilson who worked a full count before drawing a walk. During that at bat, Miller stole second and moved to third on an errant throw from catcher Tanner Lubach, leaving runners at the corners with two out for Fletcher. The native of Cypress, Calif. delivered in a big way, lacing a two-RBI double into the gap in left centerfield to cap the scoring run.
LMU added a fourth run in the sixth inning as Ted Boeke punched a double down the right field line to bring home Sean Watkins from second base. Watkins had reached with a hit-by-pitch to start the inning before stealing second with two out. The hit batter was the 25th of the year for LMU, as the Lions currently lead the nation in that category.
Michael Silva extinguished Nebraska's threat in the top of the eighth, entering with two out and two on and striking out Miller to strand the runners. Boldt and Headley singled with two out to chase Welmon after another quality start, forcing the Lions to call the bullpen and summon the right-handed reliever. Silva made quick work of the designated hitter, punching him out on four pitches.
Sophomore J.D. Busfield entered in the ninth and closed the door on the Huskers to earn his fourth save of the year, working around a one-out single from Austin Christensen.
LMU and Nebraska will continue the three-game series tomorrow at 2 p.m. Trevor Megill will take the mound for the Lions, opposed by left-hander Kyle Kubat for Nebraska.
LMU: Lions Take Down Nebraska in Game One
The LMU baseball team (7-2) took the first game of a three-game series with Nebraska on Friday, beating the Huskers (4-4) by a score of 4-1 from Page Stadium. Senior Colin Welmon was outstanding again in the start, tossing 7.2 innings and allowing just one run on six hits and one walk while striking out nine to improve to 2-1 on the year. Sophomore David Fletcher contributed the biggest hit, lining a two-RBI double into the gap in the three-run fifth inning to hand LMU the lead it would not relinquish.
Fletcher, who has now reached in 24 straight games, including hitting safely in 35 of his last 37, went 1-for-4 on the night. Fellow sophomore Austin Miller had a two-hit night out of the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, a stolen base and an RBI. Senior David Edwards, who served as the DH on Friday night, also posted a two-hit game at 2-for-4.
Seven of LMU's eight came with two out, with the exception being a bunt single in the second inning with one out.
After LMU stranded a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the third, Nebraska got on the board first with a run in the top of the fourth. Ryan Boldt doubled off the Mikos Blue Monster to start the inning before moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from Blake Headley. Boldt came in to score one pitch later when Ben Miller lined a sacrifice fly to left field to collect his eighth RBI of the year. Boldt finished the game 2-for-4 with the double and the run scored, while Tanner Lubach also went 2-for-4 serving as the Nebraska catcher.
The Lions punched right back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three times on three hits and an error to take a 3-1 lead after five. Joe Murray got the two-out rally going with a single through the left side before moving to second on a wild pitch. Miller followed with a single into left centerfield to knot the tally at one run apiece, extending the inning for Billy Wilson who worked a full count before drawing a walk. During that at bat, Miller stole second and moved to third on an errant throw from catcher Tanner Lubach, leaving runners at the corners with two out for Fletcher. The native of Cypress, Calif. delivered in a big way, lacing a two-RBI double into the gap in left centerfield to cap the scoring run.
LMU added a fourth run in the sixth inning as Ted Boeke punched a double down the right field line to bring home Sean Watkins from second base. Watkins had reached with a hit-by-pitch to start the inning before stealing second with two out. The hit batter was the 25th of the year for LMU, as the Lions currently lead the nation in that category.
Michael Silva extinguished Nebraska's threat in the top of the eighth, entering with two out and two on and striking out Miller to strand the runners. Boldt and Headley singled with two out to chase Welmon after another quality start, forcing the Lions to call the bullpen and summon the right-handed reliever. Silva made quick work of the designated hitter, punching him out on four pitches.
Sophomore J.D. Busfield entered in the ninth and closed the door on the Huskers to earn his fourth save of the year, working around a one-out single from Austin Christensen.
LMU and Nebraska will continue the three-game series tomorrow at 2 p.m. Trevor Megill will take the mound for the Lions, opposed by left-hander Kyle Kubat for Nebraska.
LMU: Lions Take Down Nebraska in Game One
D1 - Ten National Thoughts: Feb. 27
1. "The Chief" Duchene Shines In Illinois Season Debut
Illinois Fighting Illini logoIn this social media age that we live in, it's always amusing to see the types of Twitter handles people have. Well, veteran Illinois lefthander Kevin Duchene has one of the better Twitter handles in college baseball, as he can be found on Twitter @ChiefDuchene. He's still not the Dansby Swanson of Twitter, but he's not far behind.
Much more important than a catchy Twitter handle was his start in a 1-0 win over Ball State. Making his season debut three weeks into the season because of a suspension, the talented lefty couldn't have been much better against the Cardinals. He struck out nine, didn't walk anyone and allowed just five hits in seven innings.
Illinois, which entered the top 25 this week, is off to a 7-0-1 start.
2. UCF Shows Those Veteran-like Qualities
University of Central Florida logoIf you read our Weekend Preview and my feature on UCF and its veteran leadership, it probably doesn't come as some massive surprise the Knights, down 4-0 going to the bottom of the sixth inning against Ole Miss, rallied to score five runs the final four innings to win 5-4.
It was an exciting but rather odd night. UCF starting pitcher Zach Rodgers set a career high in strikeouts with seven, but only lasted 4 2/3 innings against the Rebels. Meanwhile, the Knights used five pitchers in the triumph, including big lefty Harrison Hukari, who tossed a clean ninth to finish the Rebels off.
Offensively, leadoff hitter and electric shortstop Dylan Moore had two hits, continuing where he left off last weekend, while red-hot hitting outfielder JoMarcos Woods had two hits and an RBI to help lead the offensive charge.
UCF storming back to beat the Rebels showed its true character in a time when its back was against the wall.
Now, the Knights just need to win one more this weekend.
3. Oregon Goes On The Quack Attack
Oregon logoIt's safe to say the Ducks had an uphill climb, or so it seemed, going into the series opener against UC Santa Barbara with surging Gauchos righthander Dillon Tate on the mound. And for at least five innings, it looked like that story indeed would be true.
But the Ducks rose to the occasion as the game progressed, scoring a run in the sixth on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Grebeck, while in the eighth inning, the pitching-heavy Ducks got some real production when Brandon Cuddy hit a two-run single up the middle to stretch UO's lead to 3-1. The Ducks went on to add two more runs in the ninth inning, while the pitching staff took care of the rest.
Tate still had a very good outing for the Gauchos. He struck out eight in 7 1/3 innings, while for the Ducks, lefthander Cole Irvin struck out two in four innings, allowing one run, and Conor Harber was just terrific out of the pen with five shutout frames and just two hits allowed. It's worth noting that we're impressed with Irvin's ability to come back strong sooner than expected from Tommy John surgery.
George Horton's Ducks are in good shape entering the rest of the weekend.
4. Ivy League Shows Strength
We spend much of our time writing about the power conferences, and deservedly so, but the so-called "little guys" also are doing some cool things to start the weekend. Sure, the Ivy League didn't capture some major upset victory on Friday, but boy were they close.
In College Station, Texas, No. 14 Texas A&M needed four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take care of business against Dartmouth. Big Green starting pitcher Duncan Robinson was terrific against the Aggies, tossing five shutout frames, but a pair of two-run homers from Aggies' sluggers Logan Taylor and Hunter Melton in the eighth were the decisive blows.
Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, La., LSU used three runs in the third and fourth innings combined to hold on to beat Princeton 3-2, while Brown was edged by South Alabama, 9-7, on the road (of course). The lone set of major disappointments for the Ivy League were a 9-2 loss by Harvard to Wofford and Pennsylvania's 9-0 setback to Stetson.
Against the big boys, though, this league more than held its own.
5. Give Me Some Of That UCLA Water
UCLA's Chris Keck. (Shotgun Spratling)
In my years of covering college baseball, I've spent plenty of late-night hours writing. More often than not, some late-night televangelist will come on the screen at some point around 3 or 4 a.m. and ask viewers to call in and order free "holy water." Well, I don't know about that guy, but if he can make it, perhaps UCLA coach John Savage should add a similar business to his resume.
Savage's Bruins are doing some filthy things offensively so far this season. UCLA improved to 8-1 on the year with a 14-2 win over Michigan State. The Bruins were an absolute nightmare atop the lineup, as the foursome of Kevin Kramer, Luke Persico, Ty Moore and Chris Keck combined to go 9-for-15, with Keck and Kramer each hitting a home run. Meanwhile, on the mound, righthander James Kaprielian struck out eight and allowed just two runs in seven innings.
UCLA finished 2014 with a .252 team batting average. So far this year, the Bruins are sitting pretty with a .329 clip.
Pass me some of that water, John.
6. That's More Like It, Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University logoOne of the toughest decisions Aaron Fitt and I had earlier this week was leaving Vanderbilt in the top spot in the latest D1Baseball.com Top 25 rankings. Sure, we're full believers in the Commodores, but one could've strongly argued they should, at the least, be behind Florida in the rankings. Well, we stuck with VU, and it finally put together a more Commodore-like performance in a 16-1 win over Illinois State.
The usual suspects got the job done at the plate, with leadoff hitter Bryan Reynolds collecting two hits, a walk and three RBIs, while Rhett Wiseman had four hits and an RBI, and preseason All-American Dansby Swanson added two hits and two RBIs.
On the mound, it's tip of the cap time for righthander Carson Fulmer. Fulmer recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts and allowed just two hits in six innings in the victory over the Redbirds.
One game is one game, but this seemed like a step in the right direction for Tim Corbin's club.
7. LMU, Welmon Shine Bright Against Nebraska
Loyola Marymount LogoLMU head coach Jason Gill must be loving life right now. While a lot of the country is talking about another perceived "smaller" program in Southern California in UC Santa Barbara, his Lions are quietly putting together a really nice campaign thus far, improving to 7-2 overall after a 4-1 win over Nebraska.
LMU veteran righthander Colin Welmon just continues to impress. The businesslike righty struck out nine, walked one and allowed just a run and six hits in 7 2/3 innings. He was efficient with 79 strikes in 110 pitches, while for the Huskers, ace Chance Sinclair once again was unimpressive, striking out just three and allowing four runs on six hits in five innings.
LMU has a real chance to play a big part on the national stage.
8. Bad Night, Bad News For Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs logoGeorgia Southern Eagles logoThe Bulldogs captured our attention last weekend with an impressive home series win over Florida State, but things might've gone from great to really bad Friday night in a 4-3 road setback to Georgia Southern.
Georgia sophomore righthander Robert Tyler, considered to be one of the nation's elite prospects for the 2016 class, left the game after just 3 2/3 innings of work because of an injury. Bulldogs officials later confirmed to D1Baseball.com the injury is elbow related and Tyler will have an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity of the injury. The word around Athens, Ga., late Friday night wasn't positive, but we'll see what happens when the results are final.
Though a bad night for the Bulldogs, GSU had a good night. Outfielder Aaron Mizell had a strong performance with a double, triple and two RBIs to lead the way.
9. Welcome Back, UC Irvine
Tennessee logoUC Irvine logoCoach Mike Gillespie's club had struggled the first two weeks of the season, entering the Tennessee series on Friday battered and bruised with just a 1-6 overall record. The Anteaters, though, played terrific baseball in a doubleheader sweep of the Volunteers on Friday, winning 5-2 and 2-1.
In the front end of the doubleheader, talented lefthander Elliot Surrey struck out six, walking no one and allowed just two runs on seven hits in 8 1/3 innings, while in Game Two, heralded juco transfer and former Tennessee pitcher Matt Esparza struck out six, walked three and allowed just a run on four hits in a complete-game performance.
The silver lining in these performances for Tennessee was the arm of young righthander Kyle Serrano. Serrano struck out, walked one and allowed just a run in 6 2/3 innings. Notably, the righthander was 92-94 through the seventh inning, and touched 96 at times.
10. Hats Off Award: College of Charleston's Taylor Clarke
College of Charleston Cougars logoCollege of Charleston righthander Taylor Clarke knows that without righthander Bailey Ober - who will have Tommy John surgery and is out for the year - his role as the Friday night starting pitcher is more important than ever.
Clarke couldn't have stepped up in more impressive fashion than he did in a 4-2 win over Indiana. The righthander struck out 11, didn't allow a walk and allowed seven hits in eight shutout innings. Additionally, he threw 79 strikes in 102 total pitches.
D1 - Ten National Thoughts: Feb. 27
1. "The Chief" Duchene Shines In Illinois Season Debut
Illinois Fighting Illini logoIn this social media age that we live in, it's always amusing to see the types of Twitter handles people have. Well, veteran Illinois lefthander Kevin Duchene has one of the better Twitter handles in college baseball, as he can be found on Twitter @ChiefDuchene. He's still not the Dansby Swanson of Twitter, but he's not far behind.
Much more important than a catchy Twitter handle was his start in a 1-0 win over Ball State. Making his season debut three weeks into the season because of a suspension, the talented lefty couldn't have been much better against the Cardinals. He struck out nine, didn't walk anyone and allowed just five hits in seven innings.
Illinois, which entered the top 25 this week, is off to a 7-0-1 start.
2. UCF Shows Those Veteran-like Qualities
University of Central Florida logoIf you read our Weekend Preview and my feature on UCF and its veteran leadership, it probably doesn't come as some massive surprise the Knights, down 4-0 going to the bottom of the sixth inning against Ole Miss, rallied to score five runs the final four innings to win 5-4.
It was an exciting but rather odd night. UCF starting pitcher Zach Rodgers set a career high in strikeouts with seven, but only lasted 4 2/3 innings against the Rebels. Meanwhile, the Knights used five pitchers in the triumph, including big lefty Harrison Hukari, who tossed a clean ninth to finish the Rebels off.
Offensively, leadoff hitter and electric shortstop Dylan Moore had two hits, continuing where he left off last weekend, while red-hot hitting outfielder JoMarcos Woods had two hits and an RBI to help lead the offensive charge.
UCF storming back to beat the Rebels showed its true character in a time when its back was against the wall.
Now, the Knights just need to win one more this weekend.
3. Oregon Goes On The Quack Attack
Oregon logoIt's safe to say the Ducks had an uphill climb, or so it seemed, going into the series opener against UC Santa Barbara with surging Gauchos righthander Dillon Tate on the mound. And for at least five innings, it looked like that story indeed would be true.
But the Ducks rose to the occasion as the game progressed, scoring a run in the sixth on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Grebeck, while in the eighth inning, the pitching-heavy Ducks got some real production when Brandon Cuddy hit a two-run single up the middle to stretch UO's lead to 3-1. The Ducks went on to add two more runs in the ninth inning, while the pitching staff took care of the rest.
Tate still had a very good outing for the Gauchos. He struck out eight in 7 1/3 innings, while for the Ducks, lefthander Cole Irvin struck out two in four innings, allowing one run, and Conor Harber was just terrific out of the pen with five shutout frames and just two hits allowed. It's worth noting that we're impressed with Irvin's ability to come back strong sooner than expected from Tommy John surgery.
George Horton's Ducks are in good shape entering the rest of the weekend.
4. Ivy League Shows Strength
We spend much of our time writing about the power conferences, and deservedly so, but the so-called "little guys" also are doing some cool things to start the weekend. Sure, the Ivy League didn't capture some major upset victory on Friday, but boy were they close.
In College Station, Texas, No. 14 Texas A&M needed four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take care of business against Dartmouth. Big Green starting pitcher Duncan Robinson was terrific against the Aggies, tossing five shutout frames, but a pair of two-run homers from Aggies' sluggers Logan Taylor and Hunter Melton in the eighth were the decisive blows.
Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, La., LSU used three runs in the third and fourth innings combined to hold on to beat Princeton 3-2, while Brown was edged by South Alabama, 9-7, on the road (of course). The lone set of major disappointments for the Ivy League were a 9-2 loss by Harvard to Wofford and Pennsylvania's 9-0 setback to Stetson.
Against the big boys, though, this league more than held its own.
5. Give Me Some Of That UCLA Water
UCLA's Chris Keck. (Shotgun Spratling)
In my years of covering college baseball, I've spent plenty of late-night hours writing. More often than not, some late-night televangelist will come on the screen at some point around 3 or 4 a.m. and ask viewers to call in and order free "holy water." Well, I don't know about that guy, but if he can make it, perhaps UCLA coach John Savage should add a similar business to his resume.
Savage's Bruins are doing some filthy things offensively so far this season. UCLA improved to 8-1 on the year with a 14-2 win over Michigan State. The Bruins were an absolute nightmare atop the lineup, as the foursome of Kevin Kramer, Luke Persico, Ty Moore and Chris Keck combined to go 9-for-15, with Keck and Kramer each hitting a home run. Meanwhile, on the mound, righthander James Kaprielian struck out eight and allowed just two runs in seven innings.
UCLA finished 2014 with a .252 team batting average. So far this year, the Bruins are sitting pretty with a .329 clip.
Pass me some of that water, John.
6. That's More Like It, Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University logoOne of the toughest decisions Aaron Fitt and I had earlier this week was leaving Vanderbilt in the top spot in the latest D1Baseball.com Top 25 rankings. Sure, we're full believers in the Commodores, but one could've strongly argued they should, at the least, be behind Florida in the rankings. Well, we stuck with VU, and it finally put together a more Commodore-like performance in a 16-1 win over Illinois State.
The usual suspects got the job done at the plate, with leadoff hitter Bryan Reynolds collecting two hits, a walk and three RBIs, while Rhett Wiseman had four hits and an RBI, and preseason All-American Dansby Swanson added two hits and two RBIs.
On the mound, it's tip of the cap time for righthander Carson Fulmer. Fulmer recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts and allowed just two hits in six innings in the victory over the Redbirds.
One game is one game, but this seemed like a step in the right direction for Tim Corbin's club.
7. LMU, Welmon Shine Bright Against Nebraska
Loyola Marymount LogoLMU head coach Jason Gill must be loving life right now. While a lot of the country is talking about another perceived "smaller" program in Southern California in UC Santa Barbara, his Lions are quietly putting together a really nice campaign thus far, improving to 7-2 overall after a 4-1 win over Nebraska.
LMU veteran righthander Colin Welmon just continues to impress. The businesslike righty struck out nine, walked one and allowed just a run and six hits in 7 2/3 innings. He was efficient with 79 strikes in 110 pitches, while for the Huskers, ace Chance Sinclair once again was unimpressive, striking out just three and allowing four runs on six hits in five innings.
LMU has a real chance to play a big part on the national stage.
8. Bad Night, Bad News For Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs logoGeorgia Southern Eagles logoThe Bulldogs captured our attention last weekend with an impressive home series win over Florida State, but things might've gone from great to really bad Friday night in a 4-3 road setback to Georgia Southern.
Georgia sophomore righthander Robert Tyler, considered to be one of the nation's elite prospects for the 2016 class, left the game after just 3 2/3 innings of work because of an injury. Bulldogs officials later confirmed to D1Baseball.com the injury is elbow related and Tyler will have an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity of the injury. The word around Athens, Ga., late Friday night wasn't positive, but we'll see what happens when the results are final.
Though a bad night for the Bulldogs, GSU had a good night. Outfielder Aaron Mizell had a strong performance with a double, triple and two RBIs to lead the way.
9. Welcome Back, UC Irvine
Tennessee logoUC Irvine logoCoach Mike Gillespie's club had struggled the first two weeks of the season, entering the Tennessee series on Friday battered and bruised with just a 1-6 overall record. The Anteaters, though, played terrific baseball in a doubleheader sweep of the Volunteers on Friday, winning 5-2 and 2-1.
In the front end of the doubleheader, talented lefthander Elliot Surrey struck out six, walking no one and allowed just two runs on seven hits in 8 1/3 innings, while in Game Two, heralded juco transfer and former Tennessee pitcher Matt Esparza struck out six, walked three and allowed just a run on four hits in a complete-game performance.
The silver lining in these performances for Tennessee was the arm of young righthander Kyle Serrano. Serrano struck out, walked one and allowed just a run in 6 2/3 innings. Notably, the righthander was 92-94 through the seventh inning, and touched 96 at times.
10. Hats Off Award: College of Charleston's Taylor Clarke
College of Charleston Cougars logoCollege of Charleston righthander Taylor Clarke knows that without righthander Bailey Ober - who will have Tommy John surgery and is out for the year - his role as the Friday night starting pitcher is more important than ever.
Clarke couldn't have stepped up in more impressive fashion than he did in a 4-2 win over Indiana. The righthander struck out 11, didn't allow a walk and allowed seven hits in eight shutout innings. Additionally, he threw 79 strikes in 102 total pitches.
D1 - Ten National Thoughts: Feb. 27
CBI: Around the Bases (2/27)
Wilson homers twice as Clemson clocks South Carolina
Stanford edges Rice; Virginia handles Hartford; Vandy tops Illinois State
Clemson 11, No. 10 South Carolina 4
In Clemson, S.C., Weston Wilson homered twice and drove in four, and Chris Okey homered and also drove in four as Clemson downed South Carolina before a crowd of 6,272 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Chase Pinder had a two-run triple to spark a four-run fourth inning. In the third inning, Okey and Wilson hit back-to-back homers - the first since 2010 for the Tigers - as Clemson (6-2) extended its lead to 8-0. Matthew Crownover (2-0) allowed four runs on six hits and struck out seven, and Alex Schnell picked up his first career save by tossing the final four innings with two hits. Wil Crowe (1-1) allowed nine runs (eight earned) in six innings for the Gamecocks (6-2). Connor Bright homered and drove in four for South Carolina, which entered having won 14 of 19 against Clemson over the past five years.
Stanford 5, No. 11 Rice 3
In Houston, Mikey Diekroeger had three hits and three RBI, and Cal Quantrill worked seven strong innings as Stanford knocked off Rice. Diekroeger drove in a pair of runs with a double as the Cardinal (5-4) scored four times in the first inning. Matt Winaker added three hits and a run, and Alex Dunlap scored twice for Stanford. Quantrill (2-0) allowed three runs and struck out seven. John Clay Reeves drove in all three runs for the Owls (6-4).
No. 1 Virginia 5, Hartford 1
In Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nathan Kirby tossed six scoreless innings, and Pavin Smith went 2 for 4 with a double, run and an RBI as Virginia knocked off Hartford. The Cavaliers (8-0) scored three times in the first and won despite totaling only six hits. Adam Haseley scored twice and drove in a run for Virginia, and Kirby (3-0) allowed four hits and struck out 10. David MacKinnon went 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Hawks (2-2).
No. 2 Vanderbilt 16, Illinois State 1
In Nashville, Tenn., Carson Fulmer allowed two hits and struck out 11 in six scoreless innings, and Vanderbilt used a 10-run sixth inning to run away from Illinois State. Bryan Reynolds, Penn Murfee and Will Toffey each had two hits, two runs and three RBI, and Rhett Wiseman went 4 for 5 with two runs and an RBI for the Commodores (7-2). ISU fell to 4-3.
No. 3 Florida 1, Stony Brook 0
In Gainesville, Fla., Logan Shore and Bobby Poyner combined on a three-hit shutout as Florida edged Stony Brook to give coach Kevin O'Sullivan his 300th career win. Shore (2-0) allowed one hit, walked three and struck out three, and Poyner earned his first save with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief for the Gators (8-1). JJ Schwarz had an RBI double in the sixth. Tim Knesnik (0-2) allowed five hits and one run in five innings for the Seawolves (2-5).
No. 5 LSU 3, Princeton 2
In Baton Rouge, La., Jared Poche' allowed two earned runs over 6.2 innings, and LSU picked up a win over Princeton despite posting only four hits. Jake Fraley went 2 for 4 with a double, run and RBI single for the Tigers (8-1). Chad Powers allowed two hits and three runs (one earned) with two walks and three strikeouts for the Tigers (0-1). Billy Arendt hit a solo homer for Princeton.
No. 6 Houston 3, Columbia 0
In Houston, Andrew Lantrip was fantastic with 7.2 scoreless innings, and Chris Iriart and Connor Wong each had two hits and an RBI as Houston slipped past Columbia. Lantrip (3-0) allowed five hits and struck out six, and Seth Romero earned his third save for the Cougars (7-2). George Thanopoulos allowed two earned runs and struck out five in five innings for the Lions (0-1). Joe Falcone had two of Columbia's six hits.
No. 13 Miami 8, Wright State 7
In Coral Gables, Fla., Garrett Kennedy's two-out, two-run homer gave Miami a comeback win over Wright State. Kennedy, who entered the game in the seventh, hit a 3-1 pitch over the fence in right for the Hurricanes (7-3), who trailed 7-3 at one point. Ryan Fucci had a double, triple and homer and drove in four, and Mark Fowler went 4 for 5 with two RBI for the Raiders (4-3).
No. 16 North Carolina 4, Rhode Island 3
In Florence, S.C., Benton Moss allowed six hits and struck out 10 in seven scoreless innings as North Carolina held on to beat Rhode Island. The Tar Heels (5-2) scored three times in the bottom of the second inning. Eight Tar Heels had a hit - all eight were singles - with Logan Warmoth delivering a run and RBI. Nick DeRegis and Chris Hess had two hits apiece for the Rams (0-4).
CBI: Around the Bases (2/27)
Wilson homers twice as Clemson clocks South Carolina
Stanford edges Rice; Virginia handles Hartford; Vandy tops Illinois State
Clemson 11, No. 10 South Carolina 4
In Clemson, S.C., Weston Wilson homered twice and drove in four, and Chris Okey homered and also drove in four as Clemson downed South Carolina before a crowd of 6,272 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Chase Pinder had a two-run triple to spark a four-run fourth inning. In the third inning, Okey and Wilson hit back-to-back homers - the first since 2010 for the Tigers - as Clemson (6-2) extended its lead to 8-0. Matthew Crownover (2-0) allowed four runs on six hits and struck out seven, and Alex Schnell picked up his first career save by tossing the final four innings with two hits. Wil Crowe (1-1) allowed nine runs (eight earned) in six innings for the Gamecocks (6-2). Connor Bright homered and drove in four for South Carolina, which entered having won 14 of 19 against Clemson over the past five years.
Stanford 5, No. 11 Rice 3
In Houston, Mikey Diekroeger had three hits and three RBI, and Cal Quantrill worked seven strong innings as Stanford knocked off Rice. Diekroeger drove in a pair of runs with a double as the Cardinal (5-4) scored four times in the first inning. Matt Winaker added three hits and a run, and Alex Dunlap scored twice for Stanford. Quantrill (2-0) allowed three runs and struck out seven. John Clay Reeves drove in all three runs for the Owls (6-4).
No. 1 Virginia 5, Hartford 1
In Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nathan Kirby tossed six scoreless innings, and Pavin Smith went 2 for 4 with a double, run and an RBI as Virginia knocked off Hartford. The Cavaliers (8-0) scored three times in the first and won despite totaling only six hits. Adam Haseley scored twice and drove in a run for Virginia, and Kirby (3-0) allowed four hits and struck out 10. David MacKinnon went 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Hawks (2-2).
No. 2 Vanderbilt 16, Illinois State 1
In Nashville, Tenn., Carson Fulmer allowed two hits and struck out 11 in six scoreless innings, and Vanderbilt used a 10-run sixth inning to run away from Illinois State. Bryan Reynolds, Penn Murfee and Will Toffey each had two hits, two runs and three RBI, and Rhett Wiseman went 4 for 5 with two runs and an RBI for the Commodores (7-2). ISU fell to 4-3.
No. 3 Florida 1, Stony Brook 0
In Gainesville, Fla., Logan Shore and Bobby Poyner combined on a three-hit shutout as Florida edged Stony Brook to give coach Kevin O'Sullivan his 300th career win. Shore (2-0) allowed one hit, walked three and struck out three, and Poyner earned his first save with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief for the Gators (8-1). JJ Schwarz had an RBI double in the sixth. Tim Knesnik (0-2) allowed five hits and one run in five innings for the Seawolves (2-5).
No. 5 LSU 3, Princeton 2
In Baton Rouge, La., Jared Poche' allowed two earned runs over 6.2 innings, and LSU picked up a win over Princeton despite posting only four hits. Jake Fraley went 2 for 4 with a double, run and RBI single for the Tigers (8-1). Chad Powers allowed two hits and three runs (one earned) with two walks and three strikeouts for the Tigers (0-1). Billy Arendt hit a solo homer for Princeton.
No. 6 Houston 3, Columbia 0
In Houston, Andrew Lantrip was fantastic with 7.2 scoreless innings, and Chris Iriart and Connor Wong each had two hits and an RBI as Houston slipped past Columbia. Lantrip (3-0) allowed five hits and struck out six, and Seth Romero earned his third save for the Cougars (7-2). George Thanopoulos allowed two earned runs and struck out five in five innings for the Lions (0-1). Joe Falcone had two of Columbia's six hits.
No. 13 Miami 8, Wright State 7
In Coral Gables, Fla., Garrett Kennedy's two-out, two-run homer gave Miami a comeback win over Wright State. Kennedy, who entered the game in the seventh, hit a 3-1 pitch over the fence in right for the Hurricanes (7-3), who trailed 7-3 at one point. Ryan Fucci had a double, triple and homer and drove in four, and Mark Fowler went 4 for 5 with two RBI for the Raiders (4-3).
No. 16 North Carolina 4, Rhode Island 3
In Florence, S.C., Benton Moss allowed six hits and struck out 10 in seven scoreless innings as North Carolina held on to beat Rhode Island. The Tar Heels (5-2) scored three times in the bottom of the second inning. Eight Tar Heels had a hit - all eight were singles - with Logan Warmoth delivering a run and RBI. Nick DeRegis and Chris Hess had two hits apiece for the Rams (0-4).
CBI: Around the Bases (2/27)
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