Sunday NCAA Baseball Roundup

Houston has advanced to the NCAA Super Regional for third time in four years after pulling out back-to-back, come-from-behind 7-6 victories over Texas A&M at the College Station Regional. The Cougars will face a very familiar opponent in the Super Regional, traveling across town to play Rice, a team that it faced five times during the regular season.

UH battled from behind in the second game, erasing a 6-2 deficit by scoring twice in the bottom of the eighth and twice in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Then, in the 10th, after making a pair of outs the Cougars drew back to back walks. Brian Martin would score the winning run on a two-base throwing error by A&M pitcher Matt Farnum.

UH forced a second championship game by defeating Texas A&M, 7-6, in the first game of the day. Hyung Cho's two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh proved to be the difference.

The most successful season in Southern Miss history came to an end on Sunday afternoon. Baylor rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the eighth inning, with Regional MVP David Murphy hitting a two-run double to spark the comeback, as the Bears won, 3-2.

Southern Miss closes out the 2003 campaign with a record of 47-15, the best mark in school history.

HOUSTON 7, TEXAS A&M 6(Game Two)
COLLEGE STATION , Texas - Brian Martin raced home on an infield error in the bottom of the 10th inning as the University of Houston baseball team shocked host Texas A&M 7-6 at Olsen Field to win the 2003 NCAA Regional at College Station championship.

With two outs, Martin and Sam Mitchell drew back-to-back walks in the bottom of the 10th inning. On a 1-2 count, UH shortstop Stuart Musslewhite rapped a slow dribbler back to the pitcher's mound, where A&M reliever Matt Farnum scooped up the ball. However, Farnum's throw went over the head of first baseman Scott Beerer into right field, allowing Martin to score the game-winning run and stun most of the 4,554 fans a the game.

The Cougars, who had to defeat Texas A&M twice on Sunday to advance, scored five runs over the final three innings to win for the sixth time in their last seven games against the Aggies at Olsen Field.

With the win, the Cougars advance to the NCAA Super Regional for the third time in the last four years against Rice at Reckling Park. The winner of the best two-out-of-three series advances to the NCAA College World Series. Game times and dates will be announced Monday.

Trailing 6-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, the Cougars began their unlikely comeback with two runs in that frame. Michael Bourn led off with a single up the middle and Travis Tully followed with a walk. Two batters later, Matt Farrington slapped a single up the middle to plate Bourn. Cho scored the Cougars' second run of the frame after racing in following a Beerer wild pitch to make the score 6-4.

UH continued to threaten with runners on first and second when Thanos Papavasiliou blasted a shot into the left center gap. However, A&M left fielder John Infante made a diving catch to end the threat.

In the ninth, Brett Logan smashed a one-out double down the left field line and came around to score when Bourn blasted a triple off the center field wall. Bourn then knotted the game at 6-6 when Travis Tully lifted a sacrifice fly into left field.

Things did not start well for the Cougars in the 10th inning. Beerer blasted a double to center field to lead off the frame, before UH closer Ryan Wagner entered the game. After Justin Pouk drew a walk, Wagner forced John Infante into a groundout. With runners still on first and second, pinch hitter Kevin Whelan struck out and Matt Alexander grounded out to end the threat and set the stage for the Cougars' late-inning heroics.

Bourn, Wagner, third baseman Hyung Cho and infielder Cole Bruce were all named to the NCAA Regional at College Station All-Tournament Team. In addition, Bruce was honored as the Most Outstanding Player, the second year in a row that a Cougar player has received that honor.

Wagner collected the win and improved to 6-5 this season after throwing one shutout inning. Farnum collected the loss and fell to 7-2 after allowing two walks and one unearned run in 0.2 innings of relief.

Bourn batted 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI to lead the Cougar offense, which outhit the Aggies 8-7. Musslewhite finished the day 2-for-5, while four other players recorded one hit apiece.

As they did in the first game Sunday, the Cougars jumped ahead in their first at-bat. Michael Bourn reached on a single to lead off. When the swift Cougar runner stole second, A&M catcher Justin Pouk's throw down to second base went into center field, allowing Bourn to reach third. Hyung Cho then grounded out to second base but not before Bourn raced in from home with the game's first run.

The Aggies answered in the top of the second with two runs. Scott Beerer led off the inning with a shot over the left field wall and Justin Pouk followed with a monster shot to give the Aggies the lead.

UH knotted the game in the bottom of the frame. Matt Farrington walked to lead off and moved into scoring position on a groundout. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Farrington knotted the game at 2-2 on Gabe Lucas' sacrifice fly to center field.

Texas A&M used the long ball again in the third inning to regain the lead when Chris Pennington blasted a solo shot to left field.

In the sixth inning, the Aggies pushed their lead to three runs, thanks to a hit and a key two-out UH error. Justin Pouk, who reached after being hit by a pitch, scored on the infield error and John Infante came around on Erik Schindewolf's RBI single to right field for a 5-2 A&M lead.

John Infante gave the Aggies a 6-2 lead in the eighth inning with a solo homer - A&M's fourth of the game - to left field.

Cliff Pennington batted 2-for-3 with a run and RBI, while Scott Beerer batted 2-for-4 with a run, home run and RBI for Texas A&M.


HOUSTON 7, TEXAS A&M 6(Game one)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Hyung Cho blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to lift the University of Houston baseball team from a one-run deficit to a 7-6 win in the first game of the championship at Olsen Field during the NCAA Regional at College Station.

The Cougars were scheduled to play the Aggies in a rematch at 7 p.m., Saturday with the winner advancing to next weekend's NCAA Super Regional against Rice.

After Justin Ruggiano put the Aggies ahead with a solo home run in the top of the seventh, the Cougars answered in the bottom of the frame. Gabe Lucas reached on an A&M infield error before Cho blasted a 1-1 offering from Aggie reliever Dan Donaldson over the left field wall to put UH ahead 7-6.

The junior third baseman finished the day 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs to lead a Cougar offensive attack, which rapped out 11 hits in the game.

Junior infielder Cole Bruce continued his recent hot play, batting 3-for-3 with a run and walk, while Michael Bourn batted 2-for-5 with a run.

UH closer Ryan Wagner slammed the door on the A&M offense with two shutout innings and struck out three of the seven batters he faced for his school-record 14th save of the season.

Freshman reliever Kevin Roberts picked up his first collegiate win by tossing 1.2 innings with only one hit and one run with three strikeouts.

Donaldson dropped to 1-3 after giving up one run off two hits with a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings.

The Cougars made their mark on the scoreboard first with three runs in their first at-bat. Bourn led off with a single to right center and came all the way around to score on an A&M error on Lucas' sacrifice attempt.

After reaching second base, Lucas scored the Cougars second run on Cho's single through the left side of the infield, and Cho raced all the way to third on an A&M error in the outfield. Brad Sullivan reached base on the Aggies' third error of the inning, and Travis Tully's groundout plated Cho to hand the Cougars an early 3-0 lead.

Texas A&M cut into the lead in its next at-bat with a run on Kevin Whelan's sacrifice fly.

The Aggies jumped ahead in the third inning with three runs off two hits and a passed ball. Erik Schindewolf scored the frame's first run on Scott Beerer's sacrifice fly, and Cliff Pennington tied the game at 3-3 on a Cougar passed ball. After Ruggiano walked and moved into scoring position on another passed ball, Justin Pouk gave the Aggies the lead with an RBI single through the left side.

UH answered and reclaimed the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Cho and Bruce led off with back-to-back singles and moved up a base on Sullivan's sacrifice bunt. From there, Tully plated Cho with a sacrifice fly into center field, and Stuart Musslewhite slapped an RBI-single through the left side of the infield to score Bruce and give the Cougars a 5-4 lead.

A&M knotted the game in the fifth inning when Beerer's second straight sacrifice fly plated Cory Patton, who led off the frame with a single.

Pouk batted 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Ruggiano scored three times for Texas A&M.




BAYLOR 3, SOUTHERN MISS 2
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Baylor Bears demonstrated throughout the NCAA Regional how they can score late, and that clutch ability came through for them with a 3-2 victory over regional host Southern Miss in the final game. Baylor (44-21) now advances to the Super Regionals on June 6-8, against the winner of the LSU-UNC Wilmington matchup.

Facing a 2-0 deficit in the top of the eighth with two outs, Baylor scored all three runs in the frame. The Bears placed Kyle Reynolds and Chris Durbin on the bags, and left-handed David Murphy swung at the first pitch he faced against Southern Miss ace reliever Austin Tubb and lined an opposite field double, to the left field corner, scoring both runners and tying the game. Josh Ford's blooping single to centerfield plated Murphy to give the Bears the winning run.

Reynolds and Trey Webb each batted 2-for-4 to lead the Baylor hitters. Murphy was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBIs.

An unexpected pitchers' duel was featured early in the game, as the game went scoreless until the bottom of the fifth. Ryan LaMotta (7-2) started on the mound for Baylor and gave up six hits, two runs and two walks, while striking out one in 8.1 innings. Zane Carlson came on in relief in the ninth for his 11th save of the season

Eagles' starter Anthony Dewitt went 7.1 innings and surrendered four hits, one unearned run, one walk and four strikeouts. Tubb (3-2) received the loss, going 1/3 of an inning and giving up two runs and one walk.

Southern Miss (47-16) got on the board when Matt Shepherd's single to right field allowed Griff Israel to come home. The Eagles went up 2-0 in the seventh, when Israel, who batted 3-for-4 with two doubles, claimed his second run on the day off a ground out by Jason Lowery.


POSTGAME NOTES
BAYLOR
David Murphy’s eighth inning double that scored two runs set a new single-season school record for doubles with 158.

Murphy was 5-for-10 (.500) with a double and four runs scored in earning Most Outstanding Player honors. His two-RBI double with two outs in the eighth inning sparked Baylor to a three-run inning that proved to be the difference in the game.

Ryan LaMotta threw a career-high 8 1/3 innings today to earn his seventh win of the season.

Mark Saccomanno’s 18 game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-4 outing.

Today’s win was the 44th of the season for the Bears, the third-most in school history.

With the victory, Baylor advances to Super Regional for the first time since 1999 (the first year of Super Regionals).

SOUTHERN MISS
The Golden Eagles close out the 2003 season with an all-time best record of 47-16.

Today’s attendance of 4,601 broke the Pete Taylor attendance record, a record that was set on Saturday night vs. Southern U. Four of the top 11 attendances in Pete Taylor Park history took place during the Hattiesburg Regional.


HATTIESBURG REGIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
C Brad Willcutt, Southern Miss
1B Mark Saccomanno, Baylor
2B Rickie Weeks, Southern U.
SS Trey Webb, Baylor
3B Michael Griffin, Baylor
OF David Murphy, Baylor
OF Jeff Cook, Southern Miss
OF Clint King, Southern Miss
DH Griff Israel, Southern Miss
P Dewon Day, Southern
P Ryan LaMotta, Baylor
P Cliff Russum, Southern Miss

Most Outstanding Player: David Murphy, Baylor