May 31, 2008

Rice and Tulane have each advanced to the championship round of their respective regionals, meaning that someone will need to beat each of them twice or they will advance to super regional play. East Carolina stayed alive in the Conway Regional with a shutout victory over Columbia, while Houston and Southern Miss fell at Texas A&M and LSU, respectively.

TULANE 4, BUCKNELL 1
Sophomores Matt Petiton and Preston Claiborne combined to strike out six while allowing just three hits and the Green Wave defense turned in another nearly flawless performance as the third-seeded Tulane University baseball team defeated No. 4 seed Bucknell, 4-1, Saturday evening in day two of the 2008 NCAA Tallahassee Regional at Dick Howser Stadium.

Petiton (7-1) allowed just a run on two hits and five walks while striking out a pair in a 5.1-inning start, and Claiborne allowed just a single while punching out four over the final 3.2 stanzas to earn his third save of the year. With the win, Tulane (39-20-1) advances to the Regional Championship Game where it will take on the winner of tomorrow's Florida State/Bucknell contest at 6 p.m. (CDT). The Bison (30-23-2), meanwhile, fall into the loser's bracket and will play the Seminoles on Sunday at noon for the right to play the Wave in the championship game.

Tulane broke a scoreless tie in the third with a two-run single by freshman third baseman Rob Segedin through the left side of the infield in the third to claim a 2-0 lead, and junior centerfielder Anthony Scelfo doubled the score with a two-out, two-run triple to left center an inning later.

The Bison made things interesting in the top of the fifth when Chris Pieper and Ed Rubbo drew back-to-back walks to lead off the frame and Ben Allen was hit by a pitch to load the bases with only one out. Petiton, however, bounced back to get Dane Grandizio to pop up to short and Mark Angelo to fly out to center to escape the frame with no damage done.

Petiton pitched his way into trouble again in the fifth when he issued back-to-back, one-out walks to Andrew Brouse and Shawn Hirsch, and was lifted at that point in favor of sophomore right-hander Preston Claiborne. Claiborne nearly pitched the Wave out of the jam with a fly ball to center and a strikeout of Rubbo, but his third strike to Rubbo bounced in front of the plate and rolled to the backstop. That allowed Brouse, who went from second to third on the fly ball, to score and make it a 4-1 ballgame.

The Bison had something going again in the top of the eighth when Buursma hit a leadoff single and advanced to second on an errant throw following a fielder's choice ground ball to third by Brouse. From there, however, Claiborne got Hirsch to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play and struck out Turban to wiggle off the hook.

RICE 11, ST. JOHN'S 2
J.P. Padron and Jimmy Comerota combined to drive in eight runs and Cole St. Clair fired 4.1 innings of hitless relief to lead Rice to an 11-2 victory over St. John's in in the winner's bracket game of the NCAA Houston (Rice) Regional Tournament Saturday evening at Reckling Park.

Rice has advanced to the 6 pm game Sunday night and will face the winner of the 2 pm elimination game (also Sunday) between St. John's and Texas.

Padron, who was 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and a career-high five RBI and Comerota, who was 3-for-5 and drove in a career-high three runs, provided the key hits in a seven-run sixth inning that broke open a tight contest.

After Rice loaded the bases on reliever Miguel Valcarcel, Padron cleared the bases with a double down the left field line. Rich Hague then reached on an error and Aaron Luna walked to re-load the bases for Adam Zornes, who greeted reliever Nick Cenatiempo with a long drive to right center that bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double to score Padron and Hague. Comerota then drove home Luna and Zornes with a single to cap the seven-run inning.

The two teams traded early threats, with each starting pitcher dodging scoring threats. Rice threatened in the first, loading the bases with two outs and then drew first blood when Padron drove home Chad Mozingo with a two-out single in the second.

Owls starter Chris Kelley worked out of trouble in the first two innings thanks to a pair of double plays, and appeared headed for an escape of a first and third, none out, jam in the third. He struck out Tim Morris looking and then Greg Hopkins was cut down at the plate by Padron on a safety squeeze attempt by Brian Kemp. But Jeff Grantham singled to right to score Gino Matias and knot the game at 1-1.

Rice regained the lead in the fifth. Padron was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Hague followed with a line shot over the bag at third that ricocheted back into play and past Red Storm left fielder Carlos Del Rosario for a run-scoring triple. Luna then drew a walk and Red Storm starter George Brown was removed for reliever Miguel Valcarcel. Valcarel made quick work of the Owls threat, getting a double play when Zornes lined out to left and Del Rosario threw out Hague at the plate. Comerota drove in Luna with a single, but was thrown out trying to advance to second to end the frame.

Brown (9-1) allowed 12 base runners while working into the fifth, giving up six hits, walking three and hitting three others, but was only charged with three runs thanks to his defense.

In the bottom of the fifth, St. John's Morris and Kemp each singled and Jiff Grantham walked. Del Rosario plated Morris with a sac fly to center, and St.Clair came out of the bullpen to quell the Red Storm threat and set the stage for the Owls sixth-inning explosion.

Rice starter Chris Kelley was charged with two runs on six hits in 4.2 innings while walking one and striking out two. St. Clair ran his record to 9-2 with the victory.

EAST CAROLINA 9, COLUMBIA 0
East Carolina senior pitcher T.J. Hose tossed a four-hit, complete game shutout to lead the Pirates to a 9-0 victory over Columbia in an NCAA Conway Regional elimination game Saturday afternoon.

The Pirates (40-21) will face Alabama on Sunday at 1 p.m. Columbia finished its season with an overall record of 22-30.

Hose (7-4) recorded his first career complete game shutout by retiring 17 batters in-a-row between the fourth and ninth innings. He nearly retired the final 18 batters of the game in order before issuing his only walk with two outs in the ninth. Hose struck out seven and allowed just two runners past second base.

Columbia starter Joe Scarlata (5-5) lasted 2.1 innings allowing six runs (all earned) on five hits with three walks before being lifted for Geoff Whitaker in the third. Whitaker lasted 1.2 innings allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts. John Baumann pitched 4.0 innings and allowed one run on three hits with two walks and four punch outs. Joey Mizzoni worked a scoreless ninth inning, retiring all three batters faced.

Jamie Ray hit his second home run of the Conway Regional in the first inning giving ECU an early 2-0 lead. Senior Harrison Eldridge, who became the school's all-time leader in games played (239), singled to left field on the games first pitch and rounded the bases on Ray's sixth homer of the year.

Corey Kemp's 17th home run of the season extended the Pirates lead to 6-0 in the third inning as he launched a three-run shot over the left field wall. Drew Schieber singled down the left field line to start then frame then took second on Eldridge's sac bunt. Ray plated Schieber with a RBI double down the left field line just before Stephen Batts drew a walk leading to Kemp's at-bat.

Dustin Harrington roped a two-RBI double down the left field line to push ECU's lead to 8-0 in the fifth inning. Brandon Henderson lead off the inning with an infield single which was followed by a Roller single to left field. After a failed pickoff moved the runners up 90-feet, Harrington picked up his 12th multi-RBI game of the season with his base knock.

Henderson drove the Pirates ninth run of the game with a double to left-center that scored Ray from second pushing the lead to 9-0. Ray walked to lead off the frame then stole his second base of the afternoon on Kemp's at-bat moving into scoring position.

LSU 13, SOUTHERN MISS 4
Matt Clark blasted a pair of two-run homers and the Tigers recorded five round-trippers in the contest in leading No. 7 national seed LSU to a 13-4 NCAA Regional winner's bracket victory over Southern Miss here Saturday night at Alex Box Stadium.

The Tigers captured their 22nd consecutive victory and advanced to Sunday's championship round in a 6 p.m., contest against the winner of the Golden Eagles and New Orleans, who will play at 1 p.m. LSU also defeated the Golden Eagles for the second time this season that LSU after winning in Hattiesburg, 8-4, on April 29.

Along with Clark's two-run blasts in the fourth and sixth innings to give him 25 for the season, Blake Dean added his 19th, a solo shot in the fourth, while Michael Hollander added a two-run long ball, his fifth, in the eighth and pinch hitter Sean Ochinko added his fourth, a solo shot in the ninth.

D.J. LeMahieu got the Tigers (45-16-1) on the board with the game's first run in the top of the third. LeMahieu walked to start the frame and went to third on a single to right by Leon Landry. Ryan Schimpf then plated LeMahieu by grounding into a double play.

LSU then used the long ball in the fourth with a pair of homers. Dean and Clark added their homers in the frame, while Leon Landry posted an RBI double down the leftfield line by Landry. Landry tried to stretch the hit into a triple but was thrown out to end the inning.

James Ewing got the Golden Eagles (41-21) on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff double, before going to third on a Trey Sutton groundout. Drew Carson then grounded out to short to drive home Ewing to make the score 5-1.

The Tigers then extended the advantage to 6-1 in the fifth on an RBI double by Dean.

Southern Miss cut the gap with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Chris Matesich doubled to start the inning and Keith Winstead followed with a walk. Michael Ewing then laced an RBI single to center to score Matesich. After a sacrifice bunt by Bo Davis and a flyout, James Ewing then one to center to drive the other two runs in the inning and cut the gap to 6-4.

Another blast by Clark in the next frame was able to push the advantage back to four runs at 8-4.

The Tigers then added four more runs in the eighth on Hollander's homer and a two-run double by Schimpf. LSU got its final run in the ninth on Ochinko's pinch-hit homer.

Southern Miss starter Todd McInnis (6-3) suffered the loss after allowing five runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts over four innings of work. LSU starter Ryan Verdugo improved to 9-2 after surrendering four runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over five innings.

TEXAS A&M 22, HOUSTON 4
No. 9 Texas A&M jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings and never looked back in taking a 22-4 win over the University of Houston baseball team Saturday during a winner's bracket game at the 2008 NCAA College Station Regional at Olsen Field.

The Aggies scored three in the first, one in the second and four more in the third. The Cougars pulled to within 8-4 in the bottom of the third when junior infielder Jimmy Cesario blasted a towering three-run homer to right field.

However, that would be as close as the Cougars would get the rest of the way, and any doubt was eliminated in the seventh inning when the Aggies scored 12 runs.

Cesario went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Cougar offense, which was outhit 16-4 in the game.

Cougar starter John Touchton collected the loss and fell to 5-4 after surrendering four runs (two earned) off four hits and two walks in 1.1 innings, the shortest start of his collegiate career.

Darby Brown batted 2-for-3 with a double, home run, two runs and four RBIs, while Blake Stouffer went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs. Kyle Colligan went 3-for-6 with three solo home runs, while Dane Carter batted 3-for-5 with two runs. Kevin Gonzalez finished the night 2-for-6 with a home run, two runs and three RBIs.

Texas A&M starter Barret Loux picked up the win and improved to 6-2 after limiting the Cougars to four runs (three earned) off four hits and a walk with five strikeouts in six innings.

With the loss, the Cougars fell to 40-23 and lost for only the second time in their last 12 games. UH also saw its five-game winning streak in NCAA postseason games at Olsen Field come to an end. In 2003, UH rallied to win the last five games on the way to claiming the title of the NCAA College Station Regional.

The Cougars now face Illinois-Chicago at 12:30 p.m., Sunday in an elimination game. Senior righthander Bryan Tully is scheduled to start for the Cougars, while the Flames will counter with righthander Grant Kohlstaedt.

The winner of that game must defeat Texas A&M twice in the final two games to advance to the NCAA Super Regional.

Texas A&M improved to 45-16 and won its second straight game against the Cougars this season.

Fans can hear all Cougar Baseball games live at UHCougars.com by clicking the appropriate links. Jeremy Branham will call the play-by-play action while former letterwinner Pat Cauley provides color analysis.

Fans always can follow live stats by clicking on the Gametracker link.

In addition to the internet broadcast, FSN Southwest and FSN Houston will show Sunday's elimination game at 12:30 p.m. (except in the Dallas-Fort Worth market). The game will be available throughout the region and nationwide live on DirecTV, Dish Network and Fox College Sports Central (see schedule below for channel numbers).

Will Johnson will call the play-by-play action with Alan Cannon providing color analysis with the broadcast feed of 12th Man Video Productions.

Colligan smashed the second pitch he saw over the center-field wall to hand the Aggies an early lead. The scoring continued as Carter followed with a single up the middle and eventually scored when Anders slapped a sacrifice fly into left field. Jose Duran, who reached on a Cougar infield miscue, came around to score on Brown's RBI-double off the wall in left center.

The Cougars took advantage of an Aggie mistake to score their first run. Blake Kelso made it all the way to third when his line drive into right field was misplayed and rolled to the wall. Jake Stewart then plated Kelso with a ground ball to third base to trim the Aggie lead to 3-1.

In the second inning, Brodie Greene smashed a 3-2 offering over the wall in left field to knock Touchton out of the game and hand the Aggies a 4-1 lead.

Brown pushed the Texas A&M lead to 6-1 with a two-run homer to right field in the third inning.

The Cougars put their first crooked number on the scoreboard in the third inning. After Kelso and Jake Stewart reached on a one-out single and walk, respectively, Cesario launched a towering three-run homer to right field to pull the Cougars to within 8-4.

The Aggies extended their lead to 9-4 in the sixth inning when Greene's sacrifice fly to center field scored Stouffer, who led off with a double down the right-field line.

In eighth inning, Texas A&M sent scored 12 runs off six hits and a pair of errors that made only two of those runs earned. The Aggies sent 17 men to the plate as Colligan blasted his second homer of the game and Anders added a three-run shot to highlight the frame.

Colligan scored on a Cougar wild pitch in the eighth inning for the final margin of victory.