June 2 NCAA Baseball Roundup

Keith Whatley

Keith Whatley went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs on the way to Most Outstanding Player honors as Houston took an 8-3 win over No. 15 Arizona State on Sunday in the championship game of the NCAA Regional at Mesa, Ariz. East Carolina and South Florida did not fare as well, losing to ACC powers Clemson and Florida State, respectively, in their regional finals.

HOUSTON 8, ARIZONA STATE 3
MESA, Ariz. - Keith Whatley went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs on the way to Most Outstanding Player honors as the University of Houston baseball team took an 8-3 win over No. 15 Arizona State on Sunday in the championship game of the NCAA Regional at Mesa at Hohokam Park.

With the win, the Cougars advanced to the NCAA Super Regional against third-ranked Texas in a best two-of three series, starting Friday at Disch-Falk Field. It marked the second time in the last three seasons that UH advanced to an NCAA Super Regional.

A native of Atlanta, Texas, Whatley batted .750 (8-for-12) with four runs and five RBIs to help lead a Cougar offense which posted at least 10 hits and scored in the first inning of all three Regional games. In addition to Whatley, Chris Snyder batted 4-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs and blasted his 15th home run of the year in the fourth inning to five the Cougars a 6-2 cushion.

Michael Bourn, Sam Mitchell and Hyung Cho each added two hits apiece as the Cougars rapped out 16 hits against three ASU pitchers.

Whatley was one of six Cougars named to the All-Tournament Team. Cho, Mitchell, Bourn, First baseman Brett Cooley and pitcher Brad Sullivan were also named to the postseason squad.

UH reliever Ryan Wagner improved to 2-1 with the win after scattering three hits and one run with four strikeouts in 4.2 innings of relief. Although ASU loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, UH reliever Jesse Crain retired the side without allowing a run and extended his consecutive inning scoreless streak to 33.0 innings, the second longest in Cougar history.

ASU starter Robbie McLellan dropped to 7-6 after giving up eight hits and five runs in 3.1 innings.

For the third straight game, the Cougars took the lead with runs in their first at-bat. Bourn led off the game with a sharp single to center field and moved into scoring position when McLellan's pickoff attempt went wild. Whatley then laced another single to center field, scoring Bourn for a 1-0 UH lead.

Snyder followed with an infield single, and Whatley moved to third base on Crain's flyout to left field. With two outs, Mitchell then laced a ground ball in the infield, but ASU shortstop Dustin Pedroia's throw across the diamond pulled first baseman Jeremy West off the bag, allowing Whatley to score.

Cho capped the Cougar scoring in the first with a single to left field that scored Snyder and gave UH a 3-0 lead before its defense hit the field for the first time.

ASU pulled to within one with a pair of runs in the second inning. Nick Cadena slapped a double to left center to scored Jeff Larish but Rod Allen was thrown out at home on the relay throw from Crain after running through a stop sign from third base coach Mike Rooney.

Cesar Castillo followed with a single up the middle to score Cadena and put the score at 3-2.

UH rebuilt its lead with another three-spot in the fourth inning. Bourn started the rally with a single through the right side and came around to score on Whatley's double down the left field line. After an ASU pitching change, Snyder blasted a two-run home run over the left field wall for a 6-2 Cougar lead.

In the fifth inning, Castillo reached after Cooley lost the ball in the sun on an infield popup and eventually came around to score on Pedroia's RBI-single.

Snyder and Cooley led off the UH seventh inning with back-to-back singles and moved up a base on Crain's sacrifice bunt. After an intentional walk to Mitchell, Cho ripped a ground ball in the infield and beat out the double play as Snyder scored to give UH a 7-3 lead.

The Cougars added an insurance run in the ninth inning on Cameron Blair's RBI-single up the middle.


CLEMSON 21, EAST CAROLINA 1
CLEMSON, S.C. - Zane Green sent the first pitch of the game over the fence in right and sent top-seeded Clemson on its way to a 21-1 victory over East Carolina in the Championship Game of the Clemson Regional Sunday afternoon before 3,886 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Leading 8-1, the Tigers reeled off 12 runs in the sixth inning, the most runs ever scored by Clemson in one inning of NCAA Tournament play, to turn the game into a runaway.

Green, batting in the leadoff spot for the first time all season, hit his second home run of the series and of his career. The long ball was only the beginning as Clemson scored in each of the first four innings, including three runs in the second. Jarrod Schmidt led off the frame with a single and scored when Kyle Frank`s double was mishandled by center fielder Warren Gaspar. Frank moved to third on a groundout and then stole home for the second run of the inning. Khalil Greene extended his hitting streak to 30 games with an RBI-single that extended the lead to 4-0.

Three straight hits led off the Clemson third, the last of which was an RBI-single by Schmidt. Russell Triplett executed a squeeze bunt to plate another run. East Carolina broke through in the bottom of the third when Jedd Sorenson hit a two-out double to left field that plated Ben Sanderson. In the fourth, Michael Johnson roped a single through a drawn in infield to score two runs and extend the lead to 8-1.

Clemson erased any doubt about the outcome in the sixth. East Carolina used three pitchers in the inning, but none of the hurlers had success slowing down the Tiger bats. Fifteen batters came to the plate and the inning was capped by a three-run homer by Michael Johnson and a two-run homer by Schmidt, who also singled in the inning. The inning was the second highest scoring sixth inning in Clemson history, behind a 14-run frame against Maine in 1998. The Tigers added a run in the ninth to make the final margin 21-1.

Freshman Tyler Lumsden (4-1) pitched five innings of one-run baseball, allowing six hits while striking out four and walking one, to earn the win for Clemson (50-14). Jason Mandryk (7-4) got the loss for East Carolina (43-20-1). Roberto Valiente and Schmidt both went 4-7 to lead the attack while Johnson had a team-high five RBIs. Johnson, Schmidt, Green, Frank, Greene, Jeff Baker and pitchers Steve Reba and Matt Henrie were named to the All-Tournament Team, while Darryl Lawhorn, Clayton McCullough and Ben Sanderson made the All-Tournament Team for East Carolina. Greene was also named the Tournament MVP.

Clemson reached the 50-win plateau for the seventh time since 1990 and will advance to the Super Regional round for the fourth straight season. The Tigers will play either Arkansas or Oral Roberts from the Wichita State Regional in a best-of-three series beginning on Friday.

2002 Clemson Regional All-Tournament Team
SP - Steve Reba, Clemson
SP - Matt Henrie, Clemson
C - Clayton McCullough, East Carolina
1B - Darryl Lawhorn, East Carolina
2B - Gary Morris, Elon
SS - Khalil Greene, Clemson
3B - Jeff Baker, Clemson
OF - Jarrod Schmidt, Clemson
OF - Kyle Frank, Clemson
OF - Ben Sanderson, East Carolina
DH - Zane Green, Clemson
MVP - Khalil Greene, Clemson


FLORIDA STATE 13, SOUTH FLORIDA 6
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The No.1-ranked Florida State baseball team extended its winning streak to 25 games with an 13-6 win over South Florida on Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the NCAA Division I Baseball Tallahassee Regional at Dick Howser Stadium. The Seminoles, now 59-12, ripped three home runs, including two by freshman sensation Stephen Drew and one by regional Most Outstanding Player Tony Richie. FSU will go on to play Notre Dame in Super Regional action next weekend. South Florida concluded its season with a 35-29 record.

FSU starting pitcher Marc LaMacchia had his hands full early on as South Florida scored a run in each of the first three innings. In the bottom of the first, leadoff hitter Mike Macaluso reached base and went to second on an error at shortstop by Drew and went on to score on two consecutive ground outs. Myron Leslie was credited with the RBI. In the USF second, the Bulls led off with two straight hits. Mike Barclay hit a two-base shot to deep left center and went to third on a single by Scott Rachlin. With one out, Mike Cunningham reached first on a hit by pitch and the bases were loaded. Macaluso drove in Barclay with a ground out to short. Leslie recorded his second RBI of the afternoon with a blast over the right center fence in the third inning.

Drew made up for his earlier defensive mishap in the fifth as the Seminoles exploded for seven runs to take the lead for good. With Richie Smith on second and one out, Drew ripped a home run over the right field fence to put the Tribe within one, 3-2. The blast sparked the Seminoles. Tony McQuade reached first on an error and went to second on a wild pitch. Ryan Barthelemy and Blair McCaleb followed with walks to load the bases. The situation forced a pitching change for the Bulls and reliever Steve Palinkas entered the game. Palinkas gave up four straight singles and the Seminoles scored five more runs in the inning. Jerrod Brown hit a base hit down the middle to give the Tribe a 4-3 lead while Richie singled to short to again load the bases. Nick Rogers' single down the left field line scored two more runs while Mike Futrell, who was pinch-hitting for Smith who had led off the inning, drove in Richie with a one-base shot to left center.

The Seminoles increased their lead to 10-3 with a three-run home run in the sixth inning. It was Richie's turn as his rocket to center field with two out scored McQuade, who had led off the inning with a double, and Brown who reached base on a hit by pitch.

FSU scored a run in each of the final three innings. Drew smashed another home run over the right field fence in the seventh while Futrell's base hit to left drove in Kevin Richmond in the eighth inning. Drew tripled in the ninth and was sacrificed in by McQuade.

The Bulls also produced in the late innings. Two extra base hits produced two runs in the bottom of the eighth. With two out, Devin Ivany singled and went to third on a double by Barclay. Both Ivany and Barclay scored on a double to right field by Ronnie Handley. USF had the bases loaded with two out in the bottom of the ninth and Chris Cuccia, who walked, scored on a wild pitch by FSU reliever Trent Peterson.

LaMacchia had a solid outing, going seven and two-thirds innings, striking out six and no walks. He improved to 11-1 on the year. The loss was charged to USF starter Jon Uhl who finished the season 9-6.

Drew and Richie combined for eight of FSU's 15 hits, five runs and six RBIs. Both were named to the All-Regional Team, along with teammates Rogers and McQuade. South Florida was also well-represented with Cuccia, Macaluso, Barclay and Ryan Gloger all receiving All-Regional honors.

Tallahassee Regional All-Tournament Team
Chris Westervelt, Stetson, Catcher
Chris Cuccia, South Florida, First Base
Mike Macaluso, South Florida, Second Base
Brian Snyder, Stetson, Third Base
Stephen Drew, Florida State, Shortstop
Tony Richie, Florida State, Designated Hitter
Mike Barclay, South Florida, Outfield
Nick Rogers, Florida State, Outfield
Tony McQuade, Florida State, Outfield
Ryan Gloger, South Florida, Pitcher
Bo Hall, UCF, Pitcher
Most Outstanding Player: Tony Richie, Florida State