SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Michigan State scored two runs in the ninth inning to defeat second-ranked Oregon State 8-7 Saturday afternoon at Surprise Stadium.
The Spartans overcame a 7-6 Oregon State lead heading into the eighth after the Beavers scored two in the bottom half of the eighth on a double to left center by Kavin Keyes.
Joel Fisher drove in the game-tying run when he reached on an error in the ninth, then watched as Ryan Krill scored the game-winner on a wild pitch from reliever Max Engelbrekt.
Engelbrekt took the loss, dropping to 0-1, after allowing three hits and two runs in one inning of work. The win went to Michigan State reliever Jake Lowery, the fourth Spartan pitcher. He gave up a hit in 1.1 innings to get the win and improve to 1-0.
The Beavers (4-2 overall) fought back from an early deficit after Joel Fisher put the Spartans up 4-0 with a grand slam in the first inning. OSU scored solo runs in the first and second innings then tied the game at five with three in the third, an inning highlighted by Dylan Davis’ two-run home run.
Michigan State (4-1) retook the lead in the top half of the eighth when Cam Gibson blooped a single to left. That led to Keyes’ double in the eighth.
Neither starter figured in the decision after each was touched early on.
OSU’s Jace Fry allowed a grand slam in the first but settled down to allow nine hits and five runs over seven innings of work. The lefty tossed 103 pitches and struck out two in his second start of the season.
Fry’s counterpart, Justin Alleman, allowed five runs and four hits in three innings of work. He threw 50 pitches and struck out two with one walk issued.
Michigan State out-hit the Beavers 13-7 with Fisher leading the way with three. Oregon State was led by Keyes and Trever Morrison, who each posted two hits.
No. 2 Cal State Fullerton 11, San Francisco 0
FULLERTON, Calif. -- One night after blowing a three-run lead in and losing the longest game in school history, No. 2 Cal State Fullerton came out firing on all cylinders Saturday night as they scored a lopsided 11-0 victory over San Francisco at Goodwin Field.
Titans (3-3) sophomore right-hander Justin Garza shutout the Dons (3-3) for seven innings to pick up his first win of the season. He allowed just five hits and one walk on his way to a career-high 12 strikeouts while junior third baseman Matt Chapman collected four more hits including his first home run of the season to lead the Titans offense.
Once again, the Titans got on the board first against the Dons as they built a 4-0 lead through three innings.
Tanner Pinkston got the Titans started in the bottom of the first with a double to right center. Chapman then collected his fourth RBI of the series as he smacked a ball up the middle that went off pitcher Christian Cecilio's glove and through the hole at short to bring in Pinkston from second and put the Titans up 1-0.
Two innings later, the Titans added some more cushion to their lead. Chapman got on with a one-out single and then J.D. Davis laced a base hit to center. The ball ate up Dons center fielder Bradley Zimmer and each runner advanced into scoring position. Catcher Jared Deacon then hit a high chopper to the mound that stayed up just long enough for Chapman to beat the throw home. Greg Velazquez then followed with a double to center that scored Davis and Clay Williamson followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Deacon and the Titans had a 4-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Garza, who was superb on the mound in his second start of the season. His only bump in the road came in the fourth inning when the Dons got the first two men into scoring position after Zimmer singled to center and then Zack Turner followed with a double to right center. But Garza buckled down and got Derek Atkinson to hit it back to the box and the Titans erased Zimmer after a brief rundown. Bob Cruikshank walked to load the bases but Garza fanned Brendan Hendriks and got catcher Justin McCullough to ground out to the mound to end the threat.
The Dons would get just one more runner to third base and three into scoring position for the rest of the game.
Chapman finished the game 4-for-5 with three singles and a round-tripper in the eighth while Clay Williamson was 2-for-4 with four RBIs, three of them coming on a bases loaded double in the eighth. Pinkston was 2-for-5 as well for the Titans.
No. 3 Florida State 10, Georgia 4
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Third-ranked Florida State (6-0) broke a 4-4 tie scoring six runs in its final two at-bats as the Seminoles defeated Georgia (1-5) 10-4 on Saturday afternoon to clinch the weekend series.
In front of packed house of 6,568, the ninth-largest crowd to watch a game on Mike Martin Field inside Dick Howser Stadium, the Seminoles have now won seven in a row at home against Georgia.
DJ Stewart had a big afternoon going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double as he scored three times, drove in two runs and walked twice. His first walk in the first inning extended his streak of reaching base to 33 consecutive games.
Gage Smith (1-0) picked up the win in relief as the senior right hander shut down the Bulldogs for 1.1 innings in game two. Smith entered the game in the top of the sixth with Georgia leading 4-3 and looking to add more with the bases loaded and two outs. But he closed the door on UGA getting Hunter Cole to ground into a fielder's choice putout at second base to retire the side.
FSU starter Brandon Leibrandt did not factor into the decision on Saturday as the junior southpaw went 5.0 innings allowing three runs on five hits as he walked two and struck out five.
Georgia starter Sean McLaughlin also did not factor into the decision as the sophomore right hander went 4.0 plus innings allowing three runs on four hits.
No. 4 Virginia 4, East Carolina 0
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Fourth-ranked Virginia shut out East Carolina 4-0 Saturday afternoon in front of 3,561 spectators at Davenport Field. Three UVa pitchers combined on a seven-hitter as the Cavaliers (5-1) picked up their fifth consecutive victory and second shutout of the year.
UVa starting pitcher Josh Sborz worked five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out a career-high six batters to earn the win and improve to 2-0. David Rosenberger and Connor Jones each pitched two innings of shutout relief. Since their season-opening loss, Virginia has allowed just six runs in the last five games. The bullpen has combined to record 12.2 consecutive scoreless innings.
Reid Love (0-1) tossed four innings, giving up three runs (two earned), five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in his start for East Carolina (3-3). ECU had runners on base in seven of the nine innings, but UVa pitchers allowed just one runner to reach third base.
UVa also continued its strong play in the field, with another errorless performance. The Cavaliers have committed just two miscues in their six games.
The Cavaliers finished with 10 hits, with Derek Fisher, Mike Papi and Joe McCarthy each recording a pair of hits as well as an RBI. Papi reached base safely in four of his five plate appearances, with a single, double and two walks.
No. 5 LSU 15, Toledo 1
BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU used an eight-run fifth inning, highlighted by a bases-clearing double from senior right fielder Sean McMullen, to power past Toledo 15-1 Saturday night in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
Junior left-hander Kyle Bouman (2-0) was credited with the win after allowing seven hits, one earned run and striking out three in six innings.
The Rockets struck first in the top of the second inning after an RBI single from Zack Michael. Bouman got Tyler Grogg to ground into a double play to get out of the bases-loaded jam.
LSU responded with a run in the bottom of the second inning when Andrew Stevenson got to first on a fielder’s choice and Kramer Robertson plated him on an RBI double off Toledo third-baseman John Martillotta’s glove.
The Tigers answered the call again in the bottom of the third inning with three runs after back-to-back singles by Tyler Moore and Kade Scivicque and a two-RBI triple by Stevenson, which marked the first triple of his career. Robertson then followed up with an RBI single to right field that plated Stevenson and ended Rockets starter Cameron Palmer’s night.
Mark Laird beat out Martillotta’s throw on a soft ground ball before Alex Bregman hit an RBI double down the third-base line for the Tigers’ fifth run of the night. Conner Hale followed up with a pinch-hit RBI double, his first extra-base hit of the year, to score Bregman.
The eight-run fifth inning was sparked and fueled by McMullen, who reached first after an error on the second baseman. Laird then singled to left before Bregman walked to load the bases. Ibarra scored McMullen on a fielder’s choice.
Jarret DeHart and Moore followed with RBI singles. Scivique then walked before Jake Fraley singled up the middle to plate DeHart and Moore. Robertson singled to load the bases for McMullen, who cleared them with a double.
It was the second consecutive game McMullen recorded three RBIs. McMullen currently leads the team with eight RBIs on the season. Robertson finished 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
Hunter Devall, Henri Faucheux and Nate Fury all provided strong relief for Bouman, throwing one scoreless inning apiece to hold the Rockets to one run.
Palmer (1-1) was charged with the loss after allowing four earned runs on six hits and three walks in 2.1 innings pitched.
No. 6 Vanderbilt 2, Illinois-Chicago 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For the second consecutive Saturday the duo of Jared Miller and Carson Fulmer were a perfect pair for No. 6 Vanderbilt, this time in the Commodores 2-0 win at Hawkins Field over Illinois-Chicago.
Last Saturday, Miller and Fulmer combined to shut out Long Beach State and on Saturday in Nashville the two hurlers did the same to the Flames (3-3). Miller was strong again working out of three jams on the afternoon to turn in seven scoreless innings. The big lefty worked out of a tight spot in the second inning when UIC put two runners on base with one out but Miller responded with back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat. The Flames threatened again in the fourth when Tyler Detmer led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Miller again answered the threat, this time with a pair of groundouts to second base. Miller's final jam came in the sixth when the Flames put runners on the corners before the southpaw got another ground ball to end the inning.
For the day, Miller allowed four hits and no walks with a career-best six strikeouts. The Avon, Ind. native has not allowed a run in his 13 innings this season and has 10 strikeouts to go along with no walks.
Fulmer again followed Miller into the game and worked the final two frames to notch his second save and secure the Commodores' (6-0) sixth win of the year. The right-hander struck out two in the eighth then struck out the side around a walk and single in the ninth to seal the game. The sophomore now has 10 strikeouts in five innings of scoreless relief work this year.
The Vandy offense started sluggish and did not score until the seventh inning when the team strung together four hits to get on the board. Xavier Turner led off the inning with a single and Zander Wiel ripped a single of his own to put two Commodores on the bases. Freshman Bryan Reynolds then moved the pair over with a sacrifice bunt. Vince Conde took advantage of the situation with a solid single to center field to break up the scoreless game and Rhett Wiseman added an insurance run two pitches later with a single through the right side to make it 2-0 VU.
Vanderbilt's pitching staff has now allowed six runs, two earned, through 54 innings for a 0.33 team ERA. The staff's control has also been impressive with only 10 walks and 57 strikeouts while allowing opponents to hit only .134.
No. 7 Mississippi State 8, Holy Cross 4
Holy Cross 7, No. 7 Mississippi State 6
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State redshirt junior Wes Rea hit three home runs and drove in eight RBIs Saturday as the Bulldogs split a doubleheader with Holy Cross in front of 7,646 fans at Dudy Noble Field. The Maroon and White won the first game by a score of 8-4, before narrowly losing by a 7-6 margin to the Crusaders in game two. The two teams wrap up the series with a noon finale Sunday.
Rea finished the first game Saturday 2-for-4 with two dingers and a career-high tying four RBIs. The first baseman was aided by redshirt freshman Daniel Garner, who became the first Bulldog in 2014 to record four hits in a game (4-for-4, one run). True freshman Gavin Collins also broke through on offense, tallying his first two collegiate RBIs with his first base knock in the seventh inning.
Right-handed pitcher Trevor Fitts earned the start in game one, improving to 2-0 thanks to five strikeouts in 5.2 innings. He surrendered three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk. Fellow junior righty Will Cox closed out the game to notch his first career save, striking out five and allowing just one run in 3.1 innings.
In game two, Rea tied his career best for runs driven with four RBIs on a season-high three hits, including a three-run bleacher blast. Outfielders Jake Vickerson (2-for-4, two runs, walk) and Demarcus Henderson (2-for-4, RBI) also recorded multiple hits in the second game of the double dip.
The Bulldogs gave up three unearned runs in the first before tying it at three all in the second. Holy Cross (1-2) plated a pair in the third to give the visitors a 5-3 lead, before Rea took the lead for MSU with the long ball in the fourth. Leading 6-5 after seven, Mississippi State surrendered two runs in the eighth to decide the game and drop to 4-3 on the young season.
Sophomore John Marc Shelly (0-1) suffered the loss for MSU, while Holy Cross’ Justin Finan picked up his first win of the 2014 campaign. Jon Escobar, who scored the tying run for the Purple and Black in the eighth as a pinch runner, recorded his first save of the year with two shutout innings to end the game.
No. 8 Oregon 5, Loyola Marymount 3
LOS ANGELES -- Freshman Mark Karaviotis delivered a two-out two-run single in the top of the ninth inning to break a tie and lead No. 8 Oregon to a 5-3 win at Loyola Marymount on Saturday in game two of a three-game series.
Karaviotis capped a rally by Oregon that started after the first two hitters in the ninth made an out. Freshman A.J. Balta sparked the team with a single and moved to third on a pinch hit single by junior Stephen Packard. Freshman pinch hitter Austin Grebeck loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch bringing Karaviotis to the plate.
Karaviotis got ahead 2-1 in the count and then lined a single to center field scoring Balta (2-for-4) and pinch runner Craig Meredith.
The clutch pinch hitting continued what has been a positive for the Ducks all season. Oregon has reached base 12 times in 18 pinch hit plate appearances in the first six games. The Ducks have gone 9-for-16 (.563) with a walk and a hit by pitch while reaching once on a fielding error. Six separate Ducks have pinch hits while another player reached on a hit by pitch.
The late game heroics were set up by a big day from designated hitter Kyle Garlick and another strong pitching performance by the Ducks’ staff.
Garlick, a junior, blasted a two-run home run over the 37-foot high “Blue Monster” in left field in the seventh inning to pull Oregon (6-0) to within a run, 3-2. Garlick’s homer scored Tyler Baumgartner who led off the inning with a walk.
The Ducks tied the game in the top of the eighth when senior Aaron Payne came through with a two-out RBI single up the middle scoring senior Connor Hofmann, who led off the inning with a single to left center.
Senior Darrell Hunter (2-0) picked up the win allowing no runs on two hits in 1.2 innings of relief. Junior Jake Reed got his second save of the season throwing a scoreless ninth inning.
Freshman Matt Krook had another successful start, despite leaving the game down 3-2. The 2013 first-round draft pick of the Miami Marlins struck out 11 in his second career start while allowing just three hits and a walk. He gave up three earned runs in 6.1 innings pitched.
No. 9 South Carolina 2, Eastern Kentucky 0
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Sophomore lefthander Jack Wynkoop hurled 7.1 scoreless innings and tallied a career-high 10 strikeouts as he combined with three other Gamecocks for a three-hit shutout as South Carolina blanked Eastern Kentucky 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at Carolina Stadium. The Gamecocks recorded their fourth consecutive shutout of the season, the first time since 1972, and have now shut out opponents for 42 consecutive innings. South Carolina is 6-0 on the year while the Colonels fall to 1-5.
Junior catcher Grayson Greiner went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and hit his second home run of the season. Brison Celek and Elliot Caldwell each added a pair of hits and Connor Bright tallied his team-leading fifth double of the season. Bright has hit safely in all six games this year.
Wynkoop improved to 2-0 on the season. He allowed only three hits and one walk. Cody Mincey and Vince Fiori would each retire a batter in the eighth inning with junior right-hander Joel Seddon earning his first save of the season as he closed it out with a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts. Eastern Kentucky starter Tanner Perkins suffers the loss and is now 0-1 on the year. Perkins pitched six innings giving up two runs on seven hits, two walks and struck out one batter.
Scoreless through five, the Gamecocks got on the board in the bottom of the sixth taking a 2-0 lead over the Colonels. Connor Bright doubled to left field, setting the stage for Grayson Greiner, who launched the first pitch he saw into the left field stands for a two-run homer.
No. 22 Cal Poly 8, No. 10 UCLA 0
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA dropped an 8-0 decision to No. 22 Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon in front of 1,465 fans at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Freshman Slater Lee earned the win for the Mustangs, pitching a complete game shutout while striking out seven. Junior Grant Watson took the loss for the Bruins, dropping to 1-1 after allowing six runs (five earned) in four innings of work while striking out seven.
After a scoreless first two innings, Cal Poly took a three-run lead in the top of the third, when Nick Torres hit a three-run homer to left off of Watson to give the Mustangs the lead.
The Mustangs then opened the game up in the top of the fifth, as Watson allowed the first two runners to reach base on back-to-back singles. Torres came up again, and this time hit a hard ground ball that got through Trent Chatterton at shortstop, allowing Tim Wise to score to make it 4-0. Watson was relieved by freshman Scott Burke after that, and on the first batter Burke faced he allowed a three-run home run to Brian Mundell, making it 7-0 in favor of the Mustangs. Cal Poly tacked on another run in the inning when Jimmy Allen scored on an RBI groundout by Zack Zehner to give the Mustangs an eight-run lead.
UCLA’s bullpen did a good job of keeping the Mustangs off the board for the final part of the game, as freshmen Grant Dyer and Moises Ceja and junior Max Schuh combined to throw four shutout innings. The Bruin offense was unable to generate anything off of Lee though and UCLA went on to fall to the Mustangs 8-0.
Senior Brian Carroll and sophomore Trent Chatterton provided the hits for the Bruins while Brian Mundell led the way for the Mustangs with two hits in his three at-bats.
