CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Top-ranked Virginia managed just six hits in a 3-2 loss to VMI Tuesday afternoon at Davenport Field. Virginia (6-2) had its six-game win streak halted, while VMI (5-2) won its fifth consecutive contest and snapped a 14-game losing streak in Charlottesville, dating back to March 7, 1991.
VMI pitchers Campbell Henkel and Taylor Edens kept the Cavaliers off balance all day. Henkel (1-0) started and pitched four innings, giving up a run, four hits and a walk while striking out one in earning the win in the designated staff day. Edens worked the final five innings, facing just two more than the minimum as he earned his first save. He allowed an unearned run and a pair of hits while striking out one. The two combined to retire 11 consecutive batters from the third inning into the seventh and set down 18 of the final 21 hitters in the game.
Mike Papi and Derek Fisher each had a pair of hits for the Cavaliers. Papi hit a solo home run in the third inning and scored both UVa runs. Brandon Angus went 3-for-4 for the Keydets.
Making a last-minute start after scheduled starting pitcher Artie Lewicki was scratched, Whit Mayberry worked 3.2 innings, allowing two runs and three hits with one strikeout. He was credited with the loss and fell to 0-1 on the season. David Rosenberger tossed two scoreless innings before Connor Jones came on to work the final 3.1 innings.
Virginia got on the board in the third inning on a one-out solo home run into the right-field bleachers by Papi. It was his second homer of the year.
VMI responded with a pair of runs in the fourth inning. With one out Red Dowdell singled and Angus doubled to put runners on second and third. Matt Winn hit a safety squeeze to bring in Dowdell and tie the game. Will Connerley then hit a grounder to Kenny Towns at third, but Papi failed to make the catch on the throw to first, allowing Angus to cross the plate and give VMI a 2-1 lead.
The Keydets added a big insurance run in the eighth inning on a two-out Angus single to score Jordan Tarsovich.
That run proved key in the ninth inning when UVa scratched across a run. Papi led off with a single, moved up on a groundout and then went to third on an error by second baseman Jordan Tarsovich on a Joe McCarthy grounder. Papi scored on a Brandon Downes groundout, but McCarthy was left stranded at second when Fisher flied out to left field to end the game.
No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette 4, No. 3 LSU 1
BATON ROUGE -- LSU (7-1) fell to Louisiana-Lafayette (8-1) by a score of 4-1 through five complete innings at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The game was delayed due to rain in the top of the sixth inning. Because it is a non-conference game, only five innings have to be completed before the game can be considered done.
Cody Glenn (1-1) was charged the loss for LSU after allowing five hits; three runs and one walk in four innings. Greg Milhorn (2-0) collected the win for ULL. Milhorn pitched five innings only allowing four hits and one run.
Glenn got through the first and second innings only allowing two hits. In the top of the third, Glenn walked Greg Davis. After striking out Caleb Adams, Seth Harrison hit a triple over Mark Laird’s head in center field to collect the first run. Blake Trahan then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to push the Ragin’ Cajun lead to 2-0.
LSU threatened in the bottom of the third after freshman Kramer Robertson reached first on a hit by a pitch. Robertson then advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Laird singled to the shortstop and Robertson was thrown at home to end the inning.
ULL added another run in the top of the fourth. Michael Strentz led off the inning with a single up the middle. Strentz reached third after a sac bunt and a fly out to center field. Jace Conrad then singled Strentz in on an RBI single to third base.
Andrew Stevenson sparked the Tigers with a leadoff triple in the bottom of the fifth. The next batter, Tyler Moore, flied out to left field to score Stevenson on a sacrifice fly. The Tigers trailed 3-1.
After replacing Glenn in the top of the fifth, Alden Cartwright retired ULL in order. In the top of the sixth, Cartwright gave up a leadoff single to Ryan Wilson. Wilson would advance to second on a groundout and then third on a stolen base. After facing four batters and allowing one hit, junior Zac Person replaced Cartwright.
Tyler Girouard entered the game to pinch hit and reached on a fielding error by Kramer Robertson. Wilson scored on the fielding error by Robertson. The game was called for a rain delay with Conrad up to bat.
Western Kentucky 3, No. 4 Vanderbilt 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Fourth-ranked Vanderbilt could not dig out of an early three-run hole in losing the team's first game of the year 3-2 to Western Kentucky on Tuesday night at Hawkins Field.
The Hilltoppers (6-2) jumped on the Commodores (7-1) and starter Walker Buehler in the second inning for one run on three hits. The Toppers tacked on another run in the third when a leadoff walk came around to score on a Scott Wilcox single. WKU's leadoff hitter again reached in the fifth and caused trouble for Buehler with Wilcox again providing the big hit for the Hilltoppers, this time with a double.
Down three runs in the bottom of the sixth the Vanderbilt offense showed signs of life after going hitless through the first four frames. Dansby Swanson singled up the middle to extend his hitting streak to eight games and Xavier Turner was hit by a pitch with two outs to give the Dores their first man in scoring position. A balk by Western Kentucky starter Josh Bartley put Swanson and Turner at third and second for Zander Wiel. The sophomore answered with a two-run double off the left field wall to trim the WKU lead to one run.
The Commodores again looked to have something going in the seventh when Vince Conde worked a leadoff walk but freshman Nolan Rogers bunted into a double play for two quick outs. The Hilltoppers' bullpen gave VU another chance, issuing three consecutive walks to load the bases before getting freshman Bryan Reynolds to foul out and end the threat.
Vanderbilt threatened for the final time in the eighth inning when Turner and Conde each walked to put the tying run in scoring position but freshman Ro Coleman struck out to end the inning and the Commodores' last scoring chance.
Buehler was pinned with the loss for the Dores despite a quality start, giving up three runs on nine hits in six-plus innings. Freshman Hayden Stone worked two perfect innings of relief and Brian Miller worked out of a jam in the ninth to keep the Commodores in the game. Bartley earned the win for WKU allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Ian Thompkins picked up his fourth save of the year with 1.1 innings of work.
The Vandy offense was held to a season-low three hits and matched a season-low with two runs despite drawing a season-high seven walks. The three runs allowed by the VU pitching staff also set a season-high.
No. 5 Oregon 8, Portland 2
EUGENE, Ore. -- Jeff Gold allowed two runs on three hits in the fourth but otherwise shut the Pilots down, matching his career high with seven strikeouts. Five of those were looking, thanks in no small part to the job catcher Shaun Chase did framing Gold's curveball.
Chase said former UO catcher Brett Hambright, now a student assistant coach for the Ducks (8-0), taught him to catch breaking pitches deeper behind the plate, to give umpires a longer look at their movement.
"Shaun got me a lot of pitches back there," said Gold, who improved to 2-0. "… Shaun works hard for me, and I love it. He's a great catcher and he did a really good job tonight."
Chase, who caught Gold's win at Hawaii in Oregon's season-opening series, also struck the biggest blow in Oregon's six-run first inning Tuesday. He jumped on a 3-2 slider from Portland starter Jackson Lockwood for his first hit of the year, a three-run homer.
Chase added a bunt hit in the third. He was one of five Ducks with two hits on the night, along with Austin Grebeck, Tyler Baumgartner, J.B. Bryant and A.J. Balta.
"We were ready to play tonight," Horton said. "The offensive coaches had them dialed in, and obviously the kids were excited to play."
No. 8 NC State 7, Davidson 5
RALEIGH, N.C. -- NC State's Chance Shepard unloaded a fourth-inning grand slam, the first home run of his career, to propel the sixth-ranked Wolfpack to a 7-5 win against Davidson on Tuesday at Doak Field at Dail Park.
Shepard's slam provided the brunt of a five-run inning the Pack (7-1) used to string together its seventh win in a row, with all seven coming in the last nine days. The sophomore designated hitter finished 1-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored.
The top seven batters in the Wolfpack order scored exactly one time in the win. Jake Fincher drove in a pair in a 2-for-4 night with a double and a run scored. Trea Turner went 2-for-5 with a run and a double, his first extra-base hit of the year. Bubby Riley went 2-for-5 with a run. Andrew Knizner went 2-for-3.
Andrew Woeck (1-0) claimed the win in a sterling four-inning effort, shutting out the Wildcats (2-3) on three hits with two walks while punching out five. Patrick Peterson started and retired 10 of 12 between the last out of the first and the final out of the fourth. A rocky start to the fifth inning chased him from the game with the bases loaded and nobody out. Jon Olczak closed the door with his second save in his last two appearances.
The game turned on Shepard's grand slam in the fourth, the first for a Wolfpack hitter since Grant Clyde pulled the feat on April 21, 2013 in a win at Georgia Tech. Fincher led off the inning with a walk. Riley singled through the left side and advanced to second on a throwing error. Austin walked to load the bases. Ratledge sent a fly to center that was misplayed, for an RBI to grant the Pack a 2-1 lead.
Shepard stepped in next, delivering a towering shot to left field on the first pitch he saw, pushing State to a 6-1 advantage. Davidson rallied with four runs in the top of the fifth, but never tied the game again. The Pack added a run in the sixth on Fincher's RBI single to right center, scoring Turner after a single and a stolen base, to set the final margin at 7-5.
Sam Houston State 3, No. 10 Rice 1
HOUSTON -- Visiting Sam Houston State held-off a Rice rally in the bottom of the ninth inning on the way to a 3-1 win against Rice on Tuesday evening at Rekling Park.
In the ninth, the Owls had a total of three base runners after hits by Skyler Ewing and Ford Stainback along with a walk in a pinch-hitting appearance by Blake Fox. Sam Houston State ended the threat to preserve a 3-1 final and improve to 8-1 overall. Rice fell to 6-3 on the season.
Sam Houston posted a pair of runs in the top of the third inning, but Rice cut the margin half in the bottom of the fourth. Keenan Cook led off with a single through the left side and advanced to scoring position on a balk. He scored easily on Michael Aquino's one-out double down the left field line.
Rice kept the margin to just one run by successfully working out of jams where SHSU had runners on third base in the fifth and seventh inning. The Bearkats added an unearned run in the eighth after a single and then gaining two extra stations on an Owl fielding error that made it 3-1.
