Was a big weekend in College
Top 25 Showdowns
(19) Oregon at (5) Oregon State: After being shut down for seven innings by Oregon’s Jeff Gold (7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K), the Beavers scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a two-run double from Dylan Davis and a two-run bloop single from Caleb Hamilton to beat Oregon 4-2 and seal the series. Andrew Moore (8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K) was brilliant for OSU, not allowing a hit from the third through the eighth, to improve to 4-3 on the year. Scott Schultz earned his fourth save by stranding the bases loaded in the top of the ninth. Aaron Fitt has more on this game.
(8) Alabama at (11) South Carolina: Justin Kamplain (6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER) and Thomas Burrows (2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R) pitched the Crimson Tide to a series-tying 2-1 win. Casey Hughston’s RBI single in the top of the seventh broke a 1-1 tie, while the Tide were able to overcome three errors. Jack Wynkoop (6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) took the loss for South Carolina.
(21) Oklahoma State at (10) Texas: The Cowboys improved to 9-0 in one-run games with a 2-1 win in Austin, leveling the series. OSU starter Tyler Buffett (4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 0 K) struggled with his control but was able to dodge serious damage. The bullpen settled things down and allowed the Cowboys to come back from a 1-0 deficit with single runs in the fifth and sixth, which proved to be enough. Dillon Peters (5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) pitched well for Texas but cost himself a run with a fifth inning throwing error, while the Horns’ offense mustered just two hits.
(16) Mississippi at (17) Kentucky: Ole Miss hammered Kentucky for the second straight day, clinching the series with an 18-5 win. The Rebels have scored 30 runs in the first two games of the series. Auston Bousfield (5-for-6, 6 RBI) led the Rebels’ 17-hit barrage Saturday, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. The Rebels hit four homers in the game, courtesy of Bousfield, Will Allen, Sikes Orvis and J.B. Woodman. Christian Trent (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) picked up the win to go to 6-0. A.J. Reed clubbed two home runs for Kentucky, upping his nation-leading total to 19, but that was the only bright spot for the Wildcats as Dylan Dwyer (5 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER) and their bullpen fell apart.
Top 25 Upsets
(2) Cal Poly at Long Beach State: Long Beach scored twice in the bottom of the first and led the rest of the way en route to a 7-2 win, tying the series and snapping Poly’s 12-game winning streak. The Dirtbags chased Poly starter Justin Calomeni (3.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 ER) in the fourth, while LBSU senior Josh Frye (8 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) extended a scoreless innings streak to 30 before yielding two runs in the sixth.
Texas State at (3) Louisiana-Lafayette: The Bobcats jumped all over Carson Baranik (3.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER), handing him his first loss of the year and leveling the series with a 10-3 win. Cory Geisler and Garrett Mattlage homered for TSU, which opened a big lead by scoring in four straight innings from the second through the fifth.
Tennessee at (9) Louisiana State: Tennessee rallied for four runs over the final two innings to end a seven-game losing streak against LSU with a 6-3 win, setting up a rubber game Sunday. The Tigers’ Jared Poche (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) handed a 3-2 lead over to the bullpen, but the Vols pounced for two runs on three hits in the eighth and added insurance on Vincent Jackson’s pinch-hit two-run homer in the ninth.
(14) Houston at Cincinnati: The Cougars were shut out by Cincinnati 3-0, just UC’s fourth conference win, which ties the series. Jake Lemoine (6.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K) gave Houston a quality start but was outpitched by the Bearcats’ Connor Walsh (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R) and Austin Woodby (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R), who combined on a three-hitter.
(18) Indiana at Illinois: Indiana’s 10-game conference winning streak came to an end with a 2-1 loss to the Illini, evening the series. Illinois’ Casey Fletcher hit a two-run double in the second, which would be all the offense John Kravetz (7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) and the Illini bullpen would need. The Hoosiers stranded 11 men, making a tough-luck loser of Christian Morris (7.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER).
Texas A&M at (20) Mississippi State: The Bulldogs’ up-and-down season hit another down as they lost the rubber game of their series with A&M, 6-4. Wes Rea (3-for-4), one of four MSU hitters to record multi-hit games, led the Bulldogs offense, but A&M took the lead for good in the middle innings while three Aggie relievers combined on four shutout innings after MSU had knocked around starter Grayson Long (5 IP, 10 H, 4 ER). The Bulldogs have lost three of their last four series, the lone win coming against last-place Missouri.
Auburn at (24) Arkansas: Auburn won the series after the teams split a doubleheader, with Sunday’s finale getting moved up to Saturday in anticipation of bad weather. In the first game, the Razorbacks got 3.1 innings of no-hit relief from Jacob Stone, which gave them a chance to score the tying run in eighth and win it 4-3 in the 10th on Tyler Spoon’s walk-off single after Auburn left the bases loaded in the top of the inning. However, the Tigers answered with a 7-2 win in the nightcap behind a strong effort from Michael O’Neal (8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER), while Arkansas’ Chris Oliver (3 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 3 K) struggled.
Other Top 25 Results
Missouri at (6) Florida: Gators sophomore righty Aaron Rhodes (9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K) threw a one-hitter as Florida clinched the series with a 5-0 win. Missouri’s only scratch against Rhodes was Dillon Everett’s second-inning double, and Rhodes finished the game by retiring the last 18 hitters in a row. Alone in first place in the SEC, the Gators have now won three straight series and seven straight SEC games, improving to 14-6 in conference play.
Washington State at (7) Washington: Rain washed out this one. The Cougars and Huskies will play a doubleheader Sunday.
(12) Rice at Southern Mississippi: Blake Fox (6.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) improved to 9-0 on the season and 15-0 for his career as the Owls clinched the series with a 3-2 win.
Connecticut at (13) Louisville: All nine Louisville starters had hits as the Cards clinched the series with a 6-1 win. Jared Ruxer (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) turned in his fifth straight quality start to improve to 7-1.
Cal State Northridge at (23) Texas Christian: Preston Morrison (9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K) threw his second shutout of the season, engaging in a fantastic duel with Northridge’s Jerry Keel (8 IP, 4 H, 0 R), before TCU finally won 1-0, clinching the series. With Keel pulled after eight innings and 126 pitches, the Frogs pushed across the game’s lone run in the bottom of the ninth on a suicide squeeze by Keaton Jones.
Georgia at (25) Vanderbilt: Vandy got back to .500 in the SEC at 10-10 with a pair of wins against Georgia. In the resumption of Friday’s suspended game, Georgia scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to cut a 12-2 deficit to 12-9 before Brian Miller put out the fire for his fourth save. Carson Fulmer (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K), making just his second career start, gave Vandy a dominant effort in the nightcap and the Commodores breezed to an 11-0 win. Dansby Swanson and Xavier Turner had three RBIs apiece, Turner’s coming on a three-run homer in the eighth.
Top 25 Showdowns
(19) Oregon at (5) Oregon State: After being shut down for seven innings by Oregon’s Jeff Gold (7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K), the Beavers scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a two-run double from Dylan Davis and a two-run bloop single from Caleb Hamilton to beat Oregon 4-2 and seal the series. Andrew Moore (8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K) was brilliant for OSU, not allowing a hit from the third through the eighth, to improve to 4-3 on the year. Scott Schultz earned his fourth save by stranding the bases loaded in the top of the ninth. Aaron Fitt has more on this game.
(8) Alabama at (11) South Carolina: Justin Kamplain (6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER) and Thomas Burrows (2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R) pitched the Crimson Tide to a series-tying 2-1 win. Casey Hughston’s RBI single in the top of the seventh broke a 1-1 tie, while the Tide were able to overcome three errors. Jack Wynkoop (6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) took the loss for South Carolina.
(21) Oklahoma State at (10) Texas: The Cowboys improved to 9-0 in one-run games with a 2-1 win in Austin, leveling the series. OSU starter Tyler Buffett (4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 0 K) struggled with his control but was able to dodge serious damage. The bullpen settled things down and allowed the Cowboys to come back from a 1-0 deficit with single runs in the fifth and sixth, which proved to be enough. Dillon Peters (5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) pitched well for Texas but cost himself a run with a fifth inning throwing error, while the Horns’ offense mustered just two hits.
(16) Mississippi at (17) Kentucky: Ole Miss hammered Kentucky for the second straight day, clinching the series with an 18-5 win. The Rebels have scored 30 runs in the first two games of the series. Auston Bousfield (5-for-6, 6 RBI) led the Rebels’ 17-hit barrage Saturday, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. The Rebels hit four homers in the game, courtesy of Bousfield, Will Allen, Sikes Orvis and J.B. Woodman. Christian Trent (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) picked up the win to go to 6-0. A.J. Reed clubbed two home runs for Kentucky, upping his nation-leading total to 19, but that was the only bright spot for the Wildcats as Dylan Dwyer (5 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER) and their bullpen fell apart.
Top 25 Upsets
(2) Cal Poly at Long Beach State: Long Beach scored twice in the bottom of the first and led the rest of the way en route to a 7-2 win, tying the series and snapping Poly’s 12-game winning streak. The Dirtbags chased Poly starter Justin Calomeni (3.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 ER) in the fourth, while LBSU senior Josh Frye (8 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) extended a scoreless innings streak to 30 before yielding two runs in the sixth.
Texas State at (3) Louisiana-Lafayette: The Bobcats jumped all over Carson Baranik (3.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER), handing him his first loss of the year and leveling the series with a 10-3 win. Cory Geisler and Garrett Mattlage homered for TSU, which opened a big lead by scoring in four straight innings from the second through the fifth.
Tennessee at (9) Louisiana State: Tennessee rallied for four runs over the final two innings to end a seven-game losing streak against LSU with a 6-3 win, setting up a rubber game Sunday. The Tigers’ Jared Poche (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) handed a 3-2 lead over to the bullpen, but the Vols pounced for two runs on three hits in the eighth and added insurance on Vincent Jackson’s pinch-hit two-run homer in the ninth.
(14) Houston at Cincinnati: The Cougars were shut out by Cincinnati 3-0, just UC’s fourth conference win, which ties the series. Jake Lemoine (6.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K) gave Houston a quality start but was outpitched by the Bearcats’ Connor Walsh (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R) and Austin Woodby (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R), who combined on a three-hitter.
(18) Indiana at Illinois: Indiana’s 10-game conference winning streak came to an end with a 2-1 loss to the Illini, evening the series. Illinois’ Casey Fletcher hit a two-run double in the second, which would be all the offense John Kravetz (7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) and the Illini bullpen would need. The Hoosiers stranded 11 men, making a tough-luck loser of Christian Morris (7.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER).
Texas A&M at (20) Mississippi State: The Bulldogs’ up-and-down season hit another down as they lost the rubber game of their series with A&M, 6-4. Wes Rea (3-for-4), one of four MSU hitters to record multi-hit games, led the Bulldogs offense, but A&M took the lead for good in the middle innings while three Aggie relievers combined on four shutout innings after MSU had knocked around starter Grayson Long (5 IP, 10 H, 4 ER). The Bulldogs have lost three of their last four series, the lone win coming against last-place Missouri.
Auburn at (24) Arkansas: Auburn won the series after the teams split a doubleheader, with Sunday’s finale getting moved up to Saturday in anticipation of bad weather. In the first game, the Razorbacks got 3.1 innings of no-hit relief from Jacob Stone, which gave them a chance to score the tying run in eighth and win it 4-3 in the 10th on Tyler Spoon’s walk-off single after Auburn left the bases loaded in the top of the inning. However, the Tigers answered with a 7-2 win in the nightcap behind a strong effort from Michael O’Neal (8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER), while Arkansas’ Chris Oliver (3 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 3 K) struggled.
Other Top 25 Results
Missouri at (6) Florida: Gators sophomore righty Aaron Rhodes (9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K) threw a one-hitter as Florida clinched the series with a 5-0 win. Missouri’s only scratch against Rhodes was Dillon Everett’s second-inning double, and Rhodes finished the game by retiring the last 18 hitters in a row. Alone in first place in the SEC, the Gators have now won three straight series and seven straight SEC games, improving to 14-6 in conference play.
Washington State at (7) Washington: Rain washed out this one. The Cougars and Huskies will play a doubleheader Sunday.
(12) Rice at Southern Mississippi: Blake Fox (6.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) improved to 9-0 on the season and 15-0 for his career as the Owls clinched the series with a 3-2 win.
Connecticut at (13) Louisville: All nine Louisville starters had hits as the Cards clinched the series with a 6-1 win. Jared Ruxer (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) turned in his fifth straight quality start to improve to 7-1.
Cal State Northridge at (23) Texas Christian: Preston Morrison (9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K) threw his second shutout of the season, engaging in a fantastic duel with Northridge’s Jerry Keel (8 IP, 4 H, 0 R), before TCU finally won 1-0, clinching the series. With Keel pulled after eight innings and 126 pitches, the Frogs pushed across the game’s lone run in the bottom of the ninth on a suicide squeeze by Keaton Jones.
Georgia at (25) Vanderbilt: Vandy got back to .500 in the SEC at 10-10 with a pair of wins against Georgia. In the resumption of Friday’s suspended game, Georgia scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to cut a 12-2 deficit to 12-9 before Brian Miller put out the fire for his fourth save. Carson Fulmer (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K), making just his second career start, gave Vandy a dominant effort in the nightcap and the Commodores breezed to an 11-0 win. Dansby Swanson and Xavier Turner had three RBIs apiece, Turner’s coming on a three-run homer in the eighth.
