Thursday, March 18

FIU 10, Southern Utah 3
MIAMI - Sophomore Danny DeSimone saved a recently overworked bullpen by going the distance in a 10-3 win against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Thursday evening at FIU Baseball Stadium.

"He (Danny DeSimone) was sort of struggling to get guys out with two strikes at the beginning of the game, no doubt about it," said Head Coach Turtle Thomas. "The last three innings, that was Danny DeSimone right there. He pitched great the last three innings.

"There is no question that saving that bullpen was exactly what the doctor ordered going into the weekend," added Thomas. "I wanted to give these guys a little rest because we definitely used them up last week big time."

DeSimone threw a career-high 130 pitches, giving up three runs and scattering 10 hits while striking out nine Southern Utah batters. The complete game was the first for the sophomore and the first for any FIU pitcher this year.

"I pitched a great game. I felt good," said DeSimone. "I told coach I would throw a complete game to save the bull pen, so I was just trying to hold up my end of the bargain."

After Southern Utah put the first run on the board in the top of the third, Doug Joyce tied the game with his first hit of the season, a double to right center to score Michael Vargas, who walked in his previous at bat. FIU claimed the lead with a Jabari Henry RBI groundout, his 27th RBI of the season.

In the next at bat, Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to 14 games when he hit a double off the base of the left center field wall to score Pablo Bermudez and Junior Arrojo, giving FIU a 4-1 advantage. Yoandy Barroso upped the score 6-1 when he drove in Wittels and Mike Martinez with a high chopper over the third baseman.

After the Thunderbirds picked up two in the fourth, FIU would get one back in the bottom half of the fifth when Tim Jobe doubled to left to score Martinez who singled earlier in the inning.

FIU opened the flood gates in the bottom of the eighth with three runs. T.J. Shantz pinch ran for Joyce after he was hit by a pitch. Shantz then advanced to second on a wild pitch and was sent to third with an Arrojo sacrifice fly to centerfield before he scored on a passed ball.

Bermudez pushed a bunt down the third baseline and stole second to keep the offense going for FIU. Henry then walked before Wittels and Martinez each drove singles up the middle to register the final two RBI of the evening.

Bermudez led the team with three hits on evening, scoring two runs and drawing a team-high 17th walk of the season.

The Panthers were also aggressive on the base paths, stealing five on the night including a pair from Martinez.

"Winning tonight was really good. Winning against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday was great," said Thomas. "I'm very happy leading into conference play with these two wins. No doubt about it."

DeSimone struck out two of the final three Southern Utah batters and delivered the 10-3 win. The Golden Panthers return to the field on Friday at 7 p.m. when they open their first conference series of the year against Troy.

Wednesday, March 17

Arkansas State 5, Missouri State 4
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (3/17/10) – Arkansas State starter Brad Allen threw six and one-thirds innings of no-hit baseball before the Missouri State Bears (5-11) rallied, but the Red Wolves (11-6) were able to hold in the final innings for a 5-4 victory Wednesday afternoon at Hammons Field.

Allen (3-0) retired 19 of the first 20 batters he faced on the afternoon, striking out six on the day while walking none to earn the win. He gave up three runs on three hits in the seventh. Before that, Missouri State’s only baserunner reached on an error in the third

After cutting the Red Wolves’ lead to 5-3 in the seventh, the Bears added a run in the eighth, then loaded the bases in the ninth before ASU freshman Daniel Wright retired the only batter he faced to put the game away and earn his first career save.

“Obviously, we were in command in the beginning behind a great outing from Brad Allen,” said Raffo. “They used a big inning in the seventh to make it close and we had to scratch and fight to hold on for the win.”

Arkansas State jumped on the Bears in the second with four runs, three of which were scored with two outs on the board. Freshman designated hitter Ryan Emery got the scoring started when he got aboard with a one-out single, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a single from catcher Kyle DeGrace. Second baseman Giovanni Garcia extended his team-high hit streak to 12 games when he sent a single to left field to drive in two more runs, and center fielder Todd Baumgartner drove in the final run of the inning when he beat out a throw from third for an infield single and the 4-0 ASU lead.

The Red Wolves tacked on another run in the third when Emery hit his first career home run, and the 5-0 advantage held until Missouri State got on the board in the seventh.

With one out in the seventh, Allen surrendered his first hit of the afternoon to Missouri State second baseman Kevin Medrano, and Medrano scored the Bears’ first run later in the inning on a single from designated hitter Brett Noirfalise. Pinch-hitter Trevor Rogers sent a two-run double into left-center to cut the Red Wolves’ lead to 5-3, before freshman reliever Brandon Milhouse got ASU out of the inning when he struck out MSU pinch-hitter Tyler Ryun.

Missouri State pulled to within a run in the eighth when catcher Brett Marshall reached on an error and eventually scored on a ground-out from Medrano, and the Bears got the tying run as far as third base before ASU junior Drew Benes came on to retire first baseman Luke Voit with a fly ball to center field for the final out of the inning.

Missouri State took advantage of a pair of walks and a hit batsman to load the bases in the ninth, but Wright got MSU center fielder Aaron Conway to foul out to first base to end the game.

Baumgartner went 4-for-5 with an RBI to lead the Red Wolves at the plate, while DeGrace was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Arkansas State held the Bears to five hits on the day, with no player recording more than one.

Starter J.C. Casey (0-2) took the loss on the mound for Missouri State, giving up four runs on six hits before the Red Wolves chased him from the mound after two innings. Casey walked one batter and struck out one.

With the win, Arkansas State stopped a six-game slide against the Bears and finished the two-game series with an even 1-1 count. Missouri State edged the Red Wolves 2-1 in Tuesday night’s game one.

Arkansas State will return to action Friday, March 19 when the Red Wolves host Middle Tennessee State in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Tomlinson Stadium and Kell Field. The first pitch for Friday’s game against the preseason SBC-favorite Blue Raiders is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., and the series will close Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. contest.

New Orleans 13, Southern 7
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The University of New Orleans baseball team snapped a five-game losing streak with a 13-7 win at Southern on Wednesday.

Nolan Church went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Ryan Eden tallied three hits and two RBIs, as the Privateers (4-10) picked up their first road win in four tries.

Nick Schwaner and Kyle Maldonado each had two hits and two RBIs for UNO, which had a season-high 19 hits.

Sophomore left-hander Justin Cromartie (1-1) was credited with the win, tossing two scoreless innings of relief. The Privateers used five pitchers.

Demario Ellis paced Southern (4-8) with three hits, including a three-run home run. Sherrad Brooks (0-2) got the loss, giving up six hits and six runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Privateers raced out to a 6-0 lead thanks to three runs in the second and third innings. After SU cut the lead in half with three runs in the fifth, UNO regained the six-run advantage with another three-spot in the sixth.

UNO added another run in the seventh and three in the eighth to break it open.

The Privateers will return to Sun Belt play this weekend with a three-game series at Louisiana-Monroe. The series kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday.

UALR 7, UT Martin 5
LITTLE ROCK – The UALR pitching staff racked up 12 strikeouts on Wednesday night to lead the Trojans (12-6) to a 7-5 victory over Tennessee-Martin (8-8) at Gary Hogan Field. UTM plated three runs in the top of the eighth to tie things up at 5-all, but the Trojans answered with two runs in the bottom half en route to their second-straight victory.

UALR starter Scott Keffer racked up a career-high eight strikeouts in a no decision on Wednesday, holding the Skyhawks to five hits and two runs over 5.0 innings of work. The 6-3 junior trailed 2-0 when he left the game, as UTM starter Dylan Cupples held the Trojans to two hits and no runs over 4.1 innings pitched.

The Trojans manufactured four runs in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a pair of UTM errors, to go on top 4-2, and held a 5-2 lead before the Skyhawks rallied to tie things up in the eighth. Senior JR Boling took the mound in the eighth with two outs on the board, and struck out three batters over the final 1.1 innings to improve to 2-1 on the year.

UTM outhit the Trojans 10-to-8 on Wednesday night, thanks to a pair of three-hit performances by Trey Karlen and Cody Terry. Senior Tyson Parks and juniors Jason Houston and Brock Feldmann totaled two hits apiece to lead the way for UALR.

UTM used a pair of doubles to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Outfielder Jerron Casey opened the game with a leadoff double to right, and came around to score on a RBI double by Terry two batters later.

Keffer settled in after surrendering the RBI double to Terry, striking out five of the next seven batters he faced, including all three Skyhawks in the top of the second. After three scoreless frames, UTM was able to get back into the scoring column in the top of the fifth to take a 2-0 lead.

Cory Stooksbury opened the frame with a bunt single and advanced all the way to third base thanks to a Trojan throwing error on the play. He came around to score on a RBI double by Karlen, but Keffer forced UTM to strand a runner at third for the second time during his outing.

Down 2-0, the Trojans threatened in the bottom of the fifth after Cupples opened the frame by issuing consecutive walks to junior Casey McCollum and senior Nate Brown. Both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt by senior Tim Emmons, but UTM called on reliever Matt Miller with two on and one out, and the junior right-hander was able to preserve the 2-0 lead by striking out both batters he faced.

The Trojan offense finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth, plating four runs (three unearned) off UTM reliever Alex Mills to take a 4-2 lead. UALR loaded the bases with no outs to open the inning, as junior Jake Rowell (single), Houston (walk) and Parks (bunt single) all reached base safely.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Mills got a ground ball back to the mound from senior Landis Wilson, but sent an errant throw to the plate as he tried to get a force out with Rowell trying to score from third. Catcher Ty Nelson followed with a throwing error back to the plate, which allowed both Houston and Parks to score. Wilson advanced all the way to third on the play and scored moments later on a RBI groundout by McCollum to give UALR a 4-2 lead.

UALR extended its lead to three runs in the seventh, 5-2, when Houston followed up a leadoff single by Feldmann with a RBI base knock up the middle. The Skyhawks answered immediately, as Nelson hit a two-run bomb to left in the top of the eighth to cut UTM’s deficit to a run, 5-4.

Pryor did not allow a hit to the Skyhawks over his first two innings of work, retiring UTM in order in the sixth and seventh innings after taking the mound for Keffer. Terry managed to pick up UTM’s first hit off of Pryor by opening the eighth with a leadoff double (his second of the game), and then scored on Nelson’s two-run blast.

Pryor walked the next batter he faced after Nelson’s homer, and the Trojans brought on junior John Maler to preserve the one-run lead. UTM had different plans, however, as Jerry Owen ripped a double to left center to score the tying run. Maler got outs from the next two batters he faced, before UALR called on Boling with a runner on third and two outs. The Gladstone, Mo.-native was able to strand the runner at third by retiring Stooksbury on a 2-3 bunt.

Tied at 5-all in the bottom of the eighth, UTM brought on reliever Alex Boshers, who promptly hit the first two batters he faced (McCollum and Brown). With two on and no out, Emmons moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt, and McCollum came around to score the go-ahead run on a RBI groundout by Feldmann. Leading 6-5, junior Bryce Killingsworth gave the Trojans an insurance run when he plated Brown with a RBI single up the middle.

Boling stayed on in the ninth to close out the game and struck out the first batter he faced before giving up back-to-back singles to Karlen and Terry. Both runners moved up on a double steal, but Boling buckled down to strike out each of the next two Skyhawk hitters and preserve the 7-5 victory.

Bushers (0-1) was handed his first loss of the season after allowing two runs off just one hit in the ninth.

UALR returns to action this weekend (March 19-21) when it heads to Boca Raton, Fla. for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series against Florida Atlantic.

#18 Vanderbilt 17, WKU 6
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — One day after WKU routed the 18th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores, 17-2, in Nashville, Tenn., the roles were reversed at Nick Denes Field Wednesday afternoon as Vanderbilt rolled to a 17-6 win. The Commodores scored nine runs in the first inning and were ahead 14-2 after two-and-a-half. WKU is now 13-5 on the season, and Vanderbilt moves to 15-2.

Five Hilltoppers had a pair of hits, and Kes Carter hit his fifth home run of the season. Monte Ketchum reached base in all five plate appearances, drawing three walks and hitting a double and a single. Scott Pedersen, the third WKU pitcher of the night, worked two-and-two-thirds scoreless innings and did not allow a hit.

Matt Payton extended his career-long hitting streak to 16 games with a first-inning single.

Vanderbilt was paced by three hits apiece by Bryan Johns, Aaron Westlake and Jason Esposito. Westlake also drove in four runs.

#17 Southeastern Louisiana 9, Louisiana-Lafayette 4
Louisiana scored the game's first three runs, and then No. 17 Southeastern Louisiana scored nine unanswered runs and departed with a 9-4 victory Wednesday evening at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.

Tied at 3-all and two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Joe Sparacino stole second base and scored the game-winning run for SLU when Justin Boudreaux placed an RBI single into right field.

The Lions (16-1) scratched for three more runs in the seventh to build a comfortable margin. Relief pitcher Stefan Lopez retired nine of the first 11 Cajuns hitters he faced to protect the lead.

The Ragin' Cajuns (10-7) completed their 10-game homestand with a 5-5 mark.

Louisiana returns to Sun Belt play this weekend in Mobile against South Alabama (13-7, 3-0 Sun Belt) at Eddie Stanky Field. The series will be held Friday-Sunday, March 19-21. The series opener is set for 6 p.m., on Friday.

Each hitter in the UL lineup posted at least one base hit. The Cajuns finished with 13 hits, marking the first loss of the season when the squad posted double digits in hits.

Alex Fuselier stretched his team-high and career-best hitting streak to 14 games. Chad Keefer saw his career-best hit streak increase to nine games.

Michael Cook was charged with the loss for the Cajuns, being held responsible for four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Lions' winning run was registered after Cook was relieved by Randall Bulliard.

Jordan Hymel settled in after surrendering three runs on six hits in the first two innings and picked up the win for SLU. He scattered three hits over his final three innings.

The game marked the No. 999 all-time at "The Tigue". When Louisiana hosts Florida Atlantic on Friday, March 26 the game will represent No. 1,000 at the facility.

Back-to-back bunt singles from Kyle Olasin and Matt Goulas followed by a one-out single from Keefer loaded the bases for UL in the bottom of the first. A Fuselier sacrifice fly plated Olasin for a 1-0 lead.

In the second inning, an Olasin fielder's choice grounder scored Lance Marvel (leadoff single) then Goulas followed with a bloop double into left field that scored Olasin for a 3-0 lead.

A Boudreaux sacrifice bunt in the top of the third inning set up SLU with runners on second and third base. Back-to-back fielder's choice grounders resulted in a pair of runs for the Lions.

SLU pulled even in the fifth on a RBI single by Cody Gougler.

UL missed a golden opportunity in its half of the fifth. Olasin and Goulas began the inning with back-to-back hits - a double, then bunt single - and runners were on the corners with no outs. Hymel retired Jordan Poirrier, Keefer and Fuselier in succession to escape trouble.

North Florida 10, Troy 9
TROY, Ala. - The Troy University Trojans had plenty of chances to score enough runs on Wednesday afternoon to defeat North Florida and complete a two-game sweep of the Ospreys.

Unfortunately, the Trojans let far too many of those chances slip away, leaving 13 runners on base in a 10-9 loss. Troy falls to 7-8 on the year with the loss while the Ospreys improved to 9-9.

The Trojans piled up 17 hits against a trio of North Florida pitchers, falling just one shy of their season-high, but left at least one runner on base in every inning.

When the Trojans were able to score in the game, it seemed as if the Troy pitching staff immediately gave the runs back. The lead changed hands in the game five times and the Trojans were never able to build a cushion before North Florida came back.

“This game came down to big innings,” Trojans coach Bobby Pierce said. “Our pitchers allowed too many walks and opportunities, and North Florida is too good a team not to capitalize on those chances. It is tough for any team to have to come from behind in every game. We were able to comeback to win on Tuesday, but we couldn’t get it done today.”

The hardest blow for the Trojans came in the seventh inning after Troy had scored three times in the sixth to take a 9-8 lead. Junior Drew Hull (0-3) came on to pitch and surrendered hits to three of the four batters he faced before being lifted.

Senior Bart Pettus came on for Troy and retired all eight hitters he faced, but the Troy offense was unable to fully solve North Florida freshman left-hander Tommy Organ, who gave up two hits and a walk in 2.1 innings to earn his second save of the year.

Pettus and fellow senior Robby Loew gave the Trojans a chance during their time on the mound. The duo combined to work five innings, allowing just one run on one hit.

“Both of those guys have had problems with tender elbows, so we have to pick and choose when we use them and how much we use them,” Pierce said. “What we need is for someone other than them to step up. We aren’t asking for guys to not allow any runs, but we need someone who can get six outs without allowing a big inning.”

Freshman Kyle Finch (2-0) got the win for North Florida by working just an inning and a third in relief of starter Kyle Westwood, another freshman. Finch allowed a run on three hits after Westwood went 5.1 innings, allowing eight runs on 12 hits.

Troy got the scoring started in the first when Adam Bryant greeted Westwood with a leadoff homer to start the game. Bryant wound up with three hits in the game to snap out of a slump he had been in over the five previous games.

Blake Martz got the first of his four hits later in the inning to drive in Chase Whitley for a 2-0 lead.

Nick Ward made his first start on the mound for Troy and, after a quiet first inning, allowed four runs in the second on four hits. T.J. Thompson, who fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle, blasted a solo homer to open the scoring for UNF and then Michael Smith, who fell just a single short of the cycle, delivered a two-out, bases clearing double to give UNF a 4-2 lead.

Troy regained the lead in the second on a two-run double by Miles Hoyle and a sacrifice fly by Whitley, but UNF answered when Smith hit a three-run homer off senior left-hander Jordan Mathers in the fourth, putting the Ospreys back on top.

Troy got a single run in the fifth on a double by T.J. Rivera to score Martz, who had doubled, but UNF got that run back when Smith tripled past a diving Daniel Peterson in center to score Steve Hillan, who had walked. Troy pitchers walked five in the game, and four of those walks came home to score.

The Trojans answered the call again in the sixth, scoring three times to take a 9-8 lead. An RBI double by Whitley was followed by a two-run double by Martz to give Troy the lead before UNF struck for the final time in the seventh off Hull.

Smith, who drove in six in the game, and Thompson had three hits each to lead North Florida. Martz paced the Trojans with four hits while Bryant and Hoyle had three hits each.

The Trojans will return to play in the Sun Belt Conference on Friday when they play FIU in Miami. The games are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.

“It is going to be a tough weekend because FIU is always very good, especially at their field,” Pierce said. “We started the conference season there last year and had a scratch and claw just to win one game. I am proud of the progress we have started to make offensively, but we have to put all three parts of the game together to be successful and we haven’t don that yet.”

Rutgers 2, Florida Atlantic 0
BOCA RATON, FL (March 17, 2010) – The Florida Atlantic baseball team was shutout for the first time this season in a 2-0 loss to Rutgers on Wednesday night at the FAU Baseball Stadium. The shutout was the first shutout since a 9-0 loss to Western Kentucky on May 21, 2008. The loss also marks the first time FAU has fallen to Rutgers since St. Patrick's Day 1998.

“It was a disappointing loss,” said head coach John McCormack. “These are the types of games you have to win if you want to make an NCAA Regional.”

The Scarlet Knights (6-9) took the only lead of the game when Pat Biserta hit his seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth inning, to put Rutgers on top 2-0.

R.J. Alvarez (0-1) got the start for the Owls and pitched four shutout innings before allowing the Biserta home run in the fifth. The freshman gave up five hits, two runs and walked two batters with four strikeouts but was credited with his first loss of the season.

The best chance for FAU to score late in the game came in the bottom of the eight inning, when the Owls loaded the bases with two outs for Mark Nelson. However, the freshman swung at an 0-1 pitch and flew out to left field to end the Owls threat.

Scarlet Knights closer Tyler Gebler worked a perfect ninth inning to slam the door and earn his third save of the season.

The Owls (9-6) will return to action this Friday when UALR visits Boca Raton for a three-game weekend series. It will be home conference opener for FAU. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from FAU Stadium.

Memphis 5, South Alabama 3
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to knock off University of South Alabama baseball 5-3 Wednesday night at FedEx Park.

Jaguar righthander Jarrett Bailey struck out a career-high seven batters in 6.1 innings, and allowed just two runs on six hits and did not issue a walk. Bailey pitched four consecutive scoreless innings before being pulled in the bottom of the seventh inning. Brandon Brown (0-2) took the loss in 0.0 innings of relief, allowing two runs on one hit while issuing one walk and hitting one Memphis batter.

"Jarrett Bailey was a plus tonight," USA head coach Steve Kittrell said. "He didn't walk anybody and threw a good game. He pitched well enough to win. We're a better offensive team than we showed tonight. It's a tough one to lose late in the game. You can't expect to win with only five hits and 11 strikeouts, offensively. We had a chance to win, and we didn't get it done. We put too many men on base and gave them an opportunity to beat us."

Brown went 2-for-3 with one run scored to lead the Jags at the plate.

Tiger relief pitcher Heith Hatfield (2-2) earned the win in 1.1 innings, allowing two runs on one hit while striking out one. Memphis left fielder Tyler Huelsing went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored to lead the Tigers at the plate.

Memphis (6-11) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with three consecutive singles, and scored on Tyler Huelsing's RBI single to right-center field.

USA answered to tie the game 1-1 in the top of the second inning when Taylor White singled to right center to score Sean Laird, who doubled to lead off the inning.

The Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third when Huelsing singled up the middle to score Robby Graham, who led off the inning with a double.

Memphis threatened in the bottom of the sixth inning when it loaded the bases with two outs, but Jaguar left fielder Clint Reynolds chased down a ball in the left-center gap to end the inning.

USA took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning with two runs on one hit, aided by two Memphis errors. Brown singled to lead off the inning, and moved to second on a throwing error by Memphis shortstop Jacob Wilson. Reynolds then grounded to second and reached second on a two-base throwing error by Chad Zurcher, which scored Brown from second base.

Memphis answered in the bottom of the eighth to score three runs on one hit. The Tigers loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch before Huelsing scored on a passed ball to tie the game 3-3. Designated hitter Rick Russell then delivered a two-run single to center field to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

USA (13-7) returns to action this weekend when it hosts Louisiana-Lafayette in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Stanky Field.

Southern Mississippi 8, Louisiana-Monroe 7
MONROE, La.-ULM scored four runs over the final three innings, but came up one run short as Southern Miss won its fifth consecutive game by handing the Warhawks their first home loss of the season, 8-7, Wednesday night at Warhawk Field.
ULM chipped away at a 7-2 Southern Miss lead as Judd Edwards scored on a double play in the sixth, Nick Wade homered for the fourth time in six games with two outs in the seventh and Josh Gill singled the center to score Josh Chappell three batters later.

Against Southern Miss closer Collin Cargill, who had allowed just one hit all season long, the Warhawks put together third hits and scored two runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Wade drove in his third run of the game with a single to center in the eighth and Josh Gill scored on a Perry Smith grounder in the ninth. Cargill was the beneficiary of a called third strike on the inside black of the plate to end the game.

Wade for 3-for-5 at the plate for the second consecutive game and his three RBIs came one night after he drove in a career-high five runs at Northwestern State on Tuesday. Caleb Clowers had a career-best four hits, Judd Edwards was 2-for-5 with a run scored and Gill finished 2-for-4 as the Warhawks outhit Southern Miss 13-10 on the night.

Three Warhawk pitchers combined to strike out a season-high 14 Southern Miss batters -- ULM used five total pitchers on the night. ULM is now averaging 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings on the season. However, ULM issued 11 walks and Southern Miss (12-4) scored all its runs with two outs.

The Warhawks (7-9) took a 1-0 lead on a single by Wade to plate Boomer Blanchard in the bottom of the first inning, but were not able to score again after loading the bases with nobody out.

Southern Miss responded with a five-run second inning thanks to four walks in the frame, three of which came around to score. Kameron Bunty, the ninth batter of the inning, had the big hit with a two-run single to center.

Clowers pulled the Warhawks within two, 5-2, with a single between first and second to score Blanchard after he reached on a fielder's choice.

The Golden Eagles increased their lead back out to five, 7-2, on a two-run double by Taylor Walker following a two-out walk and double in the fifth.

Mark Ellis drove home what appeared to be an insurance run, but proved to be the winning run, in the top of the eighth with a single to right after Brunty kept the inning alive with a two-out double to left field.

Ryan MacNamara (1-0) picked up the win for Southern Miss as he allowed three runs on six hits over five innings of work. He struck out seven and walked three in his first career start for the Golden Eagles. Despite battling through the trouble in the eighth and ninth, Cargill picked up his second save of the season. John McDermid (0-1) was charged with the loss for ULM after allowing five runs on third hits in 1.2 innings of work. He struck out three and walked seven.

The Warhawks host New Orleans this weekend in the last Sun Belt Conference series between the two schools, as the Privateers will leave the league following the season. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Tuesday, March 16

WKU 17, No. 18 Vanderbilt 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Brian Edelen pitched six shutout innings of three-hit baseball, and Kes Carter and Matt Rice each hit a grand slam to help WKU rout 18th-ranked Vanderbilt, 17-2, Tuesday night in Nashville, Tenn. The win snaps Vanderbilt's 10-game winning streak and is WKU's first victory over the Commodores since a 6-4 triumph on March 28, 2006, ending a span of six-straight losses.

The Hilltoppers have already defeated two ranked opponents in 17 games in 2010, giving them a pair of wins over ranked opponents in the same season for the first time since taking two out of three games against 19th-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette on May 21 and 22, 2005. WKU's record improves to 13-4 with the win, and Vanderbilt is now 14-2.

Edelen worked a career-high six innings for his second win of the season, giving up only two singles and a double to a Vanderbilt team that entered the game with a team batting average that was tops in the Southeastern Conference at .352. He struck out three and walked three. The 17 runs tied a season high for WKU, and the Hilltoppers have now scored 30 runs in their last two games and 54 in their last four. Carter and Rice's grand slams powered the 16-hit WKU explosion, and Rice finished the day with a season-high four hits in six at-bats. Each drove in five runs, also most on the season for each.

Four Hilltoppers scored multiple runs, with Jared Andreoli's career-high five leading the way. Matt Payton was 2-for-5 with three runs to extend his career-long hitting streak to 15 games, and Casey Dykes was 1-for-2 with three runs and three walks. After being on base four times on Tuesday, Dykes has now reached base in 15 of his last 22 plate appearances.

WKU jumped on the scoreboard right away in the top of the first, as Payton reached on an error by the second baseman and scored when Andreoli hit his third triple of the season one batter later. WKU has now scored first in a game nine times and is 7-2 in those games. Carter followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Andreoli and giving the Hilltoppers a 2-0 lead against Vanderbilt starting pitcher Chase Reid after one at-bat.

Edelen, making his third start of the year, rolled through the bottom of the first, striking out the first batter and getting a pair of groundouts to send the Hilltoppers back to the plate. WKU batted around in the top of the second, scoring five times on two hits and taking advantage of a costly error. Three of the first five batters of the inning walked, and Andreoli reached on another error by the second baseman that scored Dykes. Carter then followed with his grand slam, a shot to right-center field that cleared the bases and put WKU ahead 7-0 after two at-bats.

Edelen again was solid in the bottom of the second, retiring the first two batters before allowing a walk and throwing a wild pitch. But he struck out Connor Harrell to strand the runner at second base to end the threat. WKU was kept off the scoreboard in the top of the third and scored once in the top of the fourth, and Edelen worked through the third and fourth and allowed only one hit and a walk. Through four innings, matching his previous career-long outing, he had giving up just one hit and a pair of walks.

The Hilltoppers plated one run on two hits in the top of the fifth to take a 9-0 lead after four-and-a-half innings. Harrell hit a lead-off double for Vanderbilt in the bottom of the fifth, but he was stranded there as Edelen got a strikeout and a pair of flyouts to end the fifth. Vanderbilt left 12 runners on base in the game.

After WKU was retired in order for the first and only time in the game in the top of the sixth, Edelen's final inning of work saw Vanderbilt get two baserunners via a single and a walk. Neither scored, completing Edelen's shutout performance.

In the seventh and eighth innings off third Vanderbilt reliever Sam Selman, WKU scored four more runs on four hits, increasing its lead to 13-0 after seven-and-a-half innings. Monte Ketchum entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the top of the seventh and singled and doubled in two at-bats in the seventh and eighth.

Vanderbilt was able to score its first run of the game in the bottom of the eighth, but WKU followed with four more in the top of the ninth, punctuated by Rice's grand slam to left-center field, scoring Blake Crabtree, Andreoli and Carter. The Commodores managed another tally in the bottom of the ninth, bringing the game to its final score of 17-2.

WKU has now hit three grand slams in the last two games. Prior to this two-game stretch, the team's previous grand slam came on March 25, 2009, when Chad Cregar hit one against Louisville. The pair of grand slams also mark the first time WKU has hit two on the same day since Cregar hit one in each game of a doubleheader against FIU on April 5, 2008.

FIU 8, Florida Gulf Coast 6
MIAMI - The FIU Panthers showed no quit in an 8-6 victory over the No. 30 ranked FGCU Eagles Tuesday night at Swanson Stadium in Ft. Myers, Fla.

The FGCU struck first in the bottom of the third with a Mikel Alvarez single to plate Robert Green and put the Eagles up 1-0.

FIU answered in the top of the fourth when Jabari Henry singled to right center to score Sean Reilly and Junior Arrojo. Jeremy Patton then grounded out to first, scoring Pablo Bermudez to put FIU up 3-1.

The Panthers would put two more on the board in the top half of the seventh off a passed ball scoring Mike Martinez and an RBI single from Arrojo to give FIU a 5-1 cushion.

FGCU would rally in the bottom of the seventh putting up five runs on five hits to take a 6-5 lead into the eighth inning.

FIU starting pitcher R.J. Fondon kept the Panthers in the ball game, scattering six hits through 6.1 innings giving up five runs and striking out seven Eagles batters.

It didn't take long for the Panthers to make it a new ballgame as Tim Jobe took a 1-1 pitch off of third base for a double to score Martinez. Bermudez broke the tie in the top of the ninth when he singled to right to score Arrojo who led the inning off with a double down the left field line. Bermudez would later score on passed ball by Mike Reeves to make the score 8-6 going into the bottom of the ninth.

Freshman Albert Cardenas closed the door for FIU in the ninth allowing one hit and striking out one to earn the first save of his career.

With his single to right in the top of the seventh, Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to a team-high 13 games.

FIU will return home to FIU Baseball Stadium on Thursday and welcome Southern Utah for one game at 6:00 p.m. and start conference play against Troy over the weekend. Game times against Troy are 7 p.m. on Friday, 6 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Middle Tennessee 18, Lipscomb 15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee put on its best offensive performance of the season with an 18-15 victory over in-state foe Lipscomb on Tuesday night.

Offensively, the Blue Raiders were led by Bryce Brentz. The All-American was 2-3 at the plate with three walks, a home run, two runs batted in and four runs scored. Blake McDade was 4-5 on the day with three runs scored and four RBI. Justin Guidry was 4-5 with three RBI, and Justin Miller went 2-6 with three runs scored and three RBI.

Nine different Blue Raiders earned a hit and six accounted for two or more runs batted in. However, the Blue Raiders were outhit by the Bisons 20-19 on the day.

"I'm very thankful that we scored a lot of runs and were able to win the ball game," said Head Coach Steve Peterson. "Our offense was outstanding today."

Middle Tennessee used seven pitchers on the day. Eric Gilley started and went three innings and allowed two earned runs. Tyler Hyde and Hunter Dawson each pitched an inning without allowing a run. Kevin Whittaker allowed two runs in an inning of work, and Hunter Adkins allowed two runs over two innings. Nick Montgomery pitched the first two-thirds of the ninth and allowed seven runs, and Marshall Mears allowed one run in the final third.

The Blue Raiders started off the game by sending nine hitters to the plate in the first. After back-to-back strikeouts to lead off the frame, Brentz earned a walk and a single by McDade moved him to third. Drew Robertson singled to score Brentz. A double by Miller plated both McDade and Robertson, and Miller scored on a Guidry single to put Middle Tennessee up 4-0.

The Bisons would cut the lead to two in the bottom half of the first. Tyler Wilson earned a walk and stole second to open the inning, and M.L. Williams singled to score Wilson. After Cory Hale was hit by a pitch, Zach Messer hit a bunt single to load the bases. A Lee Wilson sacrifice fly brought home Williams. After loading the bases again with a Ryan Wilkins single, Lipscomb failed to score another run in the inning.

Middle Tennessee put together another four-run inning in the second. After a Burnett out, Zach Hudson reached on a single and Brentz walked. McDade tripled after a diving Tyler Wilson couldn't reach the ball, scoring both Hudson and Brentz. Following a Robertson groundout, Miller struck out, but reached on a wild pitch to plate McDade. Miller advanced to second on a balk and scored when Guidry doubled to right field.

The Blue Raiders sent 11 to the plate in the third on the way to scoring five more runs. Ryan Ford and Tyler Burnett led off the inning by drawing consecutive walks, and after a Hudson strikeout, they advanced to second and third on a balk. Brentz laced a single through the right side to score Ford, and a McDade double plated Burnett and Brentz. After Robertson recorded an out, Miller singled to bring home McDade. A Guidry single scored McDade to put Middle Tennessee up 13-2.

Lipscomb tacked on another run in the bottom of the third. Messer reached on a single, and an error by Gilley allowed Lee Wilson to reach. A single by Brett Teschner brought in the run.

Bryce Brentz answered for the Blue Raiders in the fourth with a home run over the wall in center.

The Bisons added a pair of runs in the fifth. Wilkins and Teschner opened up the inning with a walk and a single, respectively. A wild pitch allowed the runners to advance, and a Ricky Coleman single plated Wilkins. Teschner would score later in the inning on a groundout by T.J. Hoelzer.

Lipscomb put up another run in the sixth. Hale was hit by a pitch, Messer earned a walk, and Lee Wilson singled to load the bases. A two-out walk by Logan Hostettler scored Hale.

Tyler Wilson accounted for the only run in the seventh with a solo homer down the right field line.

The Blue Raiders tacked on four more runs in the eighth. Guidry and Will Skinner led off with back-to-back singles, and a sacrifice bunt by Ford advanced the runners. Burnett doubled up the middle to score Guidry and Skinner, and Hudson followed up with a two-run homer to left.

Lipscomb rallied to score eight in the in the bottom of the ninth before ultimately falling short. Hoelzer, Tyler Wilson, Williams, and Hale each singled to lead off the inning to score the first Bison run. A fielder's choice by Messer scored Wilson, and a sacrifice fly by Lee Wilson plated Williams. Wilkins followed up with a two-run home run to left. Back-to-back singles by Shawn Mehring and Ricky Coleman chased Montgomery from the mound for Marshall Mears. Hoelzer homered in the next at bat for the final three runs of the game.

Middle Tennessee will hit the road for a three-game series at conference opponent Arkansas State this weekend. First pitch on Friday will be at 6 p.m.

Troy 9, North Florida 6
TROY, Ala. - After managing just two infield hits through the first four innings Tuesday night, the Trojans bats finally came to life, blasting three homers in a 9-6 victory over North Florida at Riddle-Pace Field.

The Trojans even their season record at 7-7 while North Florida falls to 8-9 on the year. The teams will meet again on Wednesday, with the first pitch slated for 1 p.m.

The long ball has been the Trojans’ primary offensive weapon this year, and that proved to be true again on Tuesday.

Senior Miles Hoyle finally got the offense started for the Trojans in the fifth inning when, trailing 5-1, he blasted a three-run homer to deep left field. Two batters later Ryan Ditthardt launched a solo homer to tie the game.

Both blasts came off UNF starting pitcher Robbie Collier, but the Trojans piled on more once the junior left-hander left the game.

In the sixth inning John Atteo (1-1) came on to pitch for the Ospreys and was greeted by consecutive hits from Steven Felix, a double, and Todd McRae, an RBI single. After a strikeout, Hoyle singled and Chase Whitley followed with a towering homer to center, giving Troy a 9-5 lead. Atteo lasted just a third of an inning, allowing four runs.

“We know we can score in bunches, the problem has been not doing enough between the long balls,” Trojans coach Bobby Pierce said. “Tonight we got a good mixture of both, but I would like to see a little more of the in-between.”

The three homers were enough for Trojans freshman right-hander Thomas Austin (1-0) who came on in relief of starter Shane McCain to open the fourth inning. Austin scattered six hits, allowing three runs, while walking one and striking out three in five innings of work.

“Tonight all of the credit goes to Thomas Austin,” Pierce said. “He came in and threw a nice sinker and that is two times in a row he has come into a game and held a team right where they were. He pitched very well and I was very proud of his effort. He did leave the one slider up, and he has struggled with that since changing to the new arm angle.”

Whitley came on to pitch the ninth to earn his first save of the year.

North Florida scored three runs in the third after a pair of one-out walks by McCain was followed by an RBI double by Michael Smith and a two-run single by Preston Hale. The Ospreys added two runs in the fifth off Austin on a two-run homer by Andrew Karmeris.

UNF scored its final run in the seventh on a Karmeris single.

“There were bumps here or there, but when you have a guy out there who is throwing strikes and is effective, you are going to stay with him,” Pierce said. “No one is going to go out and throw up a bunch of zeros in college baseball with the aluminum bats.”

The Trojans will turn to junior right-hander Nick Ward for Wednesday’s game. It will be his first start of the season after six relief appearances.

“He is going to have to throw quality strikes to this team because they are as good as any we have seen with the bats,” Pierce said. “Nick is very capable. If we can continue to swing the bats well and play good defense we should be in good shape.”

Florida Atlantic 12, Rutgers 3
BOCA RATON, FL (March 16, 2010) – The Florida Atlantic baseball team scored four runs in the first inning en route to a 12-3 victory over Rutgers on Tuesday night at FAU Baseball Stadium.

The Owls (9-5) received first-inning RBI’s by Andy Mee, Dan Scheffler and Colby Gratton to take control of the game early. After scratching across another run in the second to make it 5-1, Mee connected on his second home run of the season, a two-run shot to put the Owls ahead 7-1. The Palm Beach Gardens native finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBI.

Taylor Everist (1-3) received the start and pitched two innings while giving up three hits, and one run with one walk and one strikeout. The Apopka native used the start to fix his mechanics after only lasting 1.2 innings in Friday’s start against Troy. Despite only throwing two innings, Everist was eligible for the victory because his pitch count was announced before the game.

“I was happy for him to get the win,” said head coach John McCormack. “He had pitched well enough in previous starts to earn a victory, and I guess the baseball gods just evened things out.”

The first pitcher in relief of Eversit was the left-hander Barry Rooks. The senior had a very strong outing in his first appearance since returning from injury. Rooks pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts.

Mike Ruccio and Jake Meiers also made the most of their first appearances of the season to secure the victory.

FAU will continue wrap-up their two-game series against the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday with R.J. Alvarez (0-0, 10.80) getting the start for the Owls on the mound. RHP Jerry Elsing (2-0, 2.25) will start for Rutgers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

South Alabama 13, Memphis 2
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of South Alabama baseball scored seven runs in the top of the second inning and collected 16 hits in the game to knock off Memphis 13-2 Tuesday night at FedEx Park.

The Jaguars scored nine runs in the first two innings, aided by freshman catcher Brent Mitchell's first career home run, a two-run shot to left field, in the second inning.

Third baseman Jake Overstreet went 4-for-6 with a double, triple, three RBI and three runs scored to lead the Jags at the plate. Zach Grichor added three hits and two runs scored to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.

Jaguar reliever Carlton Paris earned the win in two shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out one and issuing one walk. USA starter Lance Brown allowed one run on two hits while striking out two and issuing four walks.

"Lance Brown came out and set the tempo and did a good job," USA head coach Steve Kittrell said. "The guys came out swinging the bats, and it was a big road win for us. We just have to come ready to play tomorrow night."

Memphis starter Worth Tate (0-1) took the loss, allowing nine runs on nine hits in one inning pitched. Drew Martinez went 2-for-4 with one run scored to lead the Tigers at the plate.

USA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI double by Brent Tanner to score Clint Reynolds who led off the game with a single to right field.

The Jaguars sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of the second inning and scored seven runs on eight hits. Brad Hook singled to lead off the inning, then Mitchell's homer doubled the USA lead to 4-0. The Jags then loaded the bases on conseutive singles by Brandon Brown, Clint Reynolds and Grichor, before Overstreet doubled to score Brown and Reynolds.

USA extended its lead to 11-0 in the top of the fourth inning on Brown's two-run double down the left field line.

Memphis scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, cutting the Jaguar lead to 11-1, on a bases loaded walk by Alan Mathis.

The Jags answered in the top of the fifth with two runs on two hits to take a 13-1 lead. Overstreet tripled off the center field wall to score Grichor, who led off the inning with a single down the left field line. Overstreet later scored when Taylor White reached on an error by Martinez in center field.

Memphis (5-11) added its final run in the bottom of the seventh inning on Shawn Ablett's RBI single to right field to score Martinez.

USA (13-6) will return to action for the series finale with Memphis at 6:30 p.m.

Louisiana-Lafayette 13, Southern 2
LAFAYETTE, La. - Louisiana exploded for 10 runs between the second and fourth innings to rebound from an early two-run deficit and cruised to a 13-2 win over Southern Tuesday evening at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
Tyler Frederick and Greg Fontenot paced the Ragin' Cajuns (10-6) with three RBI apiece. Chase Traffica held the Jaguars (4-7) to only one hit over his final five innings on the mound.

Louisiana snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 5-4 on their current 10-game homestand.

UL closes out its homestand on Wednesday hosting No. 17 Southeastern Louisiana (15-1) with a 6 p.m., first pitch. The game marks the first of two "Season Ticket Redemption" opportunities.

Alex Fuselier extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games with an RBI single in the fourth inning. Chad Keefer also extended a hitting streak, moving his to a career-tying eight games.

Frederick posted a career-best in RBI and picked up the first extra base this of his career with a pair of triples. He tied the school record for triples, last accomplished by Josh Logan on May 7, 2008 vs. McNeese State.

Traffica collected his second victory in as many starts. Blake Wascom pitched a pair of scoreless innings and Manning Dunon made his collegiate debut in the ninth. UL pitching held SU to just three hits over the final eight innings.

Frederick made his first career start, getting the nod at third base. Justin Robichaux made his first start of the season at first base and went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.

The Jaguars scored a pair of runs in the game's first at bat benefiting from three consecutive two-out hits and a Ragin' Cajuns error.

A two-RBI triple by Frederick in the bottom of the second inning knotted at score at 2-all. A Fontenot grounder scored Frederick from third base and put the Cajuns in the lead for good.

UL added to its lead in the third inning plating another four runs.

SU reliever Seth Monaghan loaded the bases with no outs. Sacrifice fly outs by Matt Goulas and Fontenot increased the lead to 6-2. Robichaux's second double of the night tacked on two more runs and it was 8-2.

Chase Richard was charged with the loss for the Jaguars. He lasted just two innings and allowed four runs on six hits.

Louisiana improved to 6-1 vs. Southern under Tony Robichaux.

The two teams will meet again on Tuesday, May 11 as the Cajuns travel to Baton Rouge that day to return the Jaguars' visit.

UALR 8, UT Martin 7
LITTLE ROCK – The UALR baseball team (11-6) snapped a four-game losing streak with an 8-7 victory over Tennessee-Martin (8-7) on Tuesday night at Gary Hogan Field. Junior starter Calvin Drinnen picked up his first victory as a Trojan and the UALR bullpen held UTM to one hit over the final 3.2 innings.

Seniors Tyson Parks and Landis Wilson drove in two runs apiece to pace the UALR offense, while junior Casey McCollum went 3-for-4 at the plate to help the Trojans outhit the Skyhawks 11-to-9.

Drinnen (1-0) threw 5.1 innings on Tuesday night, allowing eight hits and six runs (only three of which were earned) while racking up six strikeouts against zero walks. Senior Sean Potter held UTM to one hit and one run over the next 2.1 innings, while senior JR Boling retired the Skyhawks in order in the ninth to record his team-leading third save of the year.

“I was happy with the way our guys played today,” said UALR head coach Scott Norwood. “I thought we swung the bats well and got some good outings from our pitching staff. Now we just need to have that carry over into tomorrow.”

UTM starter Brendan Lozupone lasted just 0.2 innings against the Trojans, allowing five hits and four runs to UALR. Reliever Shawn Swaringen (0-2) took the loss after allowing four hits and four runs (two earned) over 3.2 innings of work.

Jerron Casey gave UTM a quick 1-0 lead on Tuesday night by opening the game with a leadoff homer off the foul pole in right. The Trojans responded by plating four runs off five hits in the bottom half to take a 4-1 lead and chase Lozupone from the game. Junior Jake Rowell and Wilson both delivered run-scoring singles in the frame, while junior Josh Ward plated his first run of the season with a sacrifice fly to right.

The two teams traded runs over the next few innings, with UTM tying things up at 6-all in the top of the fifth on a RBI groundout by Cody Terry. UTM scored a pair of runs in the second and fourth innings, only one of which was earned.

Tied at 6-all, McCollum led off the bottom of the fifth with a double to left center to spark a two-run frame for the Trojans. Senior Nate Brown plated McCollum from third with a single up the middle, and then came around to score on a RBI base knock by junior Brock Feldmann.

Potter came on in relief of Drinnen in the top of the sixth with a runner on second and one out, and managed to keep the Skyhawks out of the scoring column over the next two innings. UTM rallied in the eighth, however, after putting runners on the corner with no outs on the board thanks to a hit batsmen and a single to right.

The Skyhawks pulled within a run, 8-7, when Wes Patterson plated Terry with a sacrifice fly to center. UTM had two on and two out after a walk by Potter, but junior Daniel Golden came on in relief and induced an inning-ending 6-3 groundout from the first batter he faced.

Boling took the mound in the ninth and secured the win by retiring the Skyhawks in order for his third save of the year.

UALR and UTM return to action Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m.