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NCAAs: Likely top pick Strasburg incurs 1st loss
SPORTS / NEWS
Sat May 30, 2009 @ 4:38pm
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IRVINE, Calif. (AP) -- Virginia was expecting to face Stephen Strasburg in its NCAA regional game against San Diego State. So coach Brian O'Connor had his team turn up the speed on the pitching machine.
The strategy worked and the Cavaliers did something no one else could do against the Aztecs' ace this season: win. Strasburg lost for the first time as Robert Morey pitched six shutout innings and Steven Proscia hit a two-run homer in Virginia's 5-1 victory Friday night. Strasburg (13-1), the probable No. 1 overall pick in the draft next month, struck out 15 in seven innings. But San Diego State's first tournament appearance in 18 years was spoiled by Morey (3-0), who allowed five hits and struck out nine for Virginia (44-12-1). The Cavaliers have won six straight. San Diego State coach Tony Gwynn announced earlier in the day that Strasburg would start the game after being coy all week about who would pitch the opener for the Aztecs. Strasburg's electrifying fastball, which has topped 100 mph, helped carry him to the top of the draft board and is expected to be selected by Washington with the first pick. "We prepared for him all week," said Phil Gosselin, who took the first pitch he saw against Strasburg with one out in the first inning and smacked it over the 380-foot sign in left-center field to give the Cavaliers a quick 1-0 lead over the Aztecs (40-22). "We just moved up physically closer to the machine to get some reaction time," Gosselin said. "We were probably 30, 40 feet away, pretty close. We did a lot of tracking pitches to see velocity and get used to the speed coming in." Strasburg said it was difficult to prepare against the Cavaliers. "I was pretty excited to be out there, but it's pretty tough to pitch against a team that you've never really heard of, you don't really have a good scouting report on them," Strasburg said. "They put a good bat on the ball." Morey kept the Aztecs' lineup off balance throughout. "Robert was ready to pitch right out of the gate and he responded," O'Connor said. "I felt like he gave us the best chance to pitch a home run ballgame and he did it." So did knowing that he would be facing Strasburg give him the jitters? "It was a great opportunity for the whole team, but I saw it as a great opportunity to see what I had against one of the best pitchers we've faced," Morey said. And what about possibly watching him in the majors next season? "It's always cool to see some guys you compete against on the highest stage." Gwynn thought Morey did a nice job against his team. "He was changing speeds, going up the ladder, mixing in his breaking ball with a straight change up," Gwynn said. "All our opportunities came on two outs and when he needed to make a pitch, he made a pitch." Morey, a sophomore who only had six starts this season, got the run support he needed from his teammates early on Gosselin's homer and Jarrett Parker's RBI single in the second. Cory Vaughn scored on Chris Wilson's sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the eighth, but Virginia's Matt Parker closed out the inning by getting Easton Gust to flyout. "We had opportunities, but couldn't get anything across," Gwynn said. "They swung the bats when they needed to. Our guys I thought were pressing early and then kind of settled in. Turn the page, tomorrow's another day. Hopefully we can do more on the offensive end, because that's where this game was lost." Virginia tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the inning to put the game out of reach. Proscia, who finished 3 for 4, hit a 2-run homer off Aztecs reliever Andrew Leary over the left-field wall to make it 4-1. Parker hit an RBI single three batters later. The third-seeded Aztecs left nine on base through the first six innings and stranded runners in scoring position in both the first and fourth. "I think our guys were champing at the bit," Gwynn said, "but our inexperience showed there in the early inning because we chased the balls out of the zone, tried to be super aggressive and tried to do too much with the ball." UC Irvine 4, Fresno St. 2 IRVINE, Calif. (AP) -- Daniel Bibona struck out a career-high 14 and pitched into the eighth inning to lead top-ranked UC Irvine past defending national champion Fresno State. UC Irvine (44-13), the No. 6 national seed, advanced to the winners' bracket game Saturday night against Virginia. Fresno State (32-29) will face San Diego State in an elimination game. Bibona, a junior left-hander, allowed five hits in 7 2-3 innings. He fanned every hitter in the order at least once and recorded strikeouts in every inning but the second.Atlanta Regional Georgia Tech 9, Georgia State 3 ATLANTA (AP) -- Deck McGuire scattered three runs over seven innings and Matt Skole hit a grand slam for Georgia Tech. After snapping Georgia State's eight-game winning streak, the Yellow Jackets (36-17-1) will play Southern Mississippi in the winners' bracket game Saturday. Georgia State (39-21), in the NCAA tournament for the first time, will face Elon in an elimination game. McGuire (11-1), the Atlantic Coast Conference pitcher of the year, allowed nine hits and three runs in seven innings. Georgia State starter Will Palmer (5-6) took the loss. Southern Mississippi 17, Elon 15 ATLANTA (AP) -- Kyle Maxie had a pinch-hit two-run homer, and Bo Davis added a solo shot to highlight a five-run ninth inning for Southern Miss. The teams combined for 11 homers, six by Southern Miss (36-23). Bennett Davis hit three solo shots for Elon, but Thomas Girdwood failed to hold a 13-12 lead in the ninth for the Phoenix (41-12).Houston Regional Rice 5, Sam Houston St. 2 HOUSTON (AP) -- Mike Ojala pitched seven strong innings and Brock Holt had two hits and scored the go-ahead run to lead Rice. Ojala (5-0), pitching despite a torn ulnar collateral ligament, allowed seven hits and one run for the Owls (40-15). Ryan Mooney led the Bearkats (36-23), going 3 for 4, including a first-inning homer. Sean Weatherford (8-6) allowed eight hits and three runs in six innings for Sam Houston State, which will play Xavier in an elimination game Saturday. Kansas St. 16, Xavier 8 HOUSTON (AP) -- Justin Bloxom went 5 for 5 with two home runs, and Kansas State made an impressive NCAA tournament debut with a victory over Xavier. Bloxom had two doubles and finished with five RBIs for Kansas State (42-16), which battered Zac Richard for eight runs in 2 1-3 innings. The Wildcats led 12-0 after an eight-run third. Lance Hoge earned the win after scattering eight hits and three runs over five innings.Austin Regional Texas 3, Army 1 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Cole Green struck out six in seven innings and went 1 for 1 in his first collegiate appearance as a hitter to help Texas, the No. 1 national seed, beat Army. Green had a sacrifice bunt and a single after he was forced into the lineup when Brandon Belt was hit below the ear by a pitch and replaced at first base by designated hitter Preston Clark. Green (5-2) allowed four hits and a run, and Austin Wood pitched two innings for his 15th save for the Longhorns (42-13-1). Matt Fouch (7-4) gave up seven hits and three runs in seven innings for Army (34-20), which will play Texas State in an elimination game. Boston College 8, Texas St. 7 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- John Spatola hit a three-run homer during a six-run ninth, and Boston College reliever struck out Lance Loftin to strand the tying run on second base. The Eagles (34-24) started the ninth with five straight hits, including Spatola's homer, and sent 11 batters to the plate to make a winner of reliever Chris Kowalski. The Bobcats (41-16) made it close on Paul Goldschmidt's two-run homer in the ninth.Fort Worth Regional TCU 6, Wright St. 3 FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Paul Gerrish (6-2) threw seven solid innings and Chris Ellington had three hits to lead TCU past Wright State. After Casey McGrew's home run put Wright State ahead 3-1 in the third inning, the Horned Frogs answered with three runs. Matt Curry had two RBIs for TCU (37-16), which drew 10 walks from five Wright State pitchers. Wright State (33-29) will face Texas A&M in an elimination game. Oregon St. 9, Texas A&M 8 FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- John Tommasini's two-run triple keyed a four-run second inning, and Oregon State held on after Texas A&M scored seven unanswered runs. Koa Kahalehoe also drove in three runs for the Beavers (36-17), who took a 9-1 lead into the seventh inning before Texas A&M (36-23) came back and made it close.Norman Regional Oklahoma 5, Wichita St. 4 NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Aaron Baker's double and Garrett Buechele's two-run single keyed Oklahoma's three-run sixth inning. Chase Anderson (3-1) threw 5 1-3 innings of one-hit relief to earn the win for the Sooners (42-18). Ryan Duke pitched the ninth for his 16th save. Wichita State (30-26) was leading 4-1 when Baker hit his 14th home run, a solo shot in the fourth off Tim Kelley (5-4). The Shockers will face Washington state in an elimination game. Arkansas 10, Washington St. 3 NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Scott Lyons hit a three-run homer and Arkansas rallied for nine runs in the eighth inning to beat Washington State. Lyons' shot spoiled a strong start by Matt Way, who struck out 10 to break the Washington State (31-24) season record for strikeouts, held by former major leaguer Aaron Sele. Mike Bolsinger earned the win for Arkansas (35-22).Gainesville Regional Florida 8, Bethune-Cookman 7 GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Teddy Foster's two-run single in the ninth inning helped Florida avoid a stunning upset, edging Bethune-Cookman. Hiram Burgos mostly baffled Florida (40-20) through seven innings, but the Wildcats (32-27) fell to 1-19 in the NCAA tournament and remained winless in 23 tries against the Gators. Bethune-Cookman will face Jacksonville in an elimination game. Miami 9, Jacksonville 4 GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Jason Hagerty homered from both sides of the plate, Chris Herrman added a two-run shot and Miami opened its 37th NCAA tournament with a win. Hagerty homered from the left side in the first, Herrman went deep in the fifth, and Hagerty added a two-run homer in the seventh for the Hurricanes (37-20). Travis Miller got the win. Carson Andrew took the loss for Jacksonville (36-21).Chapel Hill Regional North Carolina 5, Dartmouth 2 CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Dustin Ackley drove in two runs to help North Carolina, the No. 4 national seed, beat Dartmouth. Mark Fleury added two hits for the top-seeded Tar Heels (43-16), who'll play Coastal Carolina in the second round Saturday in a rematch of a super regional series last year. Dartmouth (27-17) will play Kansas in an elimination game. Brett Gardner hit a solo homer during a two-run seventh for the Big Green, in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1987. Coastal Carolina 11, Kansas 3 CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- David Anderson homered and drove in three runs, and Big South champ Coastal Carolina won for the 15th time in 16 games. Daniel Bowman also connected for the Chanticleers (47-14), who led 6-1 after three innings. David Narodowski homered twice for the Jayhawks (37-23), who have lost four straight.Baton Rouge Regional Baylor 5, Minnesota 0 BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Shaver Hansen hit a two-run homer, Baylor starter Willie Kempf pitched six shutout innings and the Bears beat Minnesota. Hansen also doubled and scored on Kenton Gedwed's pinch-hit, two-run double that gave Baylor (30-24) a 5-0 lead in the top of the eighth. Kempf (5-5) struck out six and did not allow a runner to reach second base. Minnesota starter Tom Buske (9-4) took the loss after giving up seven hits and five earned runs in 7 1/3 innings for the Gophers (38-18). LSU 10, Southern 2 BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Austin Ross tied a career high with 10 strikeouts, and LSU scored seven two-out runs in the seventh inning for the win. Reliever Paul Bertuccini got the win for the Tigers (47-16), who took advantage of four errors by Southern (30-16) to score five unearned runs.Clemson Regional Clemson 5, Tennessee Tech 4 CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- Jeff Schaus doubled home two runs in the ninth to help Clemson squeak past Tennessee Tech. The Tigers (41-20) advanced to play Oklahoma State (33-22) in Saturday night's winners' bracket game. Graham Stoneburner (7-3) pitched 4 2-3 innings of relief to earn the victory. Lee Henry (9-3) took the loss in relief of left-hander Ryan Dennick, who gave up just five hits in seven innings. Oklahoma State 10, Alabama 6 CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- Tom Belza hit three homers, one more than he had all season, and the Cowboys put to rest any criticism that they didn't belong in the NCAA tournament. Oklahoma State (33-22) failed to make the eight-team Big 12 tournament, but led 8-0 after three innings. Alabama (37-20) got within three runs but couldn't finish the comeback.Greenville Regional South Carolina 11, George Mason 3 GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Parker Bangs' two-run homer keyed a four-run fourth inning, and South Carolina took advantage of four errors by George Mason. Nick Ebert and Jackie Bradley Jr. also homered for the Gamecocks (39-21), who had 17 hits. Chris Henderson drove in two runs for George Mason (42-13), which lost its third in a row. Binghamton-East Carolina, ppd., rain GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- East Carolina's NCAA tournament opener against Binghamton was postponed by rain and was scheduled to be played Saturday morning.Louisville Regional Louisville 8, Indiana 2 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Justin Marks held Indiana to two runs over seven innings to lead host Louisville past Indiana. Marks (11-2), the Big East pitcher of the year, allowed four hits and struck out eight as the top-seeded Cardinals (45-15) held Indiana to its fewest runs since a 5-2 loss to Purdue on May 3. The Hoosiers (32-26) came in averaging 11.8 runs per game in winning the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana starter Eric Arnett (12-2), the Big Ten co-pitcher of the year, gave up five runs -- one earned -- on five hits over seven innings. Middle Tennessee 5, Vanderbilt 4 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Stuart Meinhart hit a grand slam and Taylor Dennis added a solo shot in the seventh to help Middle Tennessee snap a seven-game NCAA tournament losing streak. Meinhart's homer was the 100th this season for the Blue Raiders (44-16). Mike Minor allowed all five runs for Vanderbilt (34-26).Oxford Regional OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Drew Pomeranz struck out 10 and held Monmouth scoreless over the first eight innings. Jordan Henry had three hits and drove in a run for the Rebels, who play Western Kentucky in a winners' bracket game Saturday. The Hawks (32-24) remained winless in seven regional appearances and will play Missouri in an elimination game. Monmouth's Brett Brach (7-3) struck out eight in seven innings in the loss. Western Kentucky 11, Missouri 5 OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Wade Gaynor hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Matt Ridings struck out eight to lead the Sunbelt Conference co-champ Hilltoppers. Western Kentucky (40-18) scored six runs in the top of the first, as Missouri coach Tim Jamieson's gamble to hold ace Kyle Gibson out of the game backfired. Nick Tepesch lasted only one inning for the Tigers (34-26), who used seven pitchers.Tallahassee Regional Florida St. 16, Marist 4 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Mike McGee and Jason Stidham hit three-run homers as top-seeded Florida State rallied past Marist. The Seminoles (43-16) scored 15 runs over the final four innings against the Red Foxes' overmatched bullpen. McGee's blast in the fifth erased a 3-1 deficit and Stidham homered in a four-run sixth. Marist (31-27) used Richard Curylo's sacrifice fly and Jon Schwind's two-run homer in the fifth to stake starter Josh Rickards to a two-run lead. Georgia 24, Ohio St. 8 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Matt Cerione and Joey Lewis homered in Georgia's eight-run first inning and the Bulldogs used seven home runs to cruise past Ohio State. Rich Poythress hit three homers, while Cerione and Lewis each homered twice as Georgia (38-22) withstood a five-hour weather delay before setting season highs for runs and hits. The Bulldogs battered Big Ten co-pitcher of the year Alex Wimmers (9-2) for 10 runs in four innings.Tempe Regional Arizona St. 17, Kent St. 6 TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Jason Kipnis homered and Arizona State used 17 hits to cruise past Kent State. Kipnis, Kole Calhoun and Zack McPhee each had three hits as Arizona State (45-12) advanced to the winners' bracket game against second-seed Oral Roberts. Kent State (42-16) will play Cal Poly in an elimination game. Jordan Swagerty (4-1) earned the win after starter Josh Spence pitched the first three innings and allowed three runs. Oral Roberts 13, Cal Poly 3 TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Juan Martinez, Seth Furmanek and Cody Price each homered in Oral Roberts' four-run third inning. Jerry Sullivan (8-3) allowed 11 hits over seven innings for Oral Roberts (32-13). Martinez was 3 for 5 and hit his 15th homer leading off the third. Furmanek followed with his team-leading 16th homer and Price's two-run shot gave the Golden Eagles a 6-1 lead. Mason Radeke (6-2) gave up six runs on 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings for Cal Poly (37-20).Fullerton Regional Cal State Fullerton 18, Utah 2 FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) -- Cal State Fullerton pounded out a season-high 24 hits and Noe Ramirez (8-1) pitched seven strong innings to lead the top-seeded Titans. Jared Clark's two-run, bases-loaded double sparked the Titans' four-run second inning. The first five batters in the lineup for Cal State Fullerton combined for 15 hits, 11 RBIs and scored eight runs. Khris Davis hit a three-run homer for the Titans (43-14), who have won 11 straight home games. Gonzaga 19, Georgia Southern 10 FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) -- Gonzaga used 18 hits, including three home runs, to win its first NCAA tournament game since 1981. Gonzaga (36-16) scored seven runs -- five unearned -- in the first inning against West Coast Conference pitcher of the year Chris Mederos to take a 7-0 lead. Griffin Benedict, Kyle Blackburn, Eric Phillips and Ty Wright each homered as Georgia Southern (42-16) scored six times in the third inning to tie it at 8. Read More
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