MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Rebel bats continued to hit on Tuesday as No. 25 Ole Miss pounded out 10 hits on the way to a 10-1 win over Memphis (16-28). With the win, the Rebels sweep the season series with the Tigers.
Logan Power led the Rebels with a home run and a 2-for-5 performance, while Tim Ferguson went 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored and an RBI. Brett Basham also laid down two sacrifice bunts on the night, including a successful suicide play.
Brett Bukvich (2-1) picked up the win for the Rebels as he worked 5.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
Brennon Martin (4-2) suffered the loss for the Tigers as he worked 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts
“We played well tonight and were able to get some key hits in crucial situations,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “We were able to get the timely hit to push some runs across. We also played well defensively and it was nice to see us get some double plays. Tim Ferguson made some nice plays at shortstop as did Zach Miller up the middle.”
Ole Miss scored first as Logan Power got the Rebels on the board in the fourth with a solo home run to left field to open the inning.
The Rebels added to the lead in the fifth when Kyle Mills scored from first on a double to center field from Tim Ferguson. Mills walked a batter earlier to reach base. Brett Basham then executed a suicide squeeze to bring Ferguson home and move the lead to 3-0. Fuller Smith singled in the next at bat, pushing Memphis to go to the bullpen for Phillip Utley.
Memphis scored in the sixth when Trey Wiedman came up with an RBI single through the left side off Rory McKean to score Brett Bowen from third. McKean entered the game with one out on the board and runners at the corners as he relieved Bukvich. McKean then got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning with the Rebels leading 3-1.
Ole Miss answered in the top of the seventh, pushing two runs across with aggressive base running and taking advantage of Memphis errors. Jordan Henry reached on a fielding error before stealing second. He then scored on a hit and run as Cullan Kight singled through the right side and advanced to second on the throw home. Kight then scored on a sac bunt attempt from Tim Ferguson that saw the Tigers throw to third, but a throwing error allowed Kight to reach safely and advance home on the play.
Ferguson then stole second before moving to third on a sac bunt from Basham. A fielding error on a grounder to short from Fuller Smith allowed Ferguson to score and pushed Ole Miss out to a 6-1 lead on the Tigers.
The Rebels then used four hits to push four more runs across in the eighth inning as the Rebels moved out to a 10-1 lead. That would prove to be the final margin of victory.
Ole Miss will return to action on Wednesday when the Rebels host Jackson State. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
LSU Baseball Named National 'Team of the Week'
BATON ROUGE -- The LSU baseball squad has been named “Team of the Week” by CollegeBaseballInsider.com. The Tigers posted a perfect 5-0 record during the week of April 21-27, including a three-game sweep of No. 9 South Carolina in Alex Box Stadium.
The sweep was LSU’s first in the SEC since 2006 when LSU won three straight at Auburn. The series victory over South Carolina was the Tigers’ first SEC sweep at home since LSU swept Tennessee at Alex Box Stadium in 2003.
LSU batted .319 (36-for-113) in the South Carolina series, scoring 28 runs and collecting eight homers, four doubles and one triple. Sophomore designated hitter Blake Dean paced the Tigers at the plate in the series, batting .462 (6-for-13) in three games with one double, one run and two RBI. For the entire five-game week, Dean hit a sizzling .571 (12-for-21) with three doubles, two homers, four RBI and five runs
Junior left-hander Blake Martin delivered an exceptional performance on Friday to defeat South Carolina, the SEC leader in home runs. Martin worked 8.1 innings against the Gamecocks, limiting them to two runs on seven hits with five walks and seven strikeouts. After allowing a run in each of the first two innings, Martin blanked the Gamecocks over the final 6.2 innings of his outing -- he retired 10 consecutive batters from the end of the fourth inning until the start of the eighth inning.
LSU blanked McNeese State, 6-0, last Wednesday as freshmen pitchers Daniel Bradshaw, Austin Ross and Anthony Ranaudo combined to fire a one-hitter against the Cowboys. The effort marked the first one-hitter by the LSU pitching staff since April 18, 1997 when Patrick Coogan threw a one-hitter against Ole Miss in Alex Box Stadium.
The sweep was LSU’s first in the SEC since 2006 when LSU won three straight at Auburn. The series victory over South Carolina was the Tigers’ first SEC sweep at home since LSU swept Tennessee at Alex Box Stadium in 2003.
LSU batted .319 (36-for-113) in the South Carolina series, scoring 28 runs and collecting eight homers, four doubles and one triple. Sophomore designated hitter Blake Dean paced the Tigers at the plate in the series, batting .462 (6-for-13) in three games with one double, one run and two RBI. For the entire five-game week, Dean hit a sizzling .571 (12-for-21) with three doubles, two homers, four RBI and five runs
Junior left-hander Blake Martin delivered an exceptional performance on Friday to defeat South Carolina, the SEC leader in home runs. Martin worked 8.1 innings against the Gamecocks, limiting them to two runs on seven hits with five walks and seven strikeouts. After allowing a run in each of the first two innings, Martin blanked the Gamecocks over the final 6.2 innings of his outing -- he retired 10 consecutive batters from the end of the fourth inning until the start of the eighth inning.
LSU blanked McNeese State, 6-0, last Wednesday as freshmen pitchers Daniel Bradshaw, Austin Ross and Anthony Ranaudo combined to fire a one-hitter against the Cowboys. The effort marked the first one-hitter by the LSU pitching staff since April 18, 1997 when Patrick Coogan threw a one-hitter against Ole Miss in Alex Box Stadium.
UK Notches 26th Straight Home Non-Conference Win
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Sawyer Carroll’s five-RBI performance boosted the No. 16 Kentucky baseball team to a nine-run rally, soaring from a 6-0 deficit and notching a 9-6 win over the red-hot Marshall Thundering Herd – its 23rd non-conference win in the past 24 games - on Wednesday evening at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
After starting every game of his college career – a span of 98 consecutive games – Carroll was scratched from the starting lineup in order to take a final exam, in Italian. Carroll, a National Player of the Year award candidate, completed his final exam around 7 p.m. ET as Kentucky made it through the first 1 ½ innings. By 7:15 p.m., Carroll was standing in the batters box as a pinch hitter, finishing the night 1-for-3 with a career-high five RBI. On the year Carroll, who leads the Southeastern Conference with a .431 average, has totaled 63 RBI in just 45 games, good for a tie for fifth place all-time on the single-season UK record books. A year ago, Carroll finished with 56 RBI in UK’s 54 games.
Carroll was the run-producer in the game but UK got three-hit performances from shortstop Chris Wade and catcher Tyler Howe. Wade added two doubles, his team-best 16th and 17th two-baggers on the year, going 3-for-3 on the night with an RBI. Howe finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. Chris McClendon tallied the other multi-hit game for UK, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Kentucky's 34 wins equals the 34 wins the 2007 squad totaled. UK's school-record for wins came during the 44-win SEC Championship season in 2006.
The Wildcats have not lost a home non-conference game since an April 18, 2007 setback vs. Morehead State, a span of 26 games.
Kentucky dug itself an early 5-0 hole as UK starter Clint Tilford got hammered for six hits and five runs through one inning. The UK bullpen pitched flawlessly for the second consecutive game, as the Wildcats have not allowed an earned run in 11 1/3 innings, the last coming on Saturday at Vanderbilt. The UK bullpen has allowed only one earned run in the past 20 innings.
Scott Green (5-2) picked up the win, tossing the two decisive innings, allowing two hits and one unearned run. Logan Darnell, Tommy Warner, Brock Baber and Andrew Albers combined to blank the Thundering Herd, with Albers picking up his third save in UK’s past three games, tossing the ninth. On Monday, Albers was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week.
Marshall (23-22-1, 9-8 C-USA) entered the game winners in nine of its past 11 games, posting 50 runs combined in its past five games. After starter Ian Kadish held the UK bats to two hits and five strikeouts through four innings, Justin Moore came on in relief, allowing four hits and six runs, taking the loss.
Kentucky returns to action on Friday, hosting the red-hot LSU Tigers in a pivotal three-game series. First pitch Friday at Cliff Hagan Stadium is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.
Marshall jumped all over the Wildcats in the second inning, getting five hits and five runs to take a commanding 5-0 lead. The inning started when Nate Lape, a North Carolina transfer, roped his 14th home run of the season over the left-field fence. Tilford then surrendered four consecutive singles to Marshall, before handing the ball over to Darnell, who got out of the jam.
Kentucky narrowed the lead to 5-2 in the fifth inning, beginning when Howe got his first hit of the game, a hard single into left field. Wade followed, ripping his first double of the year into left. Carroll notched his first RBI, a groundout and freshman Chris Bisson did the same, scoring Wade with an RBI groundout.
Marshall extended its lead to 6-2 with a run in the sixth, taking advantage of one hit and an error. Jeff Rowley singled through the infield to lead off, moving to third on two groundouts. Leadoff man Adam Yeager hit a hard line drive right back at Green, the UK pitcher, who deflected the ball right to Wade at shortstop. Wade attempted to change directions but booted the ball, not in time to get the speedy Yeager, allowing Rowley to score.
The Wildcats got four runs to tie the game 6-6 in the sixth inning. Bryan Rose led off with a walk and Collin Cowgill singled. McClendon hit into a fielders choice, with Cowgill out on the play, allowing Rose to move to third. McClendon moved to second on a wild pitch and Brian Spear drew a walk to load the bases. Howe grounded out for an RBI, scoring Rose and Chris Wade got hit by a pitch to load the bases up for Carroll. Carroll, whose two-RBI triple served as the game-winner at No. 10 Vanderbilt on Sunday, emptied the bags with a double into the opposite field gap.
Kentucky took a 8-6 lead with two runs in the seventh, as McClendon, Spear and Howe all singled with one out. Wade drove in one with a single of his own and Carroll played Spear with a sacrifice fly.
UK got an insurance run in the eighth, as Keenan Wiley led off with a bunt single and Rose moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice. McClendon scored Wiley with an RBI single through the right side.
Marshall designated hitter Victor Gomez, the reigning C-USA Player of the Week, finished with a game-best 4-for-5 night at the plate.
After starting every game of his college career – a span of 98 consecutive games – Carroll was scratched from the starting lineup in order to take a final exam, in Italian. Carroll, a National Player of the Year award candidate, completed his final exam around 7 p.m. ET as Kentucky made it through the first 1 ½ innings. By 7:15 p.m., Carroll was standing in the batters box as a pinch hitter, finishing the night 1-for-3 with a career-high five RBI. On the year Carroll, who leads the Southeastern Conference with a .431 average, has totaled 63 RBI in just 45 games, good for a tie for fifth place all-time on the single-season UK record books. A year ago, Carroll finished with 56 RBI in UK’s 54 games.
Carroll was the run-producer in the game but UK got three-hit performances from shortstop Chris Wade and catcher Tyler Howe. Wade added two doubles, his team-best 16th and 17th two-baggers on the year, going 3-for-3 on the night with an RBI. Howe finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. Chris McClendon tallied the other multi-hit game for UK, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Kentucky's 34 wins equals the 34 wins the 2007 squad totaled. UK's school-record for wins came during the 44-win SEC Championship season in 2006.
The Wildcats have not lost a home non-conference game since an April 18, 2007 setback vs. Morehead State, a span of 26 games.
Kentucky dug itself an early 5-0 hole as UK starter Clint Tilford got hammered for six hits and five runs through one inning. The UK bullpen pitched flawlessly for the second consecutive game, as the Wildcats have not allowed an earned run in 11 1/3 innings, the last coming on Saturday at Vanderbilt. The UK bullpen has allowed only one earned run in the past 20 innings.
Scott Green (5-2) picked up the win, tossing the two decisive innings, allowing two hits and one unearned run. Logan Darnell, Tommy Warner, Brock Baber and Andrew Albers combined to blank the Thundering Herd, with Albers picking up his third save in UK’s past three games, tossing the ninth. On Monday, Albers was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week.
Marshall (23-22-1, 9-8 C-USA) entered the game winners in nine of its past 11 games, posting 50 runs combined in its past five games. After starter Ian Kadish held the UK bats to two hits and five strikeouts through four innings, Justin Moore came on in relief, allowing four hits and six runs, taking the loss.
Kentucky returns to action on Friday, hosting the red-hot LSU Tigers in a pivotal three-game series. First pitch Friday at Cliff Hagan Stadium is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.
Marshall jumped all over the Wildcats in the second inning, getting five hits and five runs to take a commanding 5-0 lead. The inning started when Nate Lape, a North Carolina transfer, roped his 14th home run of the season over the left-field fence. Tilford then surrendered four consecutive singles to Marshall, before handing the ball over to Darnell, who got out of the jam.
Kentucky narrowed the lead to 5-2 in the fifth inning, beginning when Howe got his first hit of the game, a hard single into left field. Wade followed, ripping his first double of the year into left. Carroll notched his first RBI, a groundout and freshman Chris Bisson did the same, scoring Wade with an RBI groundout.
Marshall extended its lead to 6-2 with a run in the sixth, taking advantage of one hit and an error. Jeff Rowley singled through the infield to lead off, moving to third on two groundouts. Leadoff man Adam Yeager hit a hard line drive right back at Green, the UK pitcher, who deflected the ball right to Wade at shortstop. Wade attempted to change directions but booted the ball, not in time to get the speedy Yeager, allowing Rowley to score.
The Wildcats got four runs to tie the game 6-6 in the sixth inning. Bryan Rose led off with a walk and Collin Cowgill singled. McClendon hit into a fielders choice, with Cowgill out on the play, allowing Rose to move to third. McClendon moved to second on a wild pitch and Brian Spear drew a walk to load the bases. Howe grounded out for an RBI, scoring Rose and Chris Wade got hit by a pitch to load the bases up for Carroll. Carroll, whose two-RBI triple served as the game-winner at No. 10 Vanderbilt on Sunday, emptied the bags with a double into the opposite field gap.
Kentucky took a 8-6 lead with two runs in the seventh, as McClendon, Spear and Howe all singled with one out. Wade drove in one with a single of his own and Carroll played Spear with a sacrifice fly.
UK got an insurance run in the eighth, as Keenan Wiley led off with a bunt single and Rose moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice. McClendon scored Wiley with an RBI single through the right side.
Marshall designated hitter Victor Gomez, the reigning C-USA Player of the Week, finished with a game-best 4-for-5 night at the plate.
Georgia Battles Ga. Tech May 7 in Athens; May 13 at Turner Field
The eighth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs face instate rival Georgia Tech twice when the calendar turns to May.
On Wednesday, May 7th, the Bulldogs play host to the Yellow Jackets in Athens at Foley Field at 7 p.m. Contact the UGAA ticket office or go online at www.georgiadogs.com for ticket information for all Bulldog home games.
Then, on Tuesday, May 13th, the Bulldogs and Jackets will tangle at Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. It will mark the sixth consecutive year the teams will square off in the "Spring Baseball Classic for Kids."
Georgia holds a 4-1 edge in the series at Turner Field. All tickets are $10 with proceeds benefitting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and its Brain and Spinal Cord Tumor Program. The game raises more than $200,000 annually for the not-for-profit pediatric healthcare system.
On Wednesday, May 7th, the Bulldogs play host to the Yellow Jackets in Athens at Foley Field at 7 p.m. Contact the UGAA ticket office or go online at www.georgiadogs.com for ticket information for all Bulldog home games.
Then, on Tuesday, May 13th, the Bulldogs and Jackets will tangle at Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. It will mark the sixth consecutive year the teams will square off in the "Spring Baseball Classic for Kids."
Georgia holds a 4-1 edge in the series at Turner Field. All tickets are $10 with proceeds benefitting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and its Brain and Spinal Cord Tumor Program. The game raises more than $200,000 annually for the not-for-profit pediatric healthcare system.
No. 22 Gators Baseball Travels To No. 12 South Carolina
Gainesville, FL -
With three weekends in league play remaining, No. 22 Florida (27-16) hits the road for the first of two-straight SEC series away from Gainesville when it travels to the Palmetto State to face No. 12 South Carolina (31-14). The Gators (12-9) are one game ahead of the Gamecocks (11-10) in the jumbled Eastern Division race. UF is 3.5 games behind Georgia (29-14-1/15-5-1 SEC), and USC is locked in a three-way tie for fourth with Kentucky and Tennessee.
Freshman right-hander Tommy Toledo (Tampa, Fla.) (4-4, 3.40) will start Friday's opener at 7 p.m., live on Sun Sports, against right-hander Mike Cisco (5-2, 5.08). Toledo has worked 45.0 innings this season, with 20 strikeouts and 23 walks, and will be making his first start since April 13 versus Arkansas.
Saturday's matchup at 4 p.m. will pit junior left-hander Stephen Locke (Tampa, Fla.) (3-2, 3.21) and USC southpaw Will Atwood (4-2, 4.22). In his last outing, Locke crafted the first complete game of his career to help Florida even its series with No. 5 Georgia. The lefty scattered eight hits, including seven singles, and was helped by three Gator double plays in the 7-2 win. He tallied two strikeouts and one walk to notch his first SEC victory since March 17, 2007 against Mississippi State and kept UGA off the scoreboard until the fifth inning.
The SEC leader in victories, junior Patrick Keating (Harrisburg, Ill.) (8-0, 2.69), will start Sunday's finale at 1:30 p.m. (live on CSS) against right-hander Blake Cooper (5-4, 3.52). Last weekend, Keating matched his career-high of six strikeouts and worked 6.2 innings in the finale versus Georgia in which he yielded seven hits and two runs. The righty is 7-0 in seven SEC starts with a 2.68 ERA.
Since South Carolina joined the SEC starting in the 1992 season, the Gators have captured only one of the eight three-game series held at Sarge Frye Field. The Orange and Blue's successful visit occurred with a sweep during the '96 campaign and the team has dropped five of its last six outings on the road to USC.
The Garnet and Black has defeated the Gators in seven of the past eight series, the lone exception when UF took two of three meetings in Gainesville over March 25-27, 2005. South Carolina holds an 11-5 advantage in the series between the schools.
Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan is quite familiar with South Carolina after serving on Clemson's coaching staff between 1999 and 2007. During his time with the Tigers, the bitter rivals split 34 meetings.
The Gators rebounded from a 7-4 loss to fifth-ranked Georgia last Friday night to claim the final two games of the series by identical 7-2 margins. UF ended a three-series SEC slide and handed the Bulldogs their first conference series loss of the campaign. Florida is now 22-6 at McKethan Stadium this spring. O'Sullivan has guided the Orange and Blue to six wins over top-10 opponents and series triumphs over SEC division leaders No. 5 Georgia and No. 8 Ole Miss. On the weekend, Florida was 30-for-99 (.303) with eight extra-base hits (six doubles, two homers) and was 6-for-6 on stolen bases.
Senior Josh Edmondson (LaGrange, Ga.) worked 2.1 scoreless innings to preserve Keating's win on Sunday to collect his second save. The reliever lowered his ERA to 2.63, second-best on the team. Senior first baseman Brandon McArthur (Seffner, Fla.) roped a three-run double in the third stanza to open the scoring and is 23-for-54 (.438) with 10 RBI, five runs and four doubles in the past 14 games. Sophomore shortstop Cole Figueroa (Tallahassee, Fla.) went 6-for-12 (.500) against the Bulldogs and is batting .337 overall with 40 RBI, 14 stolen bases, 11 doubles and six homers. Freshman second baseman Josh Adams (Jacksonville, Fla.) was 4-for-11 (.367) with four runs, a two-run homer and two walks and sophomore center fielder Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) was 4-for-11 (.367) with three runs, three stolen bases, two runs and two walks.
Last weekend marked the first time since 1998 that the Gators defeated the Bulldogs at home by four or more runs in back-to-back games. In game two, den Dekker was 3-for-3 and scored twice and became the first UF player with three thefts in a game since Jonathan Tucker versus Vanderbilt on March 27, 2004. Senior Jon Townsend (London, Ky.) also matched a season high with three RBI.
Cisco notched eight strikeouts over seven innings as South Carolina eliminated the Gators from last season's SEC Tournament, 5-3. Matt LaPorta had given UF a 2-0 lead in the first inning with his 74th and final homer of his outstanding career. The Gamecocks reached Keating in the second for three runs on four hits to take a lead it would not relinquish. The right-hander worked 5.1 innings in his starting debut, allowing eight hits and five runs (three earned), with five strikeouts. USC had kicked off the double-elimination event with a 4-3 win in 12 innings.
During the regular season, the Gators and Gamecocks split the first two games in Gainesville last April before USC pulled out the rubber match, 8-6, in 11 innings. The visitors cruised to a 12-2 victory in the opener behind six shutout innings from undefeated Harris Honeycutt. Cody Neer began a big weekend with a career-high three hits but RHP Bryan Augenstein was roughed up for 14 hits and 11 runs (10 earned) over 6.1 innings. Trailing 8-2 in the eighth on Saturday, the Gators staged a remarkable rally to square the series. Brian Leclerc clubbed a grand slam, his first homer since April 1, 2006, to bring the hosts within 8-6. Down to his team's last strike, Neer blasted a three-run round-tripper in the bottom of the ninth to lift Florida to a 9-8 win. The tables were turned on Easter Sunday, as the Gamecocks socked a game-tying three-run jack in the ninth and notched the victory with a two-run bomb in the 11th to post an 8-6 triumph.
UF was swept in its last visit to South Carolina on March 24-26, 2006 (4-1, 6-5, 21-4). The three losses to the Gamecocks marked USC's first sweep of the Gators since 1995 and enabled the hosts to win a series at Sarge Frye Field for the seventh time in eight meetings. UF batted .202 (20-for-99) in the set and were outscored by a 31-10 margin. The 21-4 defeat in the series finale was the team's third-worst loss in school history and was the team’s second-worst setback in SEC action. The staff's earned run average was 9.00, as the Gamecocks totaled 43 hits in 24 innings.
With three weekends in league play remaining, No. 22 Florida (27-16) hits the road for the first of two-straight SEC series away from Gainesville when it travels to the Palmetto State to face No. 12 South Carolina (31-14). The Gators (12-9) are one game ahead of the Gamecocks (11-10) in the jumbled Eastern Division race. UF is 3.5 games behind Georgia (29-14-1/15-5-1 SEC), and USC is locked in a three-way tie for fourth with Kentucky and Tennessee.
Freshman right-hander Tommy Toledo (Tampa, Fla.) (4-4, 3.40) will start Friday's opener at 7 p.m., live on Sun Sports, against right-hander Mike Cisco (5-2, 5.08). Toledo has worked 45.0 innings this season, with 20 strikeouts and 23 walks, and will be making his first start since April 13 versus Arkansas.
Saturday's matchup at 4 p.m. will pit junior left-hander Stephen Locke (Tampa, Fla.) (3-2, 3.21) and USC southpaw Will Atwood (4-2, 4.22). In his last outing, Locke crafted the first complete game of his career to help Florida even its series with No. 5 Georgia. The lefty scattered eight hits, including seven singles, and was helped by three Gator double plays in the 7-2 win. He tallied two strikeouts and one walk to notch his first SEC victory since March 17, 2007 against Mississippi State and kept UGA off the scoreboard until the fifth inning.
The SEC leader in victories, junior Patrick Keating (Harrisburg, Ill.) (8-0, 2.69), will start Sunday's finale at 1:30 p.m. (live on CSS) against right-hander Blake Cooper (5-4, 3.52). Last weekend, Keating matched his career-high of six strikeouts and worked 6.2 innings in the finale versus Georgia in which he yielded seven hits and two runs. The righty is 7-0 in seven SEC starts with a 2.68 ERA.
Since South Carolina joined the SEC starting in the 1992 season, the Gators have captured only one of the eight three-game series held at Sarge Frye Field. The Orange and Blue's successful visit occurred with a sweep during the '96 campaign and the team has dropped five of its last six outings on the road to USC.
The Garnet and Black has defeated the Gators in seven of the past eight series, the lone exception when UF took two of three meetings in Gainesville over March 25-27, 2005. South Carolina holds an 11-5 advantage in the series between the schools.
Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan is quite familiar with South Carolina after serving on Clemson's coaching staff between 1999 and 2007. During his time with the Tigers, the bitter rivals split 34 meetings.
The Gators rebounded from a 7-4 loss to fifth-ranked Georgia last Friday night to claim the final two games of the series by identical 7-2 margins. UF ended a three-series SEC slide and handed the Bulldogs their first conference series loss of the campaign. Florida is now 22-6 at McKethan Stadium this spring. O'Sullivan has guided the Orange and Blue to six wins over top-10 opponents and series triumphs over SEC division leaders No. 5 Georgia and No. 8 Ole Miss. On the weekend, Florida was 30-for-99 (.303) with eight extra-base hits (six doubles, two homers) and was 6-for-6 on stolen bases.
Senior Josh Edmondson (LaGrange, Ga.) worked 2.1 scoreless innings to preserve Keating's win on Sunday to collect his second save. The reliever lowered his ERA to 2.63, second-best on the team. Senior first baseman Brandon McArthur (Seffner, Fla.) roped a three-run double in the third stanza to open the scoring and is 23-for-54 (.438) with 10 RBI, five runs and four doubles in the past 14 games. Sophomore shortstop Cole Figueroa (Tallahassee, Fla.) went 6-for-12 (.500) against the Bulldogs and is batting .337 overall with 40 RBI, 14 stolen bases, 11 doubles and six homers. Freshman second baseman Josh Adams (Jacksonville, Fla.) was 4-for-11 (.367) with four runs, a two-run homer and two walks and sophomore center fielder Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) was 4-for-11 (.367) with three runs, three stolen bases, two runs and two walks.
Last weekend marked the first time since 1998 that the Gators defeated the Bulldogs at home by four or more runs in back-to-back games. In game two, den Dekker was 3-for-3 and scored twice and became the first UF player with three thefts in a game since Jonathan Tucker versus Vanderbilt on March 27, 2004. Senior Jon Townsend (London, Ky.) also matched a season high with three RBI.
Cisco notched eight strikeouts over seven innings as South Carolina eliminated the Gators from last season's SEC Tournament, 5-3. Matt LaPorta had given UF a 2-0 lead in the first inning with his 74th and final homer of his outstanding career. The Gamecocks reached Keating in the second for three runs on four hits to take a lead it would not relinquish. The right-hander worked 5.1 innings in his starting debut, allowing eight hits and five runs (three earned), with five strikeouts. USC had kicked off the double-elimination event with a 4-3 win in 12 innings.
During the regular season, the Gators and Gamecocks split the first two games in Gainesville last April before USC pulled out the rubber match, 8-6, in 11 innings. The visitors cruised to a 12-2 victory in the opener behind six shutout innings from undefeated Harris Honeycutt. Cody Neer began a big weekend with a career-high three hits but RHP Bryan Augenstein was roughed up for 14 hits and 11 runs (10 earned) over 6.1 innings. Trailing 8-2 in the eighth on Saturday, the Gators staged a remarkable rally to square the series. Brian Leclerc clubbed a grand slam, his first homer since April 1, 2006, to bring the hosts within 8-6. Down to his team's last strike, Neer blasted a three-run round-tripper in the bottom of the ninth to lift Florida to a 9-8 win. The tables were turned on Easter Sunday, as the Gamecocks socked a game-tying three-run jack in the ninth and notched the victory with a two-run bomb in the 11th to post an 8-6 triumph.
UF was swept in its last visit to South Carolina on March 24-26, 2006 (4-1, 6-5, 21-4). The three losses to the Gamecocks marked USC's first sweep of the Gators since 1995 and enabled the hosts to win a series at Sarge Frye Field for the seventh time in eight meetings. UF batted .202 (20-for-99) in the set and were outscored by a 31-10 margin. The 21-4 defeat in the series finale was the team's third-worst loss in school history and was the team’s second-worst setback in SEC action. The staff's earned run average was 9.00, as the Gamecocks totaled 43 hits in 24 innings.
Hogs Make it Three Straight, Defeat Missouri State
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Scott Lyons reached base five times with four hits to lead the Arkansas Razorback baseball team to a 14-6 victory over Missouri State at Baum Stadium on Wednesday night.
Lyons had three singles and a double and reached base a fifth time on a fielding error by the Bears. Lyons would score three of Arkansas’ 14 runs and drive in two others. The four hit performance matches his career best which he set against South Dakota State on March 5 and is the first time a Razorback batter has had four hits in a game since Casey Coon accomplished the task on March 21.
Arkansas (27-18) picks up its second victory over Missouri State (30-14) this year and second in the month of April. The two teams faced off on the first day of the month and the Hogs came back to win a wild one in Springfield, Mo., 7-6 in 10 innings.
The Wednesday night matchup was strange from the outset as neither team’s pitchers seemed to have much going for them. Walks and hit batters dominated the early going and allowed the Bears to establish a 4-0 lead in the top of the third, but help from the Missouri State pitching staff in the bottom of the inning let the Razorbacks come back with three scores of their own without the benefit of a hit. Missouri State would walk one, hit three others and make an error contributing to the big inning.
The Hogs would tack on another five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good. An opening walk put Lyons at the plate with a runner on and he singled through the right side putting runners at first and second. Another walk by the Razorbacks loaded the bases and two batters later, Logan Forsythe would drive in two with a single to right-center field. A Jeff Nutt single to left scored Forsythe and he would come around on a blast over the left field wall by Coon. Coon’s home run is his first since his four-hit game in March and proved to be the game-winning hit.
Arkansas would cycle through the order four times during the middle innings of the game as they sent 31 batters to the plate between the third and sixth innings. That turnover saw 13 of the 14 Arkansas runs score.
Surrendering Missouri State’s final two runs in the top of the fifth, Arkansas battled back for two of its own, and then scored another three in the sixth to put the game out of reach. The Razorbacks pounded out 13 hits on the day with all but one Arkansas starter getting at least one. Along with Lyons four, Coon, Nutt and Ben Tschepikow would each get two hits. Coon would drive in a team best three with Lyons, Nutt and Forsythe each tallying two RBI. Catcher Ryan Cisterna tacked on Arkansas’ final run in the bottom of the eighth with Arkansas’ second home run of the game.
On the mound, the Razorbacks used six pitchers with none working more than two innings. Redshirt freshman Sam Murphy started the contest by pitching two innings before handing the ball to Kendall Korbal in the third. Evan Cox (2-0), the game’s winning pitcher, tossed 1.2 innings of relief with James Mahler, Travis Hill and Brett Eibner wrapping things up.
The Razorbacks are back in action at Baum Stadium on Friday night when they host a pivotal Southeastern Conference series with the Alabama Crimson Tide. For more information regarding Razorback baseball or University of Arkansas athletics please visit www.hogwired.com.
Lyons had three singles and a double and reached base a fifth time on a fielding error by the Bears. Lyons would score three of Arkansas’ 14 runs and drive in two others. The four hit performance matches his career best which he set against South Dakota State on March 5 and is the first time a Razorback batter has had four hits in a game since Casey Coon accomplished the task on March 21.
Arkansas (27-18) picks up its second victory over Missouri State (30-14) this year and second in the month of April. The two teams faced off on the first day of the month and the Hogs came back to win a wild one in Springfield, Mo., 7-6 in 10 innings.
The Wednesday night matchup was strange from the outset as neither team’s pitchers seemed to have much going for them. Walks and hit batters dominated the early going and allowed the Bears to establish a 4-0 lead in the top of the third, but help from the Missouri State pitching staff in the bottom of the inning let the Razorbacks come back with three scores of their own without the benefit of a hit. Missouri State would walk one, hit three others and make an error contributing to the big inning.
The Hogs would tack on another five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good. An opening walk put Lyons at the plate with a runner on and he singled through the right side putting runners at first and second. Another walk by the Razorbacks loaded the bases and two batters later, Logan Forsythe would drive in two with a single to right-center field. A Jeff Nutt single to left scored Forsythe and he would come around on a blast over the left field wall by Coon. Coon’s home run is his first since his four-hit game in March and proved to be the game-winning hit.
Arkansas would cycle through the order four times during the middle innings of the game as they sent 31 batters to the plate between the third and sixth innings. That turnover saw 13 of the 14 Arkansas runs score.
Surrendering Missouri State’s final two runs in the top of the fifth, Arkansas battled back for two of its own, and then scored another three in the sixth to put the game out of reach. The Razorbacks pounded out 13 hits on the day with all but one Arkansas starter getting at least one. Along with Lyons four, Coon, Nutt and Ben Tschepikow would each get two hits. Coon would drive in a team best three with Lyons, Nutt and Forsythe each tallying two RBI. Catcher Ryan Cisterna tacked on Arkansas’ final run in the bottom of the eighth with Arkansas’ second home run of the game.
On the mound, the Razorbacks used six pitchers with none working more than two innings. Redshirt freshman Sam Murphy started the contest by pitching two innings before handing the ball to Kendall Korbal in the third. Evan Cox (2-0), the game’s winning pitcher, tossed 1.2 innings of relief with James Mahler, Travis Hill and Brett Eibner wrapping things up.
The Razorbacks are back in action at Baum Stadium on Friday night when they host a pivotal Southeastern Conference series with the Alabama Crimson Tide. For more information regarding Razorback baseball or University of Arkansas athletics please visit www.hogwired.com.
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