| BASEBALL RESULTS |
Auburn 22, Alcorn State 0
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Arkansas 8, Northwestern State 7
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Tennessee 8, Western Kentucky 7
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Florida 8, Bethune-Cookman 6
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Ole Miss 8, Arkansas State 1
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Auburn Dominates Alcorn State, 22-0
AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn baseball team pounded out 20 hits, nine of which went for extra bases, and its pitching staff held Alcorn State to just four hits as it picked up a 22-0 win on Tuesday afternoon at Plainsman Park. Creede Simpson was 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles while Patrick Savage and Kody Ortman both hit home runs as Auburn evened its record at 2-2.
“We played a complete game today and it starts with the guys on the mound. Jon Luke Jacobs was outstanding. Will Kendall, Jay Wade and Cory Luckie all came in and filled the strike zone up. When you play the type of defense that we played, we made some tremendous plays out there, so there are a lot of positive things that went on,” Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said.
Jacobs threw six innings of two-hit ball while striking out three to pick up the win. The only time Alcorn State (1-3) had multiple runners on base in a single inning was the second when Jacobs surrendered a single and a walk as he sat them down in order in four of his six innings.
“The defense was great today. I just threw the ball down in the zone and let them go to work,” Jacobs said. “I can’t say enough about the infielders and some balls that were run down by the outfielders. Dan Gleveyak made some great plays out at short, Jarred Smith over there at third and then arguably I think we have one of the fastest outfields in the conference.”
The bullpen followed with three innings of scoreless ball as Kendall, Wade and Luckie each threw an inning.
Auburn, which entered the game with eight doubles and no other extra-base hits on the season, produced six doubles, a triple from Ryan Tella (2-for-3, 2B, 3B, 3 BB, 4 R) and the pair of home runs, both of which came in pinch hit appearances. The SEC leader in stolen bases coming into the game, the team picked up four more over the first three innings to up its season total to 12 in just four games.
“Offensively it started early and we put some pressure on them early in the game. We did some things with our speed and saw some guys go first-to-third,” Pawlowski said.
Auburn scored a total of 16 runs over the first six innings, scoring at least one run in every frame up until the seventh. Bobby Andrews (2-for-4, 3 R, 3 RBI) and Jay Gonzalez (1-for-5, 2B, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI) combined with Tella to score nine of the team’s runs and drove in six of the team’s 17 RBIs from the top three spots in the lineup.
In total, 13 different Auburn players scored at least one run and 13 different hitters had at least one hit as Auburn collected its most hits since rapping out 20 in a in a 15-8 win over Kentucky on Apr. 9, 2011.
Auburn’s 22-run margin was its largest since a 28-6 win at Samford on Feb. 6, 2000.
The two teams return to the diamond at 3pm on Wednesday. Freshman right-hander Rocky McCord gets the starting nod for Auburn. Alcorn State has not announced a starter.
No. 4 Arkansas walks off with 8-7 win
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Jake Wise drew a game-winning bases loaded walk with two outs in the ninth inning to lift No. 4 Arkansas to an 8-7 win over Northwestern State on Tuesday evening at Baum Stadium.
“It’s baseball, anything can happen but I thought we did a real good job at hanging in there,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “We never got down in the dugout and kept talking about putting together a good inning. We knew they had a highly talented closer, a lefty that threw hard. I think that our guys saw the challenge and they went out there and got after it.”
The Razorbacks improve to 4-0 with the comeback win, while Northwestern State is now 1-1 on the year.
With the game tied at eight entering the bottom of the ninth, Arkansas put together a game-winning rally without the benefit of a hit. Jacob Mahan and Dominic Ficociello each drew a walk to start the inning and a groundout to first by Sam Bates moved each runner up to second and third. Reynolds was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out and bring Jake Wise to the plate. Wise jumped ahead in the count 3-1. After fouling off the 3-1 pitch, Wise took ball four off the outside corner to score pinch runner Brian Anderson and give Arkansas the 8-7 win.
Tim Carver and Ficociello led the Razorbacks at the plate. Carver tied a career-high with three hits in four plate appearances. Carver drove home a run in the bottom of the eighth to put Arkansas in front and also scored once. Ficociello drove in two runs and went 2-for-4 at the plate. Wise also had a multi-RBI performance, driving in two runs.
Ray Frias was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate for the Demons, scoring two runs and driving in one. Nick Hinojos also added three hits and a RBI, while Matt Burns went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Nolan Sanburn (1-0) picked up the win for Arkansas, giving up a run on two hits with a strikeout in an inning of work.
Fabian Roman (0-1) took the loss for Northwestern State after walking both batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth.
Neither starter registered in the decision. Arkansas starter Brandon Moore allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits in 3.1 innings, while Northwestern State starter Colin Bear tossed 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on four hits.
Cade Lynch and Trent Daniel each threw well out of the Razorback bullpen. Lynch tossed three innings in relief and allowed two runs, while striking out four. Daniel pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
Northwestern State grabbed the early lead with four runs in the top of the second. Matt Baca opened the inning by reaching on a throwing error by Tim Carver and then moved to second on a single by Shaun Hoover. An infield single by Hinojos loaded the bases with nobody out. Drew Helenihi drove in the first run of the game, grounding into a fielder’s choice to first with Hinojos being retired at second. Frias brought in another run with an infield single to short. The Demons went up 3-0 when Moore’s throw to second to try to pick off Helenihi went into center field and allowed him to score. A wild pitch advanced Frias to third and a single past a drawn in infield by Jordan Buckley scored Frias for the fourth run of the inning.
Arkansas got back in the game by scoring three runs with two outs in the third. After the first two batters of the inning were retired, Carver lined an opposite field single to right field for the Razorbacks’ first hit of the game. Carver then stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Bo Bigham drew a walk to put runners at the corners. Mahan scored Carver and advanced Bigham to third on a single to the left-center field gap. Ficociello brought in two runs with a double to left field that was misplayed by the left fielder and went over his head, allowing Bigham and Mahan to score.
The Razorbacks tied the game with a run in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Ficociello singled to right field and moved to second on a two-out walk by Reynolds. Pinch hitter Jimmy Bosco then drew a base on balls to bring up Wise with the bases loaded. For the first time in the game, Wise took a free pass to bring in a run and tie the game at four.
Northwestern State answered with two runs in the top of the seventh. Frias led off the inning with a single. With one out, Frias stole second after Arkansas failed to execute the pickoff and then moved to third on a fielding error by Carver. A wild pitch then scored Frias to put the Demons back in front. Will Watson then drew a walk and stole second. A base hit by Burns put runners at first and third. Pinch hitter Todd Wallace drove in a run on a groundout to short to make it a two-run deficit for the Razorbacks.
Arkansas grabbed its first lead of the game in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three times. Reynolds walked to lead off the inning. Bosco then doubled off the left field wall. A fielding error by the Northwestern State left fielder allowed Reynolds to score all the way from first and cut the lead to one. Bosco advanced to third on a ground out to short by Wise and a double to left field by Morris brought home Bosco with the game-tying run. Carver then sent the first pitch he saw into center field to score Morris and put Arkansas in front 8-7.
The lead was short lived as Northwestern State tied the game in the top of the ninth. Burns started the game-tying rally with a single and then moved to second on a groundout to first by Wallace. After a ground out to third for the second out of the inning, Burns stole third. Ryan Westbrook then drew a walk to put runners at the corners. Hinojos followed by hitting a sinking line drive to right field. Bates attempted to make a sliding catch, but the ball went off of his glove, allowing Burns to score the tying run. Westbrook also tried to score on the play, but he was gunned down at home on a relay from Bates to Ficociello to Wise to end the inning and set up Arkansas’ rally in the bottom of the ninth.
Arkansas and Northwestern State conclude the two-game midweek series on Wednesday at 3:05 p.m. Freshman right hander Greg Milhorn is scheduled to start for the Razorbacks, while sophomore southpaw Andrew Adams will start for the Demons. Single-game tickets for Wednesday’s game are $10 for reserved seats.
Vols Win Longest Game in School History, 8-7, over Western Kentucky
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee baseball team rallied from behind twice - down to its last strike on two occasions - to force the longest game in program history (4:48) and remain undefeated, downing Western Kentucky, 8-7, in 13 innings on Tuesday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
“That was one of those games where you could say that we did everything possible not to win the game, they did everything to win the game and all we did is win the game,” UT head coach Dave Serrano said. “I say this all the time. You can never figure out this game and why things happen the way they do. We’ll take that. It’s an ugly win, but we’ll take it. It just adds to the win column. We won’t look back and say our fourth win was ugly. It was our fourth win.
“I want to continue to stress, just like I said to the team, let’s be excited about how we battled tonight. We came back and overcame ourselves, but we still have a lot of work to get to where I think we need to be.”
Senior Davis Morgan lifted a sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the 13th inning and Zach Luther dashed home to score the winning run, just avoiding the tag after a strong throw from right. The Vols overcame a season-high four errors and three unearned runs to improve to 4-0 on the season, while the Hilltoppers fell to 1-3.
“This is just a great team win,” Morgan said. “I thought we really came together as a team tonight. This is a win that we will be able to look back on later in the season to show us that the game is never over. It shows that we can win no matter what.”
With the win, Serrano becomes the first coach in 101 years to start his Tennessee managerial career with four straight wins and just the third coach to do so in school history. The only other two coaches to accomplish that feat are Z.G. Clevenger (1911) and William H. Newman (1902).
Luther opened the bottom of the 13th inning by ripping a first-pitch single to center field. An error on a line drive to right by senior Zach Osborne then moved Luther into scoring position and set up Morgan’s heroics.
The win would have never happened if not for a pair of dramatic comebacks earlier in the contest, however.
Trailing, 6-5, heading into the bottom of the ninth, Tennessee loaded the bases with one out before bringing home the tying run to force extra innings.
With runners on first and third, Osborne got into a rundown play and was nearly tagged out, but escaped the tag of WKU second baseman Ivan Hartle to keep the Vol threat alive. Following the rundown, Drew Steckenrider drew a walk to load the bases for the Vols, which set the stage for senior Chris Pierce.
With a full count, Pierce punched a sacrifice fly to right field that brought home freshman Will Maddox to tie the game at six.
For the second act, UT put together an even more dramatic script in the bottom of the 12th after a two-out, bases-loaded walk had given the lead back to the Hilltoppers, 7-6.
With two outs and the team down to its last strike with the count at 2-2, junior Chris Fritts ripped a single to center to keep the hopes of the Orange and White alive.
Serrano then sent pinch-hitter Wes Walker to the plate, who quickly fell behind in the count, 0-2. Nine pitches later, on the 11th total pitch of the at-bat, Walker blooped a single just over the outstretched arm of Hartle to bring Fritts home from second, which he had swiped on a wild pitch.
“Wes gets the credit for the base hit and he battled, battled, battled, but if it wasn’t for Chris Fritts reading the ball in the dirt and advancing 90 feet, we don’t ever get the opportunity to score that run,” Serrano said. “He rolled the dice. Even if he gets thrown out by five feet, that is exactly what our mentality is. We want to put pressure on them. We needed to get in scoring position, he saw the opportunity and he took advantage of it.”
The Vols actually jumped out to a commanding lead early in the game, going ahead 5-2 after a two-run double by sophomore Ethan Bennett and an RBI groundout by freshman Richard Carter in the second inning, as well as a solo home run by Steckenrider and a run-scoring wild pitch in the fifth.
Western Kentucky never gave up though, taking advantage of three Tennessee errors to put four runs on the board in the seventh and jump ahead, 6-5.
Sophomore Nick Williams helped keep the Vols in the game, throwing three innings of shutout relief in the ninth through 12th innings. Sophomore Dalton Saberhagen picked up his first win of the season after striking out two in the final two innings of the game.
The 13-inning duel was Tennessee's longest by innings since playing 13 innings on May 26, 2004, when the Vols won, 8-6, over Arkansas in the SEC Tournament. By time, the longest game in Tennessee history previously was 4:30 when the Vols knocked off Morehead State, 9-8, in 13 innings on Feb. 26, 1989.
The Vols will return to the diamond this weekend for a three-game series against Seton Hall. They will take on the Pirates at 4 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. All three games will be live streamed for free on UTSports.com.
No. 1 Florida Edges Bethune-Cookman, 8-6
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Senior Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) delivered a bases-loaded RBI single to snap a 6-6 tie in the eighth and junior Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) added a sacrifice fly later in the inning to lift No. 1 Florida (3-1) to an 8-6 win over Bethune-Cookman (2-2) on Tuesday night at McKethan Stadium.
Junior Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.) (1-0) threw two scoreless innings to earn the victory, junior Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) (2-for-3) belted solo homers in the second and seventh frames and junior Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.) went 3-for-3 to help the Gators improve to 26-0 against the Wildcats.
“They’re a Regional-type club,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We’ve seen enough to know over the years how tough it is to play Bethune, but once again we threw a lot of young pitchers tonight. It’s a good learning experience and we’ll learn from it and get better from it.”
Bethune-Cookman grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI triple by senior Alejandro Sanchez. Making his starting debut, freshman Johnny Magliozzi (East Milton, Mass.) battled back from a 3-0 count to catch sophomore leadoff batter Josh Johnson looking on strikes and junior Brandon Turner followed with a single up the middle. Sanchez drove in Turner with a triple into the right-field corner and junior David Lee drew a walk for runners on the corners with one down. Magliozzi had senior Brashad Johnson fly out and freshman Jordan Taylor ground out to hold the deficit at a run.
Zunino tied the game in the second with a leadoff homer off sophomore Scott Garner. His first round-tripper of the season landed in the left-field bleachers and raised his hitting streak to eight games.
The Gators plated three runs on four hits in the third to build a 4-1 lead. Making his first start of the season at third base, Dent opened the frame with a base-hit but was erased at second base on a fielder’s choice by junior Nolan Fontana (Winter Garden, Fla.). Senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) (2-for-4, two runs) moved Florida in front with his first double of the season that scored Fontana all the way from first base. Zunino drew a two-out walk for runners on the corners and Johnson’s single into right field scored Pigott and moved Zunino to third. Freshman Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.) (2-for-5) legged out an infield single that brought home Zunino.
The Wildcats countered with two runs on three hits in the fourth to close the gap to 4-3. Taylor (4-for-5) began the inning with a single into left field and senior Nick Johnson (2-for-5) doubled to put the Wildcats in business. An RBI grounder by senior Jairo Acevedo scored Taylor and junior Carlos Delgado stroked a base-knock into center field to bring across Johnson. A grounder by Josh Johnson advanced Delgado into scoring position and prompted a pitching change. Freshman Bobby Poyner (Wellington, Fla.) replaced Magliozzi (3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K) and induced an inning-ending grounder by Turner to keep the Gators ahead.
UF took advantage of a bases-loaded wild pitch in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-3 lead. Consecutive singles by senior Tyler Thompson (Tequesta, Fla.) and Dent ended the night for Garner (3.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R) in the fourth. Fontana moved his teammates into scoring position with his first of three sacrifice bunts off sophomore Bryan Rivera and Pigott walked to load the bases with one down. The reliever had Tucker pop out in foul territory but then had an errant pitch that allowed Thompson to come in for a 5-3 score. Although Zunino collected his second walk of the contest to re-load the bases, Rivera had Johnson ground out to end the inning.
After Poyner retired the first two batters of the inning, Brashad Johnson homered with two down in the fifth for a 5-4 margin. It was the Wildcats’ first four-bagger of the season and went to left field.
Freshman Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) replaced Poyner (1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R) and set down Bethune-Cookman in order on seven pitches in the sixth.
Taylor roped a two-out, two-run double in the seventh to give the Wildcats a 6-5 lead. Shafer recorded the first two outs before Lee singled up the middle and Brashad Johnson had a base-hit through the left side of the infield. Taylor’s double to deep center plated both of his teammates and another single by Nick Johnson left runners on the corners and prompted a call to the bullpen. Senior Greg Larson (Longwood, Fla.) took over for Shafer (1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R) and walked Acevedo to load the bases. Fontana made a diving stop on a grounder by Delgado and fired a strike to first base to hold the score at 6-5.
“They’ve always had a knack, over the last couple of years, to have some come-alive two-out RBIs,” O’Sullivan said. “I don’t think we have played a clean game yet. We have not obviously played our best baseball, but on the same token we’re playing a lot of new, young guys. We’re getting a lot of experience and we’ll get better as we go along.”
Zunino tied the game again in the bottom of the inning with his second homer of the night, an opposite-field shot over the right-field fence. The 2011 SEC Player of the Year also had a couple of dingers against Bethune-Cookman last season. Oddly enough, all five of Florida’s homers this season have been of the solo variety.
Josh Johnson opened the eighth with an infield single and Maddox replaced Larson (0.1 IP, 1 H) on the mound. Turner laid down a bunt to push his teammate into scoring position and Maddox responded by having Sanchez fly out and Lee strike out looking.
Junior Gabriel Hernandez (0-1) replaced Rivera (4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R) on the bump and surrendered a leadoff single to Dent, who notched his career-best third hit of the night. An attempted sacrifice bunt by Fontana resulted in a fielder’s choice, as Dent was safe on the throw to second base and Fontana occupied first. A bunt single by Pigott filled the sacks with none out for Tucker, who put Florida ahead with an RBI single off junior reliever Jordan Dailey that scored Dent. Although a grounder by Zunino forced Fontana at home with the first out, a sacrifice fly by Johnson enabled Pigott’s run to give UF an 8-6 lead.
Bethune-Cookman put a pair of runners aboard in the ninth but Maddox struck out Delgado to end the game. The Wildcats had a 14-13 advantage in hits and neither team committed any errors. Florida returns to action on Wednesday at McKethan Stadium against No. 19 UCF (3-0) at 7 p.m. The game will be carried live on Fox Sports Florida.
No. 20 Rebels Power Past Arkansas State, 8-1
OXFORD, Miss. – The Rebels opened play at home in style on Tuesday, using a Zach Kirksey home run and a solid combined outing from the pitching staff to push No. 20 Ole Miss (2-1) to an 8-1 win over Arkansas State (0-3) at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.
Kirksey led a prolific offense at the plate against the Red Wolves as the senior went belted out a three-run home run, drew a walk and was hit by a pitch on his way to driving in three runs and scoring twice as part of an unusual 1-for-1 day at the plate.
Eight Rebels made their debut on Tuesday afternoon, including a 2-for-4 performance from freshman outfielder Senquez Golson.
Freshman right-hander Sam Smith (1-0) picked up the win in his first start, working 4.0 innings and allowing one run on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. Three other freshmen saw their first action of the season as Josh Laxer, Chris Ellis and Casey Mulholland all combined with junior Blair Wright to shut out Arkansas State down the stretch.
Senior right-hander Cory Kyle (0-1) suffered the loss for Arkansas State, allowing four runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work.
“It was a good clean, game,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “Sam Smith was terrific in the beginning of the game today. You can’t ask much more of a freshman in his first home game. Even with the run they scored he was 0-2 on hitters and 1-2 in the counts. After the run he really locked in. It was a good defensive game by us. We only had one error and that was a pick-off throw.
“Offensively, Zach Kirksey was the guy that gave us separation today,” Bianco said. “He gave us some breathing room. He and Senquez Golson both had good nights. We are even better than we are playing right now.”
Arkansas State got on the board first, pushing a single run across the plate in the first inning. Kaleb Brown doubled with one out on the board, before coming home to score a batter later when Zach George hit a single to center. The Rebels’ Smith settled in from there, getting a strikeout and a ground out in the next two batters to get out of the inning with Ole Miss only trailing by one.
Smith allowed only one hit and two base runners over the course of the next 13 batters faced following the RBI single in the first. The freshman left the game after four innings of work due to a predetermined start by the coaching staff.
Ole Miss answered the Red Wolves in the third inning, using a groundout to second from Alex Yarbrough to score Tanner Mathis. Mathis reached on a double before moving to third on a wild pitch to set up the score on the Yarbrough grounder and get Ole Miss on the board.
The Rebels took the lead for good in the fourth when Kirksey came up with his three-run shot to right field that put Ole Miss on top 4-1. Following a lead-off single from Will Allen and a double from Preston Overbey, Kirksey crushed a ball that sailed into the student section in right field that drove in three runs and put the Rebels in control of the game.
Ole Miss continued to build on the lead in the fifth inning, loading the bases with one out before Blake Newalu laced a double down the left field line that scored Matt Snyder and Allen and left men at second and third. Kirksey, who was on third, scored on a wild pitch in the next at bat as Newalu moved to third give the Rebels a six run lead. Golson then came up with a double down the left field line to score Newalu and give Ole Miss the 8-1 advantage.
Ole Miss held to that margin the rest of the way, limiting the Red Wolves to two hits and only three base runners over the final four innings on the way to the win.
The Rebels continue to play at home this weekend, hosting a three-game set against UNC-Wilmington. First pitch for Friday’s series opener is set for 3 p.m., while Saturday’s contest will also start at 3 p.m. Sunday’s series finale is set for a noon first pitch.