May 31, 2008

• AP Photos - Friday NCAA Baseball Regionals

Miami Downs Bethune-Cookman, 7-4, In Regional Opener

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - Dave DiNatale scored three runs and had two hits as top-seed Miami defeated Bethune-Cookman 7-4 in the second game of the Coral Gables Regional on Friday night.

The Wildcats kept the game close until Blake Tekotte's two-run single in the seventh gave Miami the three-run margin. Tektite hit a two-out blooper which landed between second baseman Mark Brooks and center fielder Jose Ortiz.

"I was just trying to put it in play," Tekotte said. "We knew we had our work cut out for us. This was the best fourth-seeded team in the nation."

Miami went ahead for good in the sixth when DiNatale scored his third run on Yasmani Grandal's RBI single off Eric Thomas (9-1).

"Bethune-Cookman has an outstanding ball club," Miami head coach Jim Morris said. "I don't think I've been as nervous all year as I was (Friday). I didn't feel comfortable until the last pitch."

Reliever Kyle Bellamy (6-0) got the victory, pitching 2 1-3 scoreless innings. Carlos Gutierrez pitched a scoreless ninth for his 12th save.

Fedroff Leads Tar Heels Past Mount St. Mary's

CARY, N.C. (AP) - Tim Fedroff matched a career high with six RBIs Friday night to lead North Carolina past Mount St. Mary's 16-8 in the first round of the Cary Regional.

Seth Williams homered and drove in three runs and Dustin Ackley had four hits and three RBIs for the top-seeded Tar Heels (47-12), who came out looking every bit the part of the No. 2 team in the 64-team tournament in setting school record for runs scored in an NCAA tournament game.

North Carolina scored multiple runs in each of the first four innings, jumped out to a 10-1 lead, held off the Mountaineers' rally against the bullpen and pulled away late to take a successful first step toward their third straight College World Series berth.

Next up for North Carolina is second-seeded UNC Wilmington, which beat Elon in the other opener, while fourth-seeded Mount St. Mary's (21-33) faces the Phoenix in an elimination game.

Pack Wins NCAA Opener, 6-2, over James Madison

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Ryan Pond's tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning led North Carolina State past James Madison 6-2 on Friday night in the Raleigh Regional at Doak Field at Dail Park.

Pond, who had struck out with a runner in scoring position earlier in the game, pulled the ball down the left-field line to score catcher Christ Schaeffer and shortstop Tommy Foschi with the game's decisive runs.

Schaeffer and Drew Martin homered for the top-seeded Wolfpack (39-20), who snapped a three-year string of losses in their NCAA tournament openers. They advance to face second-seeded South Carolina in the championship bracket Saturday at 7 p.m. No. 4 seed James Madison (38-18) slips into an elimination game against Charlotte in a 2 p.m. contest.

With the game tied 2-all, Schaeffer got things started for N.C. State when he led off the seventh with a single off reliever Trevor Knight (7-3).

Foschi followed that with a single, and two batters later, Pond brought them home by sending a 3-2 pitch down the left-field line.

Georgia Tech Opens NCAA Tournament With 8-5 Win Over Louisville

ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia Tech's Charlie Blackmon continued to swing a hot bat, Jason Haniger hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning and the Yellow Jackets overcame a 3-2 deficit to beat Louisville, 8-5, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at the University of Georgia's Foley Field Friday night.

The No. 2 seed in the Athens regional, Tech (40-19) will play No. 4 seed Lipscomb, a surprising 10-7 winner over regional host and No. 1 seed Georgia, Saturday at 7 p.m. Louisville (41-20) and Georgia will meet in an elimination game Saturday at 3 p.m.

Trailing 3-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Blackmon's two-out infield single with the bases loaded helped the Yellow Jackets take a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish.

In the seventh, Haniger's towering two-run blast gave Tech some breathing room and a 7-3 advantage. Haniger's home run, his ninth of the season, was Georgia Tech's 91st round-tripper of the season - its most home runs since 1998.

Virginia Baseball Suffers 3-2 Walkoff Loss to UCLA in NCAA Opener

FULLERTON, Calif. - UCLA's Chris Giovinazzo scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Bruins walked off with a 3-2 win over Virginia in the first game of the NCAA Fullerton Regional at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif.

Virginia drops into the consolation bracket and will play the loser of the Cal State Fullerton/Rider game at 7 p.m. ET Saturday.

The winning run scored on a crazy play in the ninth inning. With one out and runners on first and second, UCLA's Cody Decker hit a grounder to third baseman Tyler Cannon (So., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.). Cannon then threw to first baseman Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio), who lost the ball in the bright sunlight over the third-base bleachers and could not make a play on the ball. The ball then rolled down the first-base line, allowing Giovinazzo to score.

Phil Gosselin (Fr., West Chester, Pa.) led Virginia with three hits, while David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) had two hits and an RBI. Mickey Weisser had three hits for the Bruins, while Jermaine Curtis added two.

Neither starting pitcher earned a decision. Virginia's Jacob Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) tossed six strong innings, allowing two earned runs, seven hits, one walk and two strikeouts. UCLA starter Tim Murphy was equally strong, pitching 7.2 innings and allowing two runs (one earned), eight hits and two walks while striking out four.

Bucknell Blanks FSU In Opening Round Of Tallahassee Regional

Tallahassee, Fla. - Second-ranked Florida State (48-11) was shutout for the first time in 2008 as Bucknell (30-22-2) pulled off a first round upset in game two of the Tallahassee Regional downing the Seminoles 7-0 on Friday evening. The loss was the first for FSU in the first round of regional play since 1992, snapping a 15-game winning streak. It was also just the 11th loss FSU has suffered all-time in 46 first round regional appearances.

The win was the first postseason victory for Bucknell as the Bison entered Friday's contest 0-6 in three previous tournament appearances. BU starting pitcher Mathew Wilson (6-1) went the distance for his fifth career complete game and first in nine innings. Wilson was the story of the game allowing just six hits and two walks while striking out three. It was his second shutout of the season as the senior right hander threw 153 pitches.

The Seminoles left three runners stranded at third on Friday night and eight overall. The Seminoles put runners at third in the first, fifth and seventh innings but came away empty handed.

In FSU's first at-bat, Buster Posey drew a two-out walk and moved up two bases on Jack Rye's double to the gap in left center. But Wilson shut the down on the Garnet and Gold getting Dennis Guinn to fly out to right to end the inning.