Top 25 Showdowns

• (25) Cal State Fullerton at (1) Florida: The Titans avoided the sweep with a come-from-behind 8-5 win. Florida chased Fr. LHP Kenny Mathews with three runs in the second, but Fr. RHP Koby Gauna (5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER) gave the Titans strong relief work, and Fullerton erupted for four runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth against the UF bullpen. Gators starter Brian Johnson (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K) pitched well but was on a 75-pitch limit. Carlos Lopez and J.D. Davis had three hits and three RBIs apiece in the middle of Fullerton's lineup.

Things got testy after Davis' three-run homer gave the Titans an 8-3 lead in the sixth. Lopez reacted with emotion after crossing the plate on the homer, and Florida reliever Steven Rodriguez threw the next pitch behind Austin Kingsolver. Rodriguez was ejected.

"I think Rodriguez got a little pissed," Titans coach Rick Vanderhook told the Gainesville Sun. "Our guys got excited. He didn't like the way they acted. I'd have probably done the same thing if I was on the other side."

• (10) Vanderbilt at (2) Stanford: The Cardinal continued to swing red-hot bats, bludgeoning Vanderbilt 18-5 to complete a three-game sweep, during which Stanford outscored Vandy 35-13. The Commodores jumped on A.J. Vanegas (1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER) for four runs in the second on Sunday, but the Cardinal responded with eight runs in the bottom of the frame against Sam Selman (5 IP, 8 H, 12 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K), highlighted by Stephen Piscotty's three-run double. Piscotty added a grand slam during Stanford's seven-run sixth inning, and Christian Griffiths went 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Fr. LHP John Hochstatter (6.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R) provided sterling relief of Vanegas.

• (22) Mississippi at (15) Texas Christian: Freshmen Michael Resnick and Preston Morrison led TCU to a 5-3 win and a split of the weather-shortened weekend series. Resnick delivered a tie-breaking two-run double in the fifth, making a winner out of RHP Morrison (3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K), who retired all 10 batters he faced in relief. Tough-luck loser Mike Mayers (4 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) otherwise gave Ole Miss strong relief after taking over for starter R.J. Hively (4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K).

Top 25 Upsets

• Duke at (13) Texas: The Blue Devils took a 3-0 lead through three innings against Fr. RHP John Curtiss (3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), and Duke So. RHP Robert Huber (6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K) kept the Longhorns in check. One bright spot for Texas: Fr. RHP Ricky Jacquez (5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K) delivered strong relief.

• Maryland at (14) UCLA: Sr. RHP Brett Harman (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K), who missed all of last season after having Tommy John surgery, was lights-out in his return to action, leading Maryland to a series-clinching 5-1 upset win (a travel curfew shortened the game to eight innings). The Bruins committed three errors behind starter Zack Weiss (5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER), leading to unearned runs in each of the first three innings. Tim Kiene (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI) homered for the Terps for the second straight day.

• (19) Oklahoma at Pepperdine: In another eight-inning, travel curfew-shortened affair, Pepperdine erased an early three-run deficit and held on for a 7-6 win, clinching the series. For the third straight day, the Sooners got a shaky outing from their starting pitcher, this time LHP Steven Okert (3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 2 K). Pepperdine starter Alex Najera struggled even more, walking the bases loaded in the first before exiting without recording an out (all three runners would score). Joe Sever hit a tie-breaking RBI single in the seventh inning to put Pepperdine ahead for good.

Other Top 25 Results

• Villanova at (4) Arkansas: The Hogs outscored the Wildcats 41-7 in a dominating three-game sweep, capped by Sunday's 17-1 laugher. Dominic Ficociello, Matt Reynolds and Jacob Mahan had three hits apiece and combined for seven RBIs to pace the Arkansas offense, which pounded out 17 hits in support of a dominant Barrett Astin (5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K).

• North Dakota State at (5) Arizona: The Wildcats got their third consecutive strong start on the mound, as So. RHP James Farris (9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K) threw a complete-game shutout in his first career start, leading Arizona to an 8-0 win in the rubber game. Robert Refsnyder (4-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 2B) led the UofA offense. The three-game series at Arizona's new home—Hi Corbett Field—drew 8,870 fans, nearly 25 percent of Arizona's entire 33-game home attendance mark of 36,412 a year ago.

• Florida International at (6) Rice: Craig Manuel's three-run double keyed Rice's five-run first inning, and the Owls cruised to an 8-1 win and a series sweep against the Sun Belt favorites. So. RHP John Simms (2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R) earned the win in relief of Fr. RHP Jordan Stephens (4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K), who was solid in his debut. The Owls start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2006.

• Illinois-Chicago at (7) Texas A&M: So. RHP Rafael Pineda (7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K) carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his first career start, leading the Aggies to a 7-0 win and a series sweep. Pineda, who did not pitch during his first two years in College Station, finally gave up a double to Jon Ryan leading off the eighth. Matt Juengel (2-for-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B) led the offense for the Aggies, who outscored UIC 26-2 in a dominating sweep. The Flames mustered just 11 hits in three games.

• Air Force at (8) Louisiana State: Kurt McCune (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K), Aaron Nola and Nick Rumbelow combined on a four-hit shutout, as LSU shut down Air Force 4-0. Tyler Moore's two-run single highlighted LSU's three-run fourth inning. The Tigers outscored Air Force and Alcorn State 33-2 in three games at their tournament in Baton Rouge.

• Presbyterian at (11) Georgia: R-Fr. RHP Taylor Hicks (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R) and four relievers combined on a four-hit shutout, as the Bulldogs pummeled Presbyterian, 11-0, completing a three-game sweep. Levi Hyams (3-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B) led Georgia's 12-hit attack.

• Western Michigan at (17) Arizona State: The Sun Devils outscored Western Michigan 40-2 in a three-game sweep, capped by Sunday's 17-2 massacre. James McDonald and Nathaniel Causey had four RBIs apiece for ASU, and Max Rossiter added four hits. Last year's closer, Trevor Williams (4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER), made his first career start and picked up the win.

• Rutgers at (18) Miami: Peter O'Brien (4-for-5, 3 R, 3 RBI) had his coming-out party as a Hurricane, homering twice and falling a triple shy of the cycle in Miami's 9-7 win, completing the three-game sweep. Bryan Radziewski (3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K) struggled in his first start of the year for Miami.

• Hofstra at (20) Florida State: Freshmen led the way in FSU's 13-6 win Sunday, as Fr. OF Jose Brizuela (2-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI) and Fr. DH John Nogowski (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR) led a 13-hit attack in support of Fr. RHP Mike Compton (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER). The Seminoles figure to win a lot of high-scoring series like this one, when they outscored the Pride 32-16 in a three-game sweep.

• (23) Oregon State at UC Santa Barbara: In the continuation of Saturday's suspended game, the Gauchos broke a 12-12 tie with a run in the 13th on Brett Vertigan's walk-off hit. In the finale, Fr. OF Michael Conforto's three-run homer highlighted Oregon State's five-run sixth, and the Beavers held on for an 8-6 win. Oregon State won three out of four against UC Santa Barbara, which is coached by former Beaver player Andrew Checketts.

• Michigan State vs. (24) Louisville: The Cardinals answered Michigan State's four-run third with three runs in the bottom of the frame, then went on to a 7-6 win, completing a 2-1 weekend at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge. The Cardinals won despite committing four errors, as they used a balanced 10-hit attack on offense and got strong relief from Chad Green (3 IP, 3 H, 0 R), Jared Ruxer (2 IP, 1 ER) and Derek Self (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R).

Other Highlights

• Baylor swept a doubleheader against Oral Roberts, 3-2 and 8-1, to complete a three-game sweep. During Sunday's twin bill, the Bears got 9.2 innings of scoreless, four-hit bullpen work from five relievers.

• Mississippi State and Washington State split a doubleheader, allowing the Bulldogs to take two out of three in the series in Starkville. MSU stranded 16 baserunners in Sunday's first game, and the Cougars finally got to closer Caleb Reed (6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K) for two runs in the 13th, winning 6-5. The Bulldogs returned the favor with a three-run rally in the eighth inning in the finale, pulling out a 5-4 win.

• Southern California got a strong debut from Fr. LHP Stephen Tarpley (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K) and took advantage of three Jacksonville errors in a 4-3 win, sweeping the series against the Atlantic Sun Conference power.

• Chadd Krist (3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI) led California to a 9-3 win and a series sweep against Pacific.

• Purdue's bats stayed hot, as Cameron Perkins (2-for-6, 2 R, 5 RBI, HR) led a 14-hit attack in the Boilermakers' 15-8 win over Notre Dame, capping a 3-0 weekend at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge.

• Missouri swept a doubleheader at Auburn, 6-4 and 4-3, to win a big road series in a preview of a future Southeastern Conference matchup.

• Cal Poly blanked Oklahoma State, 6-0, to complete a three-game sweep. Kyle Brueggemann (6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K) got the win for the Mustangs.

• Oregon scored eight runs in the fourth inning and cruised to a 14-5 win at Hawaii, taking a 2-1 lead in the four-game series, with the finale scheduled for Monday.

• Alex Hudak homered twice and drove in five, leading Florida Atlantic to a 9-4 win over Alabama, completing a nice road sweep for the Owls.

• Dylan Covey (5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) was solid in defeat for San Diego, as Sam Houston State broke open a close game with five runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth en route to a 10-3 win. The Bearkats took two of three from the West Coast Conference favorites.

• Meanwhile, the team picked by WCC coaches to finish dead last in the league—Santa Clara—capped off an impressive weekend at the Bobcat Invitational with an 8-5 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. The Broncos overcame a 5-2 deficit with six runs in the eighth. Santa Clara also pulled off extra-inning wins against host Texas State (in 13) and Wichita State (in 12) on Saturday.

• One more WCC team that made some noise this weekend: Gonzaga, which swept a three-game series at Nebraska. Two-way star Marco Gonzales delivered a game-winning three-run homer in the ninth for the Zags.