College Baseball Takeaways: Tennessee, Texas Tech Score Big Wins
Image credit: Tennessee outfielder Jordan Beck (Photo courtesy of Tennessee Athletic Communications)
Tennessee Hammers No. 1 Ole Miss
Friday night was supposed to represent a newer, bigger challenge for No. 7 Tennessee. The Volunteers were facing top-ranked Mississippi in front of a sold-out crowd at Swayze Field in their first true road game of the season.
It didn’t matter. Tennessee rolled to a 12-1 victory Friday night that looked like so many of its other wins this season. The Volunteers (21-1, 4-0) hit five home runs—increasing their nation-leading total to 64, got an outstanding start from freshman righthander Chase Burns and never trailed. In short, it was a dream night for the Vols.
Tennessee wasted little time setting the tone. It scored six runs in the second inning to chase Ole Miss lefthander John Gaddis with Courtland Lawson and Jared Dickey providing the big hits on back-to-back pitches, as Lawson hit a three-run triple and Dickey followed with a home run on the very next pitch.
That was the end of the night for Gaddis and Burns made sure Ole Miss would never have an opportunity to answer. He held the Rebels (16-5, 2-2)—which came into the series ranked eighth in the nation in scoring (9.8 runs per game)—to one run on two hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out 11 batters and threw 106 pitches. Burns is 5-0, 0.80 with 45 strikeouts and nine walks in 33.2 innings this season.
After the six-run second inning, Tennessee hit four more home runs, including a second of the night for Dickey. The redshirt freshman now has seven home runs in 60 at-bats this season.
Tennessee on Friday night staked its claim as the best team in the country, while Ole Miss mustered no response. The Rebels will look to bounce back Saturday with righthander Jack Dougherty on the mound.
Texas Tech Beats Texas In Walk-Off Thriller
Texas and Texas Tech have combined to win the last five Big 12 titles and the Longhorns and Red Raiders always seem to play each other tight. Friday night’s series opener delivered another thrilling heavyweight bout between the Longhorns and Red Raiders.
No. 23 Texas Tech defeated No. 3 Texas, 5-4, in 10 innings in stunning fashion, as Kurt Wilson ended the game with a walk-off steal of home for the Red Raiders (19-4, 1-0).
Texas Tech had runners on second and third with two outs in the 10th inning. Texas closer Aaron Nixon got ahead of Dillon Carter 0-2 and appeared to be locked in on finishing the strikeout to end the inning. He lost track of the runners and Wilson daringly dashed for home, scoring without a throw. It was the second time under coach Tim Tadlock that Texas Tech has beaten Texas with a walk-off steal of home, as the Red Raiders also did so in 2014.
The crazy finish was a fitting ending to a back-and-forth game. The first seven runs of the game all came on solo home runs, with Texas hitting four and Texas Tech hitting three. The Red Raiders scored three times in the first two innings against lefthander Pete Hansen to take an early lead, but Texas retook the lead with back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning. Texas tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, setting the stage for the extra-inning magic.
Texas (18-6, 0-1) outhit Texas Tech, 11-3, in the game, but stranded 11 runners. Andrew Morris consistently worked out of trouble for the Red Raiders, and he held the Longhorns to one run in six innings. Righthander Josh Sanders threw two scoreless innings to finish the game for the Red Raiders, coming through in the clutch.
If Friday night is any indication, the rest of this weekend in Lubbock looks like must-see action.
South Carolina Upsets Vanderbilt, Evens Series
South Carolina and No. 5 Vanderbilt opened their weekend series Thursday with a 10-0 victory for the Commodores. But the Gamecocks fired right back Friday and evened the series with an 8-2 victory, snapping Vanderbilt’s 18-game winning streak—the longest in the country this season—in the process.
South Carolina (11-11, 1-4) jumped all over Vanderbilt freshman lefthander Carter Holton, who had been excellent this season coming into the weekend. The Gamecocks scored three runs in the first—as many runs as he had given up in his last four starts—and then knocked him out of the game with four more in the second. Andrew Eyster provided the big hits, opening the scoring with an RBI single in the first and ending Holton’s night with a three-run home run in the second.
A seven-run lead was more than righthander Will Sanders needed, as he held Vanderbilt to two runs on six hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out 11 batters and improved to 4-1, 3.30 with 54 strikeouts and 15 walks in 43.2 innings.
Vanderbilt (19-3, 4-1) got a fantastic relief outing from righthander Patrick Reilly, who struck out 14 batters in 5.2 innings. Mostly pitching in a piggyback role, the sophomore has been outstanding this season and is now 2-0, 1.19 with 55 strikeouts and 14 walks in 30.1 innings. His outing Friday sets Vanderbilt up well for Saturday’s rubber game.
South Carolina had lost five straight going into Friday and had scored just eight runs total in that streak. A win in Saturday’s rubber game could provide a big momentum swing for the Gamecocks.
Carson Palmquist Leads Miami Past UNC
Miami lefthander Carson Palmquist, for the second weekend in a row, worked to show that his rough outing against Boston College to begin ACC play was nothing but a blip on the radar.
This time around, he gave up six hits and one run with two walks and nine strikeouts in an 8-5 win for the No. 24 Hurricanes against No. 14 North Carolina.
Miami (15-6, 5-2) also showed well offensively, scoring three runs in the first three innings against UNC starter Brandon Schaeffer and then adding on late, including with a three-run homer in the sixth by third baseman Yohandy Morales, who went 4-for-4 on the day.
Those late runs proved to be important as the Tar Heels (18-4, 5-2) mounted a comeback with four combined runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but it was a comeback attempt that fell just short as righthander Andrew Walters came on and got Mikey Madej swinging to end the game.
The winner of this series, by virtue of having won its first three ACC series, will have a significant leg up in a conference that promises plenty of twists and turns as the season goes on.
Dallas Baptist Scores Comprehensive Win Against Maryland
Dallas Baptist made a statement Friday in its 8-3 win against No. 21 Maryland, as it just simply outplayed the Terrapins in all phases.
On the mound, righthander Jacob Meador continued what has been an excellent season by throwing six innings, giving up three hits and two runs (both in the first inning) with three walks and six strikeouts. His ERA remains remarkably low at 1.65 through six starts.
Offensively, the Patriots (14-7) tagged Maryland righthander Nick Dean with five runs (three earned) on six hits in 4.1 innings to grab a lead in the middle innings that they wouldn’t relinquish. Outfielder Jace Grady and shortstop Blayne Jones led the offensive attack with three hits apiece, including a home run for Jones.
For Maryland (17-4), this loss also represents the second straight tough outing for Dean, who missed a start with forearm tightness three weeks ago. He was untouchable in his first two starts of the season, but has been much more human since then. Maryland’s rotation has otherwise been just fine without him in top form, but Nick Dean pitching at the peak of his ability would obviously make them that much better.
UCLA Topples Arizona
UCLA opened a key series at No. 12 Arizona with a 10-2 victory. The Bruins never trailed, taking advantage of a few errors to produce some big innings and roll to victory Friday.
UCLA (14-7, 2-2) took an early lead with a two-run double from JonJon Vaughns and stretched that advantage to six runs with a grand slam from Cody Schrier in the sixth inning. Five of those first six runs were unearned, as the Wildcats (16-6, 5-2) committed four errors.
The lead was more than enough for righthander Jake Brooks, who delivered a quality start. He held the powerful Arizona offense to two runs in 6.2 innings on seven hits and one walk. He struck out three batters and improved to 4-2, 2.18.
UCLA has a very young team this season and on Friday started three freshmen and used three freshmen out of the bullpen. So much youth has led to some up-and-down results early in the season, including a series loss to Southern California to open Pac-12 play two weeks ago. But UCLA has plenty of talent – its recruiting class last fall ranked No. 1 in the nation – and as the season continues, it should continue to grow as a team. Friday marked a big win for the Bruins and another win this weekend in Tucson would be a big step forward.
Oregon Beats USC To Stay Red-Hot
Oregon defeated Southern California, 9-7, to open a Pac-12 series in Eugene. The Ducks (15-6, 6-1) have won five straight games and eight of their last nine.
Oregon (15-6, 6-1) has shot to the top of the Pac-12 standings despite losing key righthanders Adam Maier and Andrew Mosiello, who coach Mark Wasikowski said this week are out indefinitely. Neither has pitched since the UC Santa Barbara series the first weekend of March. Maier is out with an arm injury, while Mosiello has been sidelined by a back injury.
The Ducks have kept rolling without them, however, winning series against Stanford and Utah to open Pac-12 play. Now, after on Tuesday winning at No. 19 Gonzaga, 9-5, Oregon has pushed out ahead of USC (13-7, 3-4) with a Friday victory.
Oregon jumped out to an early lead against righthander Jaden Agassi, knocking him out in the fourth inning after scoring nine runs (six earned) on the sophomore. While USC scored seven runs against Oregon righthander RJ Gordon, the Ducks got enough from their offense and bullpen to hold on for the win.
Four Ducks relievers—Logan Mercado, Dylan Sabia, Matt Dallas and closer Kolby Somers—combined for four hitless innings to close out the game. Somers finished the night with a scoreless ninth to earn his third save of the season.
Injuries have forced Oregon to adapt early this season, but the Ducks have found a way, just as they did Friday night.
Charlotte Wins Round One In Matchup of Top C-USA Teams
In the first series this season featuring two teams expected to compete to win the Conference USA title, Charlotte landed the first blow with an emphatic 11-4 against No. 25 Old Dominion.
The key inning came right away, as the 49ers (15-6, 3-1) put five runs on the board in the top of the first, kicked off by a David McCabe solo home run, and after adding single insurance runs in the second and third innings, in the latter case on a Cam Fisher solo shot, they were able to keep ODU from ever truly threatening to take over the game again.
On the mound, lefthander AJ Wilson made extra sure of that. By the time the fifth inning ended, the Monarchs had crept back into it and made it a 7-4 Charlotte lead, but Wilson came on during the sixth and threw 3.1 scoreless innings with one hit and one walk allowed.
ODU (17-3, 2-2) has been ranked in the Top 25 all season long and has taken care of its business for the most part, but this was the first time it faced off against a similarly-talented team on the weekend, and it’s now behind the eight ball in the series.
Hunter Barco Shuts Down Mighty LSU Offense
The Louisiana State lineup can put up runs in bunches against just about any pitcher in the country, but then again, Florida lefthander Hunter Barco is not just any pitcher.
He was voted a first-team Preseason All-American by MLB scouting departments and he showed why again Friday by shutting out the Tigers over seven innings in a 7-2 Florida win. He gave up two hits and three walks and struck out eight, lowering his ERA to 1.41 along the way.
He clearly didn’t need a ton of offensive support, but he got it, as the UF lineup scored six runs on seven hits in five innings against righthander Blake Money, including four runs in the fifth inning alone, capped by a two-run homer off the bat of Wyatt Langford.
With Barco on the mound, No. 9 Florida (17-5, 3-1) showed again that it’s going to be as tough to beat as any team in college baseball on Fridays, while LSU (15-7, 1-3) is now in the unenviable position of having to win the next two games in Gainesville in order to avoid losing back-to-back SEC series to begin conference play.
Pitt Sweeps Clemson, Extending Tigers’ Skid
A poor weather forecast for the weekend forced Pittsburgh and No. 20 Clemson to alter the schedule for their weekend series and start the weekend with a Friday doubleheader. The Panthers swept the doubleheader, beating the Tigers, 8-0, in the first game and then holding off a comeback attempt for a 10-7 victory in the nightcap.
With the two wins, Pitt (12-10, 3-5) clinched the series win – its first ever against Clemson. For the Tigers (16-7, 1-4), Friday’s losses deepened their skid. Since starting the season 14-0 – a stretch that included a sweep of archrival South Carolina – they are just 2-7 and have lost their first two ACC series of the season.
Pitt wasted no time getting things started, pushing two runs across in the first inning of game 1 against Clemson ace Mack Anglin. The Panthers didn’t relent all afternoon. They pounded out 28 hits and five home runs. They also impressed on the mound, beginning with starters Matt Gilbertson (7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K) and Logan Evans (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K). Righthander Baron Stuart had a big day out of the bullpen, throwing the final two innings of each game. He struck out nine batters, walked none and held Clemson to one hit.
It was a big day for the Panthers, which started the season 8-4 before losing back-to-back road series to open conference play. Friday’s wins give Pitt a chance to get back on track with plenty of baseball left to play this season.
As for Clemson, it was a day to forget. The Tigers will look to bounce back Saturday and avoid a sweep – as they did last Sunday against Miami – but the overall trend line of the last two weeks is not pointed in the right direction. Getting back on track next weekend against North Carolina State is a must.
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