College Roundup: Yellow Jackets Lone Unbeaten Team

HOW THE TOP 25 FARED

(1) Florida: won, 6-2, at North Florida

(2) Texas A&M: won, 7-6, vs. Northwestern State

(3) Oregon State: off

(4) Louisville: won, 10-1, vs. Longwood

(5) Vanderbilt: won, 13-4, vs. Radford

(6) Miami: won, 6-2 vs. Maine

(7) Louisiana State: won, 6-3, vs. Louisiana Tech

(8) Texas Christian: won, 5-1, vs. UT-Arlington

(9) California: off

(10) Virginia: won, 6-2, vs. Wagner

(11) Oregon: off

(12) North Carolina: won, 11-5, vs. Gardner-Webb

(13) Mississippi: won, 9-2, vs. Southeast Missouri State

(14) UCLA: lost, 20-12, at Cal State-Northridge

(15) Florida State: won, 12-4, at South Florida

(16) Louisiana-Lafayette: lost, 5-3, at Tulane

(17) North Carolina State: won, 4-2, vs. Fairfield

(18) Arkansas: cancelled vs. Gonzaga

(19) Michigan: off

(20) Georgia Tech: won, 4-1, at Auburn

(21) Houston: postponed vs. Prairie View A&M

(22) Oklahoma State: won, 6-5, at Missouri State in 10 innings

(23) Alabama: off

(24) Mississippi State: won, 7-3, vs. South Alabama

(25) East Carolina: won, 8-1, vs. George Mason

Entering the week, there were two undefeated teams left in the country: Gardner-Webb and Georgia Tech. After Tuesday’s action, the Yellow Jackets stand alone as the last unbeaten team in college baseball.

No. 20 Georgia Tech went on the road to Auburn and defeated the Tigers, 4-1, to improve to 12-0. Freshman catcher Joey Bart went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and senior righthander Cole Pitts held Auburn (6-7) to one run in five innings to pick up his first victory since March 1, 2014. A week after that win, Pitts left his next start with an injury and missed the rest of the season due to Tommy John surgery.

“I thought we played great,” coach Danny Hall told ramblinwreck.com. “I’m really proud of Cole Pitts. He gave up a run in the first, but then four zeroes.

“It’s a great road win and a great way to start the week.”

Earlier in the day, Gardner-Webb had fallen from the unbeaten ranks with an 11-5 loss at No. 12 North Carolina. The Bulldogs (13-1) fell behind 6-0 early in the game, but chipped away at the deficit and eventually got the tying run on base in the seventh inning. But they were unable to complete the comeback, and the Tar Heels (10-1) put the game away with five runs in the bottom of the inning.

Despite the loss, Gardner-Webb coach Rusty Stroupe said told his team he wouldn’t trade them for any program in the country.

“It’s because Gardner-Webb is the best fit for me that I could possibly ever imagine and I hope they feel that way as part of the brotherhood,” Stroupe said. “If I could coach at any college, high school, pro, whatever in America, I would coach at Gardner-Webb University. And I told them that because I love those guys and I’m proud of them. And I think those guys feel that way about each other, too.”

Of the 20 Top 25 teams in action Tuesday, 18 won. No. 14 UCLA, coming off a perfect weekend in the Dodger Stadium Classic, lost, 20-12, at Cal State Northridge. No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette fell, 5-3, at Tulane.

The loss dropped UCLA to 6-6 overall and 0-3 in midweek games. Lefthanders Hunter Virant and Justin Hooper, who have started the three midweek games, struggled again. Virant gave up nine runs (six earned) in 3 2/3 innings, and Hooper was unable to retire any of the five batters he faced, all of whom came around to score. First baseman Branden Berry (3-for-5, 4 R, 6 RBIs) and catcher Albee Weiss (3-for-5, 2 HR, 4 R, 3 RBIs) helped the Matadors (10-3) become the first team to score 20 runs against the Bruins in John Savage’s 11 seasons in UCLA.

Tulane (8-4) got home runs from right fielder Rex Kaplan (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) and DH Jeremy Montalbano (1-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBIs) to power its way to its fourth straight victory. ULL (8-5) has lost three of the four midweek games it has played this season.