The College Baseball Blog continues our tradition of bringing our readers a daily recap on ACC action. All the schools were in action on Saturday with a total of 19 games taking place.
EXCERPTS FROM PRESS RELEASES
Game 1: FSU 14 Duquesne 1
Tallahassee, Fla. – The fans may have had to wait an extra day for opening day baseball at Dick Howser Stadium but it was well worth it as Florida State belted out 14 hits including six home runs en route to a 14-3 victory over Duquesne in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday. Jason Stidham and Tony Delmonico each recorded three hits as the Seminoles improved their all-time mark to 53-7-1 on opening day.
Six different Seminoles hit a home run in the first game of the season while eight of the 14 hits went for extra bases. The last time FSU hit six home runs in a game came last season in College Park, Md., in a 9-3 Florida State victory over Maryland. In that game, Tony Thomas, Jr., Mark Gildea, Ruairi O’Connor and Brandon Reichert all hit solo shots while Travis Anderson hit a pair.
Game 2: FSU 15 Duquesne 3
Tallahassee, Fla. – After posting 14 runs on 14 hits in game one, Florida State (2-0) put together 15 runs on 15 hits in game two to sweep Saturday’s doubleheader against Duquesne (0-2) with a 15-3 victory. Sophomore Ohmed Danesh and freshman Mike McGee each collected three hits and scored a pair of runs, while sophomore Jason Stidham drove in four.
Of the 15 runs scored in game two, seven were scored with two outs including all six in the Seminoles’ six-run fourth. Eight of the 15 total hits went for extra bases including four doubles, two triples and two home runs. In the first two games, Florida State hit eight home runs all by eight different players. It wasn’t until the 14th game of the 2007 season when FSU, as a team, connected on its eighth round tripper.
Game 1: Clemson 12 Mercer 5
Senior catcher Doug Hogan lived up to his preseason billing and junior lefthander Ryan Hinson made a solid season debut, as they helped #13 Clemson to a 12-5 season-opening victory over Mercer in the first game of a doubleheader at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Saturday.
The Tigers moved to 1-0 with the victory in game-one of the series and the Bears fell to 0-1.
Game 2: Clemson 6 Mercer 5
Clemson scored six runs in the first three innings and held on for a 6-5 victory over Mercer in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday in front of 6,317 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The #13 Tigers improved to 2-0, while Mercer dropped to 0-2.
D.J. Mitchell (1-0) pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on three hits with four strikeouts to earn the win. Matt Vaughn closed out the game to pick up his first save. Justin Boyette (0-1) surrendered five earned runs on seven hits in 6.0 innings pitched and took the loss for Mercer.
Game 1: NC State 8 Appalachian State 1
Game 2: Appalachian State 7 NC State 5
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State split its 2008 opening day doubleheader with Appalachian State Saturday afternoon, winning game one 8-1, but falling in defeat, 7-5, in the second contest at Doak Field at Dail Park. The Wolfpack and Mountaineers both move to 1-1 on the season.
The win in game one improved NC State’s season-opening game winning streak to eight consecutive games. The Wolfpack last lost an opener in 2000, a 10-2 loss to East Carolina in Charleston, S.C.
Ryan Pond led the Wolfpack offensively on the day, going a combined 4-for-8 with a solo home run and three runs scored. Pat Ferguson also had a solid day, going 3-for-7 with a three-run homer, two walks, four RBIs and a run scored. Meanwhile, Dallas Poulk entered the day on a 17-game hitting streak dating back to the end of the 2007 season. He kept that streak intact, improving it to 19 straight games after going 3-for-8 with a double, a walk and three runs scored.
Game 1: Duke 10 Iona 2
Game 2: Duke 10 Iona 0
DURHAM, N.C. – Paced by a pair of 10-run outbursts and a stellar debut by the pitching staff, the Duke baseball team swept Iona 10-2 and 10-0 in a double header Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field.
Duke’s pitching staff, anchored by game one starter Andrew Wolcott and game two starter Will Currier, surrendered just 11 hits over the two-game spread, including a two-hit shutout in the nightcap. In only his second career start, Currier (1-0) went six full innings and held the Gaels scoreless on two hits to pick up the win. Wolcott (1-0) also earned the win in game one after contributing five innings of two-run baseball.
Virginia Tech 7 Pitt 3
CONWAY, S.C. – The pitching of sophomore transfer Josh Wymer and a four-run sixth inning sparked the Virginia Tech baseball team to an opening day 7-3 victory over Pittsburgh in the IMICHotels.com INN-vitational at Coastal Carolina’s Vrooman Field.
Wymer, a 6-3 right-hander from Fort Worth, Texas, is one of 21 newcomers on the Tech roster and one of five to see action in Saturday’s opening game. After a shaky start that saw Pitt touch him for two quick runs, Wymer settled down and pitched six straight scoreless innings. During that stretch, he allowed just four base runners and three hits. For the game, he allowed two runs on five hits, struck out two batters and issued just one walk.
Game 1: Coastal Carolina 10 Maryland 4
CONWAY, S.C. – CONWAY, S.C. – Senior Steve Braun (Granada Hills, Calif./Pierce CC) led the Terps’ offense with three hits, but Maryland baseball dropped its season opener, 10-4, to Coastal Carolina in the IMIChotels.com INN-vitational Saturday afternoon.
Maryland (0-1) had its chances against Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year Bobby Gagg, but missed a couple opportunities for big innings.
Game 2: Maryland 10 Pitt 5
CONWAY, S.C. – The Pittsburgh Panthers hit three solo home runs in the first four at-bats of the game, but the Terps fought back for a 10-5 victory, earning a split of two Saturday games in the IMIChotels.com INN-vitational at Coastal Carolina University.
Maryland starting pitcher Ian Schwalenberg (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) got off to a shaky start, allowing solo home runs to the first two Panthers hitters of the ballgame and then another to No. 4 hitter Dan Williams to fall behind 3-0 after the top of the first.
Game 1: Pepperdine 3 Wake Forest 2
Pepperdine’s Brett Hunter outdueled Wake Forest’s Ben Hunter in the season opener as the Waves posted a 3-2 win. Pepperdine right fielder Donald Brown drove in a pair of runs with a double in the fourth inning to give the Waves the season-opening victory.
Allan Dykstra led the Deacons with three of their four hits on the afternoon.
Game 2: Wake Forest 13 Pepperdine 9
The Waves put their first three runs on the board without the benefit of a hit. Pepperdine tallied twice in the bottom of the first. Deacon starter Garrett Bullock hit leadoff hitter Bryce Mendonca and walked Brown to put runners on first and second. An errant pickoff throw at first allowed Mendonca to score and Brown moved all the way to third. An infield ground out by Chase d’Arnaud scored Brown.
In the second, Bullock hit Travis Tartamella to start the inning. Tartamella moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a fielder’s choice by Mendonca to give the Waves a 3-0 lead.
Georgia Tech 1 Youngstown State 0
ATLANTA – Starter Eddie Burns and three relievers combined on a 10-hit shutout, and left fielder Chris House threw out the potential tying run at the plate to end the game as 25th-ranked Georgia Tech (2-0) blanked Youngstown State (0-2), 1-0, for the second straight game.
Georgia Tech opened the season with two straight shutouts for the first time since 1925. Last year, the Yellow Jackets had two shutouts in 57 games.
UNC 14 FAU 13 Final
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Sophomore second baseman Kyle Seager had a career-high four hits, including two solo home runs, and the heart of the order for No. 2 North Carolina combined for 13 RBI in a 14-13 come-from-behind win over Florida Atlantic Saturday at FAU Stadium. The Tar Heels (2-0) belted four home runs for the second straight day and rallied from a 10-6 deficit to secure the 400th win at Carolina for head coach Mike Fox.
In a game that featured eight home runs among its 32 hits, Seager went 4-for-4 and also equaled career bests with three RBI and four runs scored. Seniors Chad Flack and Seth Williams each hit three-run homers and drove in four runs apiece, and left fielder Dustin Ackley was 3-for-5 with two RBI.
Game 1: Virginia 5 Lehigh 1
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team earned a 5-1 win over Lehigh Saturday afternoon in its season opener at Davenport Field in the first game of a doubleheader. Jacob Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) pitched five innings, allowing just an unearned run, four hits and three walks while striking out six to earn the win. He matched the program record for career wins with 22, tying Sean Doolittle (2005-07).
Matt Packer (So., Germantown, Tenn.) pitched two scoreless innings to close things out.
David Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) led the Cavaliers with a 2-for-4 effort. Ryan Smith (So., Waldorf, Md.) added a key two-run single for the Cavaliers, while David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) reached base three times and scored twice.
Game 2: Virginia 4 Lehigh 1
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team finished off a doubleheader sweep on Opening Day Saturday with a 4-1 win over Lehigh at Davenport Field. UVa broke a one-all tie in the seventh inning with two runs to go on to the win.
Virginia (2-0) received a sterling pitching performance from Pat McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.), who went six shutout innings while surrendering just two hits and a walk. He also tied a career high with nine strikeouts. Kevin Arico (Fr., Flemington, N.J.) picked up the win for Virginia is his first college appearance after working 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Michael Schwimer (Sr., Alexandria, Va.) pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the save.
Miami (FL) 6 Cincinnati 4
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Junior outfielder Dave DiNatale broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer to left and sophomore reliever Kyle Bellamy earned his first career win as the No. 10 ranked University of Miami baseball team clinched its season-opening series against Cincinnati Saturday with a 6-4 win over the Bearcats at Mark Light Field. Miami improved to 2-0 on the season while the Bearcats fell to 0-2.
Blake Tekotte, Yonder Alonso, Joey Terdoslavich and DiNatale each had two hits to lead the Hurricanes’ 10-hit attack. Sophomore catcher Jason Hagerty finished 1-for-3 with three-RBI coming on his first career home run in the sixth inning. Sophomore right-hander Kyle Bellamy won his first career game. Bellamy, a day after striking out a career-high four batters in UM’s season-opening win on Friday, threw a perfect eighth before Carlos Gutierrez came on in the ninth to pick up his second save in as many days.
Game 1: Boston College 11 Ga Southern 7
Game 2: Boston College 14 Ga Southern 7
Full Recap of two BC games are available here.
