FROM CBB NEWS SOURCES
UNC 11 North Florida 5
CARY, N.C. – Dustin Ackley and Tim Fedroff each drove in three runs to lead No. 2 North Carolina to an 11-5 come-from-behind win over North Florida and its 40th victory of the season Wednesday at Cary’s USA Baseball National Training Complex. At 40-8 through 48 games, this year’s Tar Heels have matched the 2006 squad as the quickest in school history to 40 wins.
Carolina, who joins Texas A&M and Florida State as the only 40-win teams in the country, extended its school-record stretch of 40-victory seasons to seven.
Jacksonville 7 Florida State 6
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The seven-year monkey finally came off the Dolphins’ backs as junior catcher Brad Simmons went 3-for-3 with a home run and a career-high four RBI to lead the JU baseball team to a 7-6 shocker over No. 3 Florida State, Wednesday evening in front of 4,316 fans at Dick Howser Stadium.
JU (25-24), which last won at Howser Stadium with a 7-4 decision on April 29, 2001, has now defeated the Seminoles in back-to-back season for the first time since 1993-94. The win also gave the Dolphins their third win over a ranked opponent this season (No. 25 UCF, No. 17 Florida) and back-to-back seasons with victories over the Gators and Seminoles.
GA Tech 11 Georgia 1
ATHENS, Ga. – Deck McGuire, one of six freshmen to start against No. 8 Georgia Wednesday night, pitched a gem to lead No. 25 Georgia Tech (34-14) to an 11-1 victory over the Bulldogs (31-16-1) at Foley Field. The win was the Yellow Jackets’ second this season against Georgia, as Tech improved to 11-0 against teams from the Peach State in 2008.
McGuire (8-0) iced the Bulldog’s bats through seven innings, holding Georgia to just one run on four hits while striking out a career-high nine batters to pick up his team-leading eighth win of the season. Andrew Robinson retired the side in the eighth inning on just six pitches before Taylor Wood closed out the game by tossing the ninth.
UNC Wilmington 3 NC State 2
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Sophomore Rhett Miller scored from first base on a double off the leftfield wall by senior Jes Snyder in the bottom of the 11th inning as No. 29 UNC Wilmington trimmed No. 17 N.C. State, 3-2, in a key non-conference baseball game Wednesday at Brooks Field.
The Seahawks, who gained a split of the season series, raised their mark against ranked teams to 3-2 and their overall record to 36-11-1. The Wolfpack, meanwhile, saw their record dip to 33-15 overall and 7-6 on the road.
UNCW Recap
NC State Recap
Clemson 11 Furman 5
Clemson scored seven of its 11 runs with two outs on its way to an 11-5 victory over Furman in front of 5,030 fans at Fluor Field on Wednesday night. The Tigers improved to 25-23-1 overall, while the Paladins fell to 29-17.
Every Tiger starter tallied a hit, as Clemson totaled 15 in the game. It was the fifth time this season the Tigers tallied 15 hits or more in a game. Clemson also went 9-for-15 with two outs, 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and 11-for-21 with runners on base.
Ben Paulsen was the sparkplug for the Tigers’ attack, as he went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBIs. In three career games at Fluor Field, Paulsen is 9-for-13 (.692) with three doubles, one homer, seven runs scored, and seven RBIs.
Clemson Recap
Furman Recap
Liberty 7 Va Tech 4
Blacksburg, Va. – The Liberty Flames raced out to a 7-0 advantage, highlighted by a grand slam by Aaron Phillips and then held on for a 7-6 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies, Wednesday night at English Field.
With its fourth-straight win, Liberty moves to 26-23 overall. Virginia Tech drops to 20-28.
Liberty jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the second inning. First baseman David Giammaresi (Sr., Coral Springs, Fla.) reached on a fielding error by Hokies second baseman Austin Wates to open the frame and moved to second on a single to right field by third baseman Cody Brown (Jr., 3B, Boca Raton, Fla.). Designated hitter Garrett Young (Sr., Fountain Valley, Calif.) loaded the bases with Flames by singling sharply to left field. Two batters later, shortstop Aaron Phillips (Sr., Claremore, Okla.) ripped a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for his sixth home run of the season and his first grand slam of his Liberty career.
Maryland 7 Towson 4
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland baseball team defeated in-state rival Towson for the first time in three games this season, winning 7-4 Wednesday night at Shipley Field, giving the Terps 28 wins on the season and guaranteeing at least a .500 record for the first time since 2002.
The Terps (28-24) lost the first two meeting against the Tigers (24-24), but got a solid pitching effort from sophomore Scott Swinson (Ellicott City, Md./George Washington University), the team’s weekend ace, and the bullpen to avoid the season sweep.
