Here is your ACC Recap for Feb. 28th.
UNC 10 Seton Hall 3
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Ben Bunting posted career highs of three hits and three RBI, and Levi Michael and Mark Fleury belted home runs in No. 1 North Carolina’s 10-3 win over Seton Hall Saturday at Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels (7-1) also got a three-hitter from their pitching staff to sweep their sixth straight series from the Pirates (2-4).
Bunting, who had six hits in the series, was 3-for-4 with two runs and the three RBI in the finale. He plated two with a single in the third, singled in the fifth and drove in a run with his final hit of the night in the sixth. In addition to the home runs by Michael and Fleury, Kyle Seager doubled twice and scored two runs. Each Tar Heel starter hit safely on the night.
Right-hander Matt Harvey (3-0) earned his second win in as many days with three scoreless innings in a staff outing. He did not allow a hit and struck out five, while walking two. Harvey also picked up the victory in Friday’s second game with a scoreless ninth.
Auburn 10 Florida State 9
AUBURN, Ala. – A day after struggling to mount any offense at all, the Auburn bats came alive in a big way on Saturday as Auburn scored 10 runs on 10 hits to take game three of its four-game series with No. 5 Florida State, 10-9, at Plainsman Park. Joseph Sanders connected for a big three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, his fourth home run in his last three games, as Auburn picked up its first win over Florida State since the 2006 season and handed Florida State (6-1) its first loss of the 2009 season.
“Yesterday was not a good day for us. We didn’t have many good at bats, we didn’t play well and we just didn’t have a good day for Auburn baseball. I told (the team) today is another day and another opportunity,” Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. “We got down early but these guys never seem to give up and they battled back and found a way to win a ballgame today.”
Sanders finished the game 2-for-5 with a career-high-tying five RBI, blasting the homer in the sixth to go along with a single in the fourth as Auburn snapped a seven-game losing streak to Florida State.
Game 1: Georgia Tech 6 Rutgers 4
ATLANTA – Deck McGuire worked eight strong innings while Matt Skole and Tony Plagman both homered to lead No. 8 Georgia Tech (5-1) to a 6-4 win over Rutgers (1-4) in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Russ Chandler Stadium.
McGuire (2-0) limited the Scarlet Knights to just one run on four hits and struck out seven while working a career-long eight innings to pick up his second win of the season. The victory was McGuire’s 10th in the last two seasons, moving him to the top of Tech’s annals for winning percentage, with a 10-1 record in his career.
The Scarlet Knights mounted a comeback in the top of the ninth, plating three runs on run-scoring hits by Jayson Hernandez and Luis Feliz, but closer Mark Pope struck out Jarred Jimenez on four pitches to pick up his second save in as many games.
Game 2: Georgia Tech 13 Rutgers 4
ATLANTA – Tony Plagman, Jason Haniger and Jay Dantzler drove in three runs apiece, and Zach Von Tersch stymied the Scarlet Knights bats for six innings to lead No. 8 Georgia Tech (6-1) past Rutgers, 13-4, in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Earlier in the afternoon, the Yellow Jackets knocked off the Scarlet Knights, 6-4, behind the arm of right-handed pitcher Deck McGuire and home runs from Plagman and freshman third baseman Matt Skole.
“Deck was again in command the whole way,” head coach Danny Hall said. “And then Von Tersch, other than the one inning, threw the ball very well. I was very pleased with both starters.”
With the pair of losses, Rutgers fell to 1-5 on the year.
Miami (FL) 2 Florida 1
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Head coach Jim Morris won his 700th game at the University of Miami and junior starter David Gutierrez tossed a career-best seven scoreless innings as the 10th-ranked Hurricanes edged out No. 12 Florida, 2-1, to clinch the weekend series in front of 4,570 fans Saturday afternoon at McKethan Stadium.
After winning the series opener on Friday, 8-5, Miami (5-1) clinched its second straight series over Florida (5-2), but just its second series in Gainesville since Morris arrived at UM in 1994.
For his efforts, Gutierrez picked up his first win of the season, allowing six hits and three walks while striking out one in seven scoreless. Behind Gutierrez, junior Taylor Wulf tossed a scoreless eighth before junior Kyle Bellamy came on in the ninth to pick up his third save of the year.
Miami (FL) Recap
Florida Recap
South Carolina 3 Clemson 1
Clemson, S.C. – DeAngelo Mack’s one-out homer in the top of the ninth inning broke a 1-1 tie and helped spark South Carolina to a 3-1 victory over 19th ranked Clemson on Saturday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Not to be outdone was the Gamecock pitching staff that limited the Tigers to just two hits with senior left-hander Alex Farotto pitching 2.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to earn the victory. Carolina is 4-0 on the year while Clemson drops to 4-1 for the season.
South Carolina has now defeated Clemson five straight games and in eight of the last nine contests between the two schools dating back to the 2007 season.
With the score deadlocked at 1-1 in the top half of the ninth Gamecock outfielder DeAngelo Mack knocked a 3-2 pitch from Clemson reliever Graham Stoneburner for a solo homer to left center pushing the Gamecocks ahead by a run. The solo homer was then followed by three straight hits by the Gamecocks including a RBI single by Bobby Haney to score Andrew Crisp and give Carolina a two-run edge. Farotto would close out the game in the ninth inning then for USC as he limited the Tigers to just one walk in the bottom half of the frame before recording the final two outs of the game.
South Carolina Recap
Clemson Recap
Virginia Tech 10 Bucknell 7
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Down by four after the top of the seventh inning, the Virginia Tech baseball team scored four runs in the home half and three on the bottom of the eighth to register a 10-7 win over Bucknell in a rain-soaked affair on Saturday morning at English Field.
The game began at 10 a.m. in an effort to beat the oncoming weather, and though much of the contest was played under a steady rain, the Hokies battled back late to complete the three-game sweep of Bucknell after winning both games of a doubleheader on Friday night. Tech improved to 8-1 with the victory, while Bucknell slipped to 0-7.
With the game tied at seven heading into the bottom of the eighth, Tech first baseman Marc Zecchino led off the frame with a double before being replaced on second by pinch-runner Sean Ryan (Ashburn, Va.), who had sat out the previous three games with a wrist injury. Two batters later, right fielder Mike Kaminski was hit by a pitch, and Ryan then moved to third on a fly out to center by second baseman Tony Balisteri. After Kaminski stole second, outfielder Klint Reed ripped a double to center to score two runs and put the Hokies on top. Two Bucknell errors allowed Reed to eventually score and provide Tech with an insurance run heading into the ninth.
Virginia Tech Recap
Bucknell Recap
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Terrapins received a pair of excellent starting pitching performances from Scott Swinson and Matt Fullerton, respectively, and senior Gerry Spessard went a combined 4-for-5 with six RBIs in two games as the University of Maryland baseball team swept a Saturday afternoon doubleheader from the visiting Quinnipiac Bobcats.
Maryland outscored Quinnipiac by a combined score of 17-3 in the twin bill, taking game No. 1, 10-2, and game No. 2, 7-1. With Friday evening’s 11-10 triumph, the Terps earned the three-game sweep to even their record at 4-4 for the season. The sweep was Maryland’s first series sweep since taking three straight from George Washington in February 2007.
The Bobcats (0-3) scored a single run in the top of the second inning of the first game against Swinson and got his pitch count up early. However, Swinson found his groove and did not allow any more runs.
Maryland Recap
Quinnipiac Recap
Towson 17 Boston College 16
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Junior centerfielder Kevin Collins became the third player in Towson baseball history to hit for the cycle as he sparked the Tigers’ 23-hit attack to lead the Tigers (2-5) to a 17-16 victory over previously undefeated Boston College (6-1) in the third round of the Florida Gulf Coast University Classic at Swanson Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers, who took a 17-10 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, had to hold off an Eagle rally which saw Boston College cut its deficit to 17-16 going to the ninth. However, senior righthander Josh Squatrito retired the Eagles in order in the ninth to preserve the win.
Towson Recap
Boston College Recap
Virginia 7 Forham 3
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team received a strong starting pitching outing from Andrew Carraway (Sr., Marietta, Ga.) in a 7-3 victory over Fordham Saturday morning at Davenport Field.
Carraway tossed eight innings to improve to 2-0 this year. He allowed three runs (one earned), four hits and two walks while striking out five. Robert Poutier (Sr., Yorktown, Va.) pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
Brando Casalicchio (0-1) took the loss for Fordham after starting and allowing five runs (four earned), four hits and six walks in 3.2 innings.
Dartmouth vs Duke PPD to 3/1
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Wake Forest CCD
Hofstra at NC State CCD
Miami (OH) vs Wake Forest CCD
