This weekend we see two major non-conference matchups between ranked teams with Stanford heading to Vanderbilt and Cal-State Fullerton visiting Fort Worth to visit TCU. Also, Georgia Tech is hosting St. John’s and Long Beach State hosting Arizona in some other series to watch.
Cal-State Fullerton at TCU (Game 1)
TCU number 1 starter Matt Purke was scratched on Friday night and pushed back to Sunday. The Horned Frogs ended up putting Kyle Winkler on the mound to face Cal-State Fullerton’s Noe Ramirez. Winkler didn’t disappoint by going 7.1 innings giving up only one unearned run to lead the Horned Frogs to a 4-1 win.
After the game, he talked about starting on Friday night
“It felt good out there tonight with the crowd giving me a lot of energy against a really good team that is really well coached. We had to play well tonight to beat them and that is what we did. I really had good fastball command, that is what set the tone for me, because I did not have the strikeouts like usual.”
Coach Schlossnagle also added about Winkler starting on Friday saying:
“The challenge for Winkler tonight was he had to do it a different way tonight, with only two strikeouts when facing eight or nine left handed hitters. I thought Winkler did a great job pitching to contact and we played great defense behind him. I thought one big difference in the game was Jimmie Pharr catching very well, picking off a guy at second base and not one ball got to the backstop. Winkler was a tick better than Ramirez tonight on the mound.”
Kyle Von Tungelin led the offensive attack scoring two runs while driving in one as he went 2-2 with a walk on the evening. Richie Pedroza led the Titans offense in the losing cause by going 3-4 at the plate. Cal-State Fullerton starting pitcher Noe Ramirez was solid as he gave up two runs on five hits as his record dipped to 1-1. Both teams will be back in action on Saturday afternoon 2pm in Fort Worth. Steven Maxwell is scheduled to get the ball for TCU while Fullerton will counter with Tyler Pill.
Stanford at Vanderbilt (Game 1)
The other big series of the weekend sees the Stanford Cardinal visiting the Vanderbilt Commodores in a matchup of two of the deepest pitching staffs in the entire country. The Commodores would win a pitching duel between Stanford sophomore RHP Mark Appel and Vanderbilt junior RHP Sonny Gray by a score of 2-1. Gray got the victory as he pitched six innings giving up three hits and one run while having uncharacteristic control issues by walking three batters. Appel was equally solid on the hill going six innings giving up two runs on seven hits. With the score tied at one in the sixth inning, Curt Casali and Anthony Gomez would hit back to back two out doubles to break the tie and give the Commodores the eventual game winning run. Coach Corbin’s post game comments can be checked out below.
Quick Hits from Around the Nation
- The Cal Bears exploded against Coastal Carolina on Friday by beating them 17-0 behind a great pitching performance from senior RHP Kevin Miller. He ended up carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning while allowing only one hit while striking out ten and no walks. The most interesting part is the fact that Cal crushed Coastal Carolina’s Anthony Meo for nine runs in his five innings of work.
- A couple of major upsets on the day was Arizona State losing to Delaware (7-3) and Louisville losing to Toledo (3-1). Arizona State was playing their first game since the Cody Hahn incident they have been dealing with all week and probably didn’t have their minds on the game 100 percent. The Blue Hens struggled last season going 27-24 overall and 9-15 in the CAA. Louisville entered the weekend with a 3-0 record but Mike Hammann pitched eight strong innings while giving up six hits and one run to get the win for the Rockets.
- Rutgers continued their good start to the season with an 8-2 victory over Michigan. Sophomore Tyler Gebler in his second collegiate start tossed a complete game for the Scarlet Knights as he picked up his first win of the season. Gebler served as the closer for the Scarlet Knights last season accumulating 12 saves while going 1-3 with a 1.75 ERA. If they continue to play at this level, they will be a contender in the highly competitive Big East.
- Georgia Tech’s Matt Skole hit a three run homer in the first inning as the Yellow Jackets rolled to a 13-0 victory over St. John’s. Mark Pope was solid on the hill pitching six shutout innings giving up only six hits while striking out seven and only walking one. This was an impressive win as GT had lost two of their last three games to Georgia Southern and Kent State. If they can continue to have such a strong offensive attack the rest of the year then they can be a potential CWS team behind Jed Bradley and Mark Pope.
- Oregon continues to struggle in the late innings as St. Mary’s (CA) scored 3 in the 8th to take the home opener in Eugene 3-2. Anderson was rolling before giving up two runs in the eighth, striking out 12 over 7 2/3. The bullpen continues to be the key for wins or losses for Oregon, as St. Mary’s scored their runs on a walk, a wild pitch, and another walk from the Duck relievers, with Anderson being credited with the first two runs. Mark Anderson picked up the win for St. Mary’s after throwing 7 innings, giving up only 3 hits while striking out 2 and giving up 2 earned runs.
- Speaking of the Beaver State, how about the performance from Sam Gaviglio of Oregon State as the Beavers took down UCONN 2-0 in the Kleberg Bank College Classic. Gaviglio threw a two-hit complete game shutout over the struggling Huskies, who move to 1-3 out of the gate. Elliot Glynn surrendered 2 earned in the loss.
- Arizona failed to score until the ninth inning of their contest at Long Beach State despite having runners in scoring position multiple times throughout the game. Andrew Gagnon picked up the win as he went 7 2/3 strong, striking out 7 and only scattering 4 hits while not giving up a run. Kurt Heyer picked up the loss in despite giving up only two earned over 7. Interesting enough, there were no walks issued in this entire contest.
