D1 Digest: Tuesday, April 10
Roundup
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Team of the day: Florida
Wash. Rinse. Repeat. The Gators hit the road Tuesday night hoping to finish off a season sweep of rival Florida State. Kevin O’Sullivan’s club accomplished that goal with a 6-3 triumph over the Seminoles. So, how much have the Gators dominated the State of Florida power teams? The Gators are 17-3 against Florida State and Miami since 2015, have now won eight-straight games over FSU. Additionally, the Gators have won 13 of the last 14 against the Seminoles. That’s pure domination.
In this one, Florida righthander Tommy Mace allowed two runs on three hits in four innings, while Andrew Baker and Michael Byrne closed things out — Baker struck out two in an inning of work and Byrne struck out three in 1.1 innings. Offensively, Austin Langworthy hit a double and knocked in two runs, while JJ Schwarz also tallied two hits and two RBIs. Meanwhile, Nelson Maldonado and Blake Reeses each had two hits in the victory.
No need to turn the ? up, cause this JJ bomb quieted the crowd.
Mid 8 | #Gators 6, FSU 3
WATCH NOW: https://t.co/rAAO3lCcRH pic.twitter.com/13fP4quoW9
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) April 11, 2018
Upset of the day: Long Beach State over UCLA
The Bruins picked up a huge series win over Stanford this past weekend, but dropped a tough midweek bout on the road to Long Beach State, 5-2. LBSU’s Jacob Hughey put together a strong performance, striking out seven, walking two and allowing two runs on three hits in six innings. Meanwhile, Eli Villalobos was terrific out of the pen with a pair of shutout innings.
This is what @jacobhughey5 had to say about his big day on the mound (6IP, 3H, 2R, 7K) and at the plate (2/4, 3 RBIs) as LBSU beat No. 17 UCLA, 5-2, on Tuesday night. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/uSQXfECS7j
— LBSU Dirtbags (@LBDirtbags) April 11, 2018
Player of the day (1): Steele Walker, of, Oklahoma
The Sooners picked up a surprisingly solid midweek win over a Little Rock team that beat No. 25 Louisiana Tech last week. OU used a late power surge to beat the Trojans, 13-0, with Walker having yet another huge performance. He smacked a pair of homers and knocked in four runs in the victory. Walker now has seven homers and is hitting .328 with a .435 OBP.
Steele Walker blasted two home runs on the night for his third career two-HR game and second in four days. pic.twitter.com/80joU5pDFk
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) April 11, 2018
Player(s) of the day: Georgia Tech’s Joey Bart and Kyle McCann
Georgia Tech hit the road and picked up a 16-8 win over Mercer. The Jackets got a pair of big-time performances from Bart and McCann. Bart hit two homers and knocked in four runs, while McCann hit a pair of homers and knocked in five runs.
Our Player of the Game in Kyle McCann had a career-high 5 RBIs and hit his first career grand slam in the Jackets’ 16-8 win over Mercer. #TogetherWeSwarm pic.twitter.com/40D8bKpnjj
— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) April 11, 2018
Quick Hitters
• In one of several intriguing midweek matchups this week, LSU won a pitcher’s duel over in-state foe Louisiana Tech, 2-0. LSU freshman AJ Labas allowed just two hits in six shutout innings, while usual weekend starter Caleb Gilbert tossed an inning out of the bullpen and Nick Bush struck out two in an inning of work. Zach Watson had two hits for the Tigers, while La. Tech wasted a nice performance by David Leal, who struck out seven, didn’t walk anyone and allowed two runs on six hits in eight innings.
• Coastal Carolina’s Seth Lancaster hit a home run, tallied two hits and knocked in two runs as the Chanticleers crushed Wake Forest, 9-2, on the road. Kevin Woodall also had two hits, while Keaton Wiesz went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
• Wichita State continues to rack up solid wins, beating Oklahoma State, 10-7 on the road. Gunnar Troutwine had a huge night at the plate with a home run, two hits and three RBIs, while Greyson Jenista hit a double and knocked in two runs. Meanwhile, Luke Ritter and Josh Debacker added two hits each. With the win, the Shockers are up to 10 in the RPI with a 5-4 record vs. RPI Top 50. You’ll take it if you’re Todd Butler.
• After dropping a tough series at Vanderbilt over the weekend, the Bulldogs entered Tuesday hoping to earn a marquee series win without hard-hitting Keegan McGovern, who remains sidelined with an injury. No McGovern, no problem, on this night, as the Bulldogs beat Clemson, 6-3. Michael Curry hit a big-time blast in the Georgia win, while five other hitters tallied a hit. On the mound, Kevin Smith held the Tigers in check out of the bullpen with five strikeouts, just one walk and one hit allowed in 3.1 innings.
• Missouri dropped a tough series at home to Alabama this past weekend, but bounced back in solid fashion on the road in an 8-6 win over Missouri State. The Tigers scored three runs in the seventh inning to take the lead, and never looked back. Zach Hanna went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, while Brett Bond, Alex Samples and Chad McDaniel each had two hits.
• Ole Miss dropped a tough series to rival Mississippi State this past weekend, but fought back in impressive fashion to beat in-state foe Southern Miss, 11-3, Tuesday night. Chase Cockrell hit a home run and knocked in three runs, while Thomas Dillard also had a huge night with two hits and three RBIs. Tyler Keenan added three hits in the win, while Cole Zabowski and Will Golsan each had two hits.
• It wasn’t the perttiest rivalry game you’ll see, but Texas and Texas A&M faced off in College Station in a game that came down to some tense outs in the ninth inning in a 6-5 Aggies win. A&M jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Texas, and Hunter Coleman added two more runs in the sixth with a two-RBI single. However, the Longhorns were tough to put away with Midseason All-American Kody Clemens tallying three hits and knocking in three runs. For the Aggies, Cole Bedford and Kevin Frizzell each had two hits and two RBIs, while righthander Nolan Hoffman closed out the game with 1.2 shutout innings.
.@coleman_hunter battles with two strikes & drives home a pair on the ninth pitch of the at bat! The Aggies have a 6-3 lead.
? – @SECNetwork | https://t.co/KReKjKx4Jh #FamilyF1rst #12thMan pic.twitter.com/Q2XaBOCaA0
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 11, 2018
• Dallas Baptist is trending the right direction and picked up yet another solid win, this time a 6-5 triumph over Texas Tech with two runs in the eighth inning doing the job. DBU took the lead on an RBI groundout, followed by a bases-loaded walk. Jameson Hannah had two hits and three RBIs, while Matt Duce knocked in two runs and Kody Funderburk had two hits.
Catch the highlights from #25 DBU's 6-5 win over #4 Texas Tech! pic.twitter.com/7536yuTf3q
— DBU Baseball (@DBU_Baseball) April 11, 2018
• Cal State Fullerton is back over .500 at 16-15 overall after a 3-2 win over Pepperdine. The Titans have now won six-straight contests, and were led by Tanner Bibee, who struck out seven, didn’t walk anyone and allowed a run on two hits in 4.1 innings. Keep an eye on Rick Vanderhook’s club down the stretch. They’re heating up.
• Auburn dropped its fourth-straight game in an ugly 12-3 setback to Samford. AU starting pitcher Jack Owen struggled on the mound, allowing four runs on five hits in an inning. Meanwhile, Samford slugged four homers against the Tigers, with Ryan Crockett knocking in three runs and Troy Dixon and Brooks Carlson each knocked in two runs.
• It could be one of those years where Rice and Houston both miss the postseason, so the annual crosstown showdown between the two programs is magnified a bit. The Cougars took care of the Owls tonight, 1-0, with strong pitching leading the way. Lael Lockhart had trouble commanding his pitches at times, but still allowed no hits in three innings, while righty Freddy Villarreal allowed just two hits in 3.1 shutout innings and Carter Henry tossed 2.2 shutout frames to solidify the win. Unfortunately for the Cougars, they are still well into the 100s from an RPI standpoint, while the Owls are 15-20 overall.
In Case You Missed It …
Louisiana turned this sweet triple play tonight. Check it out:
Here’s a look at the @RaginCajunsBSB triple play that helped give Louisiana the 12-10 victory over McNeese. #SCTop10 @espn @d1baseball @BaseballAmerica pic.twitter.com/r2TuB2kxaz
— Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns® Baseball (@RaginCajunsBSB) April 11, 2018
