Tigers Edge Eagles 4-3 in 10
CLEMSON, S.C. (ClemsonTigers.com)- Jordan Greene hit a walkoff single that scored Drew Wharton in the 10th inning in No. 2 Clemson's 4-3 win over Morehead State in the Clemson Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday night. The Tigers improved to 46-14, while the Eagles fell to 37-25. The 46 wins are Clemson's most since totaling 53 in 2006.
Ryley Gilliam (3-3) pitched 0.2 scoreless innings to earn the win, while Cory Conway (8-4) suffered the loss. Five Tiger pitchers combined to limit Morehead State, who entered the game second in the nation in runs per game (8.5) and fourth in batting average (.317), to only six hits and three runs (one earned) in 10.0 innings pitched.
The Tigers, who set a school record with their 15th one-run victory of the season, play Vanderbilt in the winners' bracket on Saturday at 7 p.m., on ESPN3. Clemson is the designated visiting team.
Wyatt Leads No. 21 Cardinals Past Kent State in NCAA Regional Opener
LUBBOCK, Texas (GoCards.com) - Logan Wyatt had a pair of home runs and a career best seven RBIs to lead the No. 21 Louisville baseball team to a 13-6 victory over Kent State in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Lubbock Regional at Rip Griffin Park.
With the victory, the No. 2 seeded Cardinals (44-17) will face No. 1 seeded and ninth-ranked Texas Tech in a winner's bracket matchup on Saturday at 8 p.m., ET. The host Red Raiders opened the Lubbock Regional with a 9-2 win against New Mexico State on Friday afternoon. Kent State (40-16) will face New Mexico State in an elimination game on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Wyatt was 2-for-4 overall connecting on a grand slam in the first inning and a three-run homer in the second to propel Louisville to a 10-2 lead after two innings. The seven RBIs for the sophomore first baseman matched the school record for RBIs in an NCAA Championship game equaling the total achieved by Chris Dominguez against Missouri in the Columbia Regional on June 4, 2007. Friday's performance by Wyatt also marked the ninth time in school history a Louisville player has connected for two home runs in an NCAA Championship game with Dominguez achieving the feat three times.
Criswell, Busch Lead Carolina To 11-0 Win In NCAA Opener
CHAPEL HILL (GoHeels.com) – Cooper Criswell's six scoreless innings and a Michael Busch three-run home run helped No. 6 seed North Carolina beat North Carolina A&T, 11-0, in Friday's first game in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional.
North Carolina (39-18) rallied behind a 4-for-8 combined effort from Busch and Kyle Datres at the top of the lineup, while four pitchers combined to walk none and strike out 10 in the first win of the weekend. Busch's five RBIs were the most by a Tar Heel in NCAA tournament play since Garrett Gore drove in five against Kansas in 2009.
Criswell (5-2) rolled through his first three innings of work, striking out four Aggies and not allowing a run. That set the table for the Heels to strike first in the bottom of the third, courtesy of timely hitting from Busch.
Troy Dispatches Duke in NCAA Regional Opener
ATHENS, Ga. (GoDuke.com) – A four-run third spurred Troy to a 6-0 victory over No. 18 Duke to open play at the NCAA Athens Regional Friday evening at Foley Field.
Sun Belt Player of the Year Joey Denison notched two hits with the bases loaded to help Troy to a 5-0 lead over Duke before inclement weather delayed the game for over five hours. The Trojans tacked on another run following the interruption, while relief pitcher Corey Childress allowed three hits over 6.0 innings to thwart a Duke comeback.
The Blue Devils suffered just their second shutout of the season and first since March 10 against Virginia.
Noles Drop Regional Opener to Samford
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – Florida State (43-18) used a four-run fifth inning to claw back from a 6-1 deficit, but Samford (37-24) reliever Wyatt Burns held the Seminoles at bay as the Bulldogs held on for a 7-6 win Friday night at Dick Howser Stadium. For the second consecutive season, FSU lost to the four-seed in the regional opener, but the Noles will look to replicate 2017’s success and win four straight games to advance to a Super Regional.
Starting pitcher Cole Sands (7-4) allowed a two-run home run and faced just one more batter before exiting with what head coach Mike Martin described as right shoulder tightness in the postgame press conference. Clayton Kwiatkowski, Conor Grady, CJ Van Eyk and Jonah Scolaro combined to allow five runs in 6.1 relief innings.
Baseball Drops NCAA Raleigh Regional Opener to Army, 5-1
RALEIGH, N.C. (GoPack.com) – The No. 9 NC State baseball team suffered a 5-1 loss to Army on Friday evening in its NCAA Regional opener at Doak Field at Dail Park.
NC State returns to action Saturday afternoon when it faces Northeastern at 2 p.m., and the winner will face the loser of the Auburn/Army game Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Wolfpack falls to 40-17 on the season while the Black Knights improve to 37-22.