MILLINGTON, Tenn. - The two No. 1 seeds, DePauw and Trinity, advanced to the semifinals of the winner's bracket while Millsaps and Rhodes advanced to the semifinals of the loser's bracket on day two of the 2010 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament.
Game Four Recap:
Rhodes starting pitcher Tony Pikos had a no-hitter through six full innings before allowing a triple in the top of the seventh and led the Rhodes College Lynx to a 9-4 win over the Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels Friday afternoon at USA Stadium. Box Score
Pikos pitched six plus innings while scattering just two hits, allowed three earned runs and struck out three as the Lynx advanced through the first eliminiation game of the 2010 SCAC Baseball tournament.
After spotting the Stormy Petrels a run in the top of the first, the Lynx responded with five runs in the bottom of the third high lighted by Matthew Burnick's three run homerun. Burnick finished the day 2-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored.
Both teams were held off the scoreboard in the middle innings. Oglethorpe then scored two runs in the top of the seventh to cut the Rhodes lead to 5-3. Jeff Pope broke up Pikos' no-hit bid with a lead-off triple and then scored on Matthew Cornwell's single up the middle. Cornwell later scored on right fielder Stephen Archer's sacrifice fly to right field.
Rhodes responded with a four run eighth inning. Matthew Gilbert singled and then stole second. Gilbert came home on Brent Lindsey's run scoring double to right. The Lynx picked up run scoring doubles from Lynden Pindling and Austin Marcum. Chris Conkell tallied an RBI single to round out the eighth inning scoring.
Oglethorpe tacked on a run in the top of the ninth but that was all the damage it did in the last frame. The Stormy Petrels (19-23) were led by Cornwell's 2-for-3, three run performance. Cornwell was the only Petrel to post a multi-hit game.
Rhodes was led by the middle of its lineup. The No. 3-4-5 hitters were a combined 6-for-12 with four runs and six RBI. Lindsey, Burnick and Conkell each went 2-for-4. Burnick led the Lynx with a team-high three RBI.
Rhodes (25-15) will play the loser of the DePauw vs. Millsaps game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT.
Game Five Recap:
The Trinity University Tigers jumped out to an 11-3 lead after three innings and survived numerous Austin College rallies, to eliminate the Kangaroos from the SCAC Baseball championship with an 18-12 win at USA Stadium Friday afternoon. Box Score
Trinity, the 19th-ranked team in the nation, received solid offensive production throughout the entire lineup. Seven of the nine players in the lineup recorded multi-hits for the Tigers (30-7) led by left fielder Nick Papas' four RBI (3-for-6, two doubles) and third baseman Dominick Robusto's three RBI (3-for-5, three runs, one double).
Other Tigers that recorded tallied multi-hit performances included Jonathan Hall (two), Kevin Jackson (two), Evan Jones (two), Chris Walden (two), Kevin Calbrik (two) and Dylan Early (three).
Trinity's Michael Bentz, in relief of starter Noah Soloman, picked up the win by tossing 3.2 innings of relief and scattered four hits, struck out two and allowed four earned runs. Christian Curtis picked up the loss for the 'Roos (19-21) by pitching two innings while allowing six hits and five earned runs.
The game was an offensive outburst from the beginning. In fact, the only pitcher from either team to pitch four or more innings was Austin College's Scooter Merritt. Merritt allowed just one run in pitching the eighth and ninth innings.
Though Trinity jumped to an 11-3 lead after three innings, the 'Roos refused to go quietly. By the end of the fifth inning, Austin College had cut Trinity's lead to 11-7 thanks in large part to a four run Kangaroo fourth inning. Shortstop Andy White paced the Austin College offense as he was 4-for-6 with one run scored and drove in four more. Jordan Robison was 3-for-4 with a run scored and Philip Gonzales was 2-for-4 with three runs scored.
Trinity will take on DePauw (who beat Millsaps earlier in the afternoon at Rhodes), Saturday at Noon for the right to advance through the winner's bracket and into the championship game.
Game Six Recap:
DePauw rallied from a 4-0 deficit and scored seven unanswered runs in the fifth through seventh innings on the way to a 9-6 win over Millsaps in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament. The game was moved from USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn., to Rhodes College due to forecasts of rain. Box Score
The Tigers improved to 23-15, while the Majors dropped to 25-14. DePauw takes on Trinity at Noon CDT tomorrow, while Millsaps faces Rhodes at 3:30 p.m. in a loser's bracket game.
Millsaps took a 1-0 lead in the first when Jeremy Aliff led off with a double and scored on Jules Roussel's single. In the fourth, Jake Mills and Trey Rountree each singled and scored on Drew Leonard's triple. Leonard then crossed the plate on Aliff's single which gave the Majors a 4-0 lead.
DePauw's rally started in the fifth when Sam Swafford led off with a single, moved to second on Alex Berlyn's ground out. Ben Gardner delivered a two-out single which scored Swafford. Gardner then stole second and came home on Taylor Hoffman's base hit up the middle.
Jon Newman doubled to left center in the sixth and scored on Alex Wright's single to close the Majors' lead to 4-3. DePauw took the lead in the seventh with four runs. Berlyn led off with a single and moved to second on Alex Jacques' sacrifice bunt.
Gardner followed with a single and stole second allowing Berlyn to score and tie the game at 4-4. Hoffman tripled home Gardner before Jason Cohen's double brought home Hoffman. After Newman walked, Alex Wright singled through the left side bringing home Cohen and giving the Tigers a 7-4 lead.
The Majors scored one in the seventh as Roussel led off by being hit by a pitch and moving to second on Tyler Berry's infield single. Josh Ordeneaux then singled home Roussel.
Berlyn led off the DePauw eighth with a triple and Jacques followed with a double. Following Ben Gardner's single, Hoffman delivered a sacrifice fly which scored Jacques and gave DePauw a 9-5 lead.
Will Hawkins led off the Millsaps ninth with a single and moved to second on Ordeneaux's single.Wes Perkins flied out to right field in foul territory which allowed Hawkins to move to third. Mills then drove in Hawkins, but the game ended with the potential winning run at the plate.
DePauw totaled 17 hits with Wright finishing with four and Gardner adding three. Hoffman, Cohen and Berlyn each totaled two. Mills had four of Millsaps' 13 hits with Aliff and Ordeneaux each finishing with two.
Hobs Donovan improved to 4-1 and recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts with just one walk in 6 2/3 innings. Elliott Ross picked up his second save. Shelby Robertson dropped to 4-3.