Hawaii outlasts No. 7 Texas in 15 innings to split first two games

Hawaii was unable to score a run against the stingy pitching of the Longhorns for the first 15 innings of play in their two game series. Taylor Jungman went the distance for Texas in the first game and Cole Green was cruising through six innings before Hawaii finally cracked the run column.
 In the seventh inning of the second game, Green was lifted from the game only to see Kolon Wong deliever a two-out RBI single to tie the game at 1-1 and put the Rainbows on the board for the first time.
Texas answered back in the top of the eighth innnig with a three run inning and looked to be in control against the quiet Hawaii bats leading 4-1 going into the bottom half.
In what has become a trademark of the Hawaii 2011 team, a late-inning rally allowed the Rainbows to tie the game, ignited by a three-run double by right fielder Zack Swasey.
All three of the Rainbows wins in 2011 were of the come-from-behind fashion.
With the game tied 4-4, the teams matched zeroes until the 15th inning when the game ended on a wild pitch by the Longhorns that allowed Hawaii's David Peterson to score the winning run.
Peterson finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored on the night.
Hawaii (3-3) plays the third and final game of the series against Texas tonight before starting a series with Loyola Marymount.

Louisiana Tech improves to 6-1 by taking final two games from McNeese State

Following their first loss of the season on Friday, Louisiana Tech responded by winning the last two games of the series against McNeese State 7-6 and 11-10 in a pair of slugfests.
Bulldogs' third baseman Mark Threlkeld went 6-for-11 over the final two games with four RBIs and a home run. He is hitting at a clip of .464 for the season and Saturday's home run was his third of 2011.
Louisiana Tech outfielder Joey Ford was 5-for-10 in the two victories, raising his average to .467 for the season.
LT pitcher Jeb Stefan earned the win for the Bulldogs, going three innings without allowing a run.
The Bulldogs (6-1) will next face Arkansas-Little Rock, a team they beat earlier this season 10-9 in extra innings.
Louisiana Tech will then host Middle Tennessee for a three game series starting March 4.

Fresno State 4-0 with win against Pepperdine

The Bulldogs of Fresno State remained undefeated on Saturday with a 7-3 against Pepperdine.
Derek Benny was credited with the win for the Bulldogs, going seven strong innings while allowing just two runs. The Roseville High School product is 2-0 on the young season with a 2.50 ERA in 12 innings pitched for Fresno State.
Outfielder Dusty Robinson blasted a home run and was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs in the win. Freshman outfielder Aaron Judge also hit a solo home run and was 1-for-4 on the day for the Bulldogs.
Saturday's game was the first of four between the Waves and Bulldogs, as 2010 WAC pitcher of the year Greg Gonzalez is likely to throw for Fresno State in game two on Sunday.

Sac State crushed by UC Riverside 18-2 in nightcap

After the first game of the series supplied a heartbreaking eleven-inning loss for the Hornets, the nighcap of the doubleheader didn't provide much more comfort as Riverside routed Sac State 18-2.
Sac State reliever Brandon Creel was tagged for six runs in 1 1/3 innings to open the flood gates for the Highlanders after Hornet starter Sam Kuykendall allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Catcher Derrick Chung was the only Sac State hitter with more than one hit, going 2-for-2 with a double and a walk in the loss.
Riversides' Vince Gonzalez was 3-for-5 with three RBI while outfielder Justin Shults was 4-for-4 with one RBI.
The teams have two more games scheduled in the series after the Highlanders have taken the first two.

LMU downs Wolf Pack to send Nevada to 0-5

Loyola Marymount socred early and often on Saturday, beating Nevada 7-3 to keep the Wolf Pack winless on the season at 0-5.
LMU adds to their hot start with their fifth win in their first six games (5-1) and didn't waste any time against Nevada with a four-run first inning.
Hartnell college transfer Zac Fujimoto was 4-for-4 with two RBIs for LMU, raising his average to .481 for the season in 27 at-bats.
Not a single Wolf Pack hitter managed more than one hit Saturday against LMU junior Alex Gillingham who went eight innings with eight strikouts.
LMU and Nevada will finish their three game set over on Sunday and Monday.

Andriese brothers duo spells trouble for Sac State in extra innings

One of the seasons' finest pitching duals between Sacramento State and UC Riverside Saturday was broken up by the starting pitcher's younger brother in the 11th inning.
The game was scoreless after nine innings with Riversides' Matt Andriese and the Hornets' Tanner Mendonca matched zeroes for most of the game.
Andriese, a junior, went eight innings, allowed no runs and struck out eight. He was named the No. 2 prospect in the Big West conference by Baseball America at the beginning of the season. In two starts in 2011, Andriese has pitched 15 innings without allowing an earned run.
 Mendonca went seven innings, scattering four hits and also did not allow a run for Sac State.
Both bullpens were solid until until the 11th inning when Riverside mounted a two-out rally and took the lead on a 2-run double by freshman left fielder David Andriese, the younger brother of starting pitcher Matt Andriese.
The hit came off of Hornets' pitcher Andrew Gavlan and was the first run of the game for either team.
Sac State was unable to answer in the bottom half of the 11th and suffered their second shutout of the young season.
Sac State falls to 2-3 on the year with their fifth straigh one-run game to open the season.
UC Riverside goes to 2-4 with the extra inning victory.
The two teams will play the second game of a double header later tonight

Hawaii shutout by Texas and Taylor Jungman

Texas starting pitcher Taylor Jungman threw his second consecutive complete game shutout to start the season, holding Hawaii to four hits in a 2-0 victory.
Hawaii (2-3) was offbalance all night as Jungman struckout nine in his second victory of 2011.
In two starts, Jungman has thrown 18 innings without allowing a run. He has averaged a strikeout per inning during that stretch.
Texas (4-2) was led offensively by third baseman Eric Weiss who was 2-for-3 with an RBI while right fielder Mark Payton was 2-for-4 with an RBI to fuel the Longhorns.
Second baseman Kolton Wong was 1-for-4 for Hawaii, reaching on a bunt hit down the third base line. He was picked off of first base by Jungman during the next at-bat trying to get a jump on a steal attempt.
Matt Sisto threw six innings for Hawaii, allowing one earned run and striking out four. Blair Walters and Michael Blake held the Longhorns scoreless for the final three innings, but Hawaii was unable to mount a legitimate threat against Jungman.
Hawaii made four errors in the field while Texas made zero behind Jungman in the win.
The two teams will resume the series Saturday as Big 12 conference pitcher of the year Cole Green will head to the hill for Texas.

Hawaii faces Texas after 2-2 start

Hawaii baseball begins a three game series with Texas Friday after splitting a four game set with the Oregon Ducks last weekend.
Preseason WAC hitter of the year Kolton Wong enters the series hitting .357 and will face the Longhorns' Taylor Jungman in the first game.
After the Bows face Texas' ace Jungman Friday,  Big 12 conference pitcher of the year Cole Green will throw for the Longhorns on Saturday.
The Rainbows will have their second straight Top 10 team on their hands with Texas and are hoping to once again make a case for the legitimacy of the WAC after a strong showing against Oregon to open the year.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 2011: 2-2

UH 4 Oregon 3
UH 11 Oregon 10
UH 0 Oregon 4
UH 3 Oregon 4 (8 innings- travel curfew)

Sacramento State 2-2 after first four games of 2011

Sac State opened 2011 by taking two of three from UC Davis before falling in 11 innings to St. Mary's Tuesday.
The Hornets game versus UC Riverside was postponed due to weather on Friday and will be made up as a double-header on Saturday.
Solid pitching to start the season has been been wasted by the Hornet's lack of offense, averaging just two runs per game.

2/20/2011	at	UC Davis		W 4-3
2/20/2011	at	UC Davis		L 1-0	makeup of 2/18 game
2/21/2011		UC Davis		W 3-2	makeup of 2/19 game (10 innings)
2/22/2011		St. Mary's		L 2-1	11 innings
2/25/2011		UC Riverside

Louisiana Tech beaten for first time in 2011

A strong start to the 2011 season for Louisiana Tech was halted Friday by McNeese State 7-6.
The Bulldogs fall to 4-1 with the loss while McNeese State improves to 3-3.
First baseman Alex Williams was 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI and is now hitting .350 for the season for Louisiana Tech.
Joey Ford got the start at second base for the Bulldogs and was also 1-for-4 on the day. Ford's average sits at a fashionable .450 in 20 at-bats.
The Cowboys and Bulldogs will finish the three game set over the weekend

Louisiana Tech 2011 (4-1) 
LT 3 Southern Illinois 1
LT 4 Nicholls State 2
LT 13 Grambling State 0
LT 10 Ark-Little Rock 9 (11 innings)

Nevada Wolf Pack fall to 0-4 to start 2011 baseball season

After a sour opening weekend against UC Irvine saw Nevada get outscored by the Anteaters 39-8, the Wolf Pack dropped their fourth straight game to start the season against Loyola Marymount 8-5 on Friday.
Nevada starting pitcher Tom Jameson didn't get out of the second inning and was tagged for six runs in the loss.
Jameson has now been unable to pitch into the third inning for his second straight start. 
Matt Lowenstein led Loyola Marymount going 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs to go along with a walk. 
The Lions are now 5-1 on the season with the win. They won three out of four against UC Riverside and beat Long Beach State 5-1 on Tuesday.

Nevada Wolf Pack 2011 (0-4) 
UNR 4 UC Irvine 17
UNR 3 UC Irvine 15
UNR 1 UC Irvine 7
UNR 5 Loy-Marymt 8

SJSU starts 4-0, rained out Friday at UCLA

San Jose State has started the season 4-0 on the diamond with a pair of wins over Saint Mary's and victories against UC Davis and Albany. 
In 44 innings this season going into the UCLA series, the Spartans' pitchers have allowed just 11 earned runs for a team ERA of 2.50.
Game one of the series against UCLA at Jackie Robinson stadium was rained out after one inning and will resume Saturday at 2 p.m. with the Bruins leading 1-0 in the top of the second. 

San Jose State 4-0
SJSU 5 St. Mary's 1
SJSU 2 St. Mary's 0
SJSU 5 UC Davis 4
SJSU 6 Albany 5 (17 innings) (longest game of head coach Sam Piraro's 26-year tenure)

2010 Western Athletic Conference recap and a look back at the opening weekend of 2011

           

Fresno State Bulldogs:

2010: (38-25 overall) (16-8 conference) won the WAC for the fourth time in five years last season and will once again be a force to be reckoned with.

            Senior Second Team All-WAC infielders Garrett Weber and Danny Muno return to a crowded lineup of conference standouts. Weber hit .387 a year ago while Muno tagged along with a .329 batting average.

Senior first Baseman Jordan Ribera led the WAC in home runs in 2010 with 27 and will bring his .343 average and 69 RBIs back to the heart of the Bulldog lineup in 2011. He was named WAC player of the year in 2010 after finishing near the top of every offensive category in the conference.

Outfielder Brennan Gowens, a junior, was also a preseason All-WAC pick after hitting .359 with an on-base percentage of .427 last season for Fresno State.

Senior right-handed pitcher Greg Gonzalez

2011: (3-0) The Bulldogs started their season with a bang, plating seven runs in the first inning against Gonzaga in their 10-4 victory. Shortstop Garrett Weber was 4-for-5 at the plate with a home run while Fresno State’s starter Derek Benny threw five innings and allowed just one run.

The Bulldogs followed up their comfortable margin of victory with a nail-biting 2-1 win over Oregon State on Sunday. Preseason All-WAC starting pitcher Greg Gonzalez struck out eight for Fresno State while fellow All-WAC honoree Brennan Gowen broke a scoreless tie with his first home run of the young season.

The Bulldogs had a rematch with the Beavers on Monday and bested Oregon State for the second straight day. The 5-4 extra-inning win for Fresno State gives them a 3-0 record to start the season.

San Jose State Spartans:

2010: (23-37) (9-15) SJSU followed up its 41-win season in 2009 with a 23-win season last year that was derailed by inconsistent pitching and not enough thump in the lineup. Senior center fielder Jason Martin led the team with a .373 batting average last season but no returner for SJSU hit more than four home runs in 2010.

The pitching will be markedly improved from a year ago with Preseason WAC Pitcher of the Year Blake McFarland heading the staff and highly touted JC-transfer Roberto Padilla solidifying the weekend rotation.

Andy Hennessey, Estaban Guzman and Sean Martin are all fully capable of giving head coach Sam Piraro innings as starters and will battle for the final spot in the arms race.

2011: (2-0) SJSU took two games from Saint Mary’s to open the season, winning 5-1 on Sunday at home and taking Monday’s game 2-0 in Moraga, Calif.

McFarland and Padilla combined to go the distance for SJSU in game one of the series, holding the Gaels to just a lone run surrendered by McFarland on a single.

Senior Shortstop Nick Borg was 2-for-4 while junior catcher Michael DiRocco was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs in his first Division I collegiate game.

Game two of the series also showcased the Spartans improvement on the hill from 2010, as starter Andy Hennessey worked 4.2 innings of scoreless ball before handing the ball to the bullpen in the fifth inning.

The pen finished the game and kept the Gael’s scoreless for the final 4.1 innings to preserve the 2-0 victory. John Austin worked out of a jam before Zack Jones entered from the pen and struck out four of the six batters he faced. 

Borg paced the offense for the second game in a row with his first home run of the season and another 2-for-4 performance.

Nevada Wolf Pack

 2010: (36-22-1) (14-9-1) Nevada made a run at the conference title a year ago but was hurt by graduation and the draft as much as any team in the conference. A young and unproven pitching staff will be asked to fill holes early as Jesse Rasner (3.43 ERA) and Tyler Graham (10 saves) departed.

The Wolf Pack enter the season as one of the youngest and most inexperienced teams in the conference and will likely go through a learning curve in 2011. They have eight freshman and six sophomores on their 2011 roster, many of whom will be counted on to contribute this season.

2011: (0-3) Opened the 2011 season against UC Irvine and failed to keep any of the three games close. Nevada was bested 17-4 on Friday, 15-3 on Saturday and 7-1 on Sunday by the Anteaters who exposed the lack of pitching that was a concern for the Wolf Pack going into 2011.

Opening day starter Tom Jameson lasted just 1.1 innings while allowing eight runs on six hits. Only four of the runs were charged to Jameson as Nevada committed two errors as a team.

The rest of the weekend didn’t go much better for the rest of the Wolf Pack pitching staff who were tagged for 22 runs over the final two games.

Hawai’i Rainbows

2010: (35-28) (12-12) A fourth place finish a year ago give the Rainbow Warriors confidence to contend for the WAC title in 2011 with a several key starters returning from last year’s team.

            Second baseman Kolton Wong hit .365 last year with seven home runs, earning him the preseason hitter of the year in the WAC for 2011.

2011: (2-2): Hawaii opened eyes around the nation by taking two games from #9 Oregon during the opening weekend.  The Rainbows overcame a 3-1 deficit in their season opener and eventually rallied to top the Ducks 4-3 by scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

            Wong had two hits and first baseman Jeffrey Van Doornum was 2-for-2 with an RBI to go along with a pair of walks.

Game two of the series witnessed another impressive comeback by the Rainbows who trailed by as many as four heading into the fifth inning. Down by one going into the bottom of the ninth, Hawaii put runners in scoring position before a walk off single by Breland Almadova plated two runs and gave the Bows the win for the second day in a row. The 11-10 victory was paced by a 4-4 performance by David Peterson who had two RBIs and a run scored. 

The magic ran out for the Bows in the third game of the series as Oregon blanked Hawaii 4-0 behind a strong outing by starting pitcher Madison Boer (1-0). After the Rainbow bats had exploded for 15 runs over the first two games of the series, Boer limited Hawaii to one hit in eight innings of work for his first win of the season. Wong had the lone hit of the final game for the Bows and finished the weekend 3-11 at the plate (.273).  

The Rainbows run at taking three out of four from the Ducks was halted by a travel curfew in the fourth and final game of the year to hand Oregon a 4-3 victory in eight innings.

No ninth inning heroics were prohibited as the umpires had to call the game due to an NCAA rule that is in place to ensure adequate travel time is allocated for both teams.

Wong had a 2-3 day for Hawaii and also walked, but two runs in the top of the sixth by Oregon gave the Ducks the lead for good.

New Mexico State Aggies

2010:  (36-23) (14-9) Seniors Ryan Aguayo and Chance Perkins will be forces in the lineup, but the Aggies will have to patch together a rotation that will have to replace most of the productivity from last year. Aguayo led the WAC in runs scored and was named Second Team All-WAC while Perkins hit .363 and belted a team-high 17 home runs in 2010.

Fellow infielder Parker Hipp returns for his sophomore season after hitting .349 as a freshman

Tyler Mack returns for his sophomore year as well after leading the Aggies’ pitchers in wins with six a year ago.

2011: (3-0) The Aggies won their first three games of the season with a weekend sweep of Houston Baptist. The offense was fueled in the first game by a 4-for-5 day at the plate by Ryan Aguayo and three RBIs from second basemen Parker Hipp who added two hits himself in the 9-6 win.

Game two was a slugfest that saw the Aggies win 13-11 behind another strong game from Hipp who was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Centerfielder Wesley Starkes hit his first homerun of the season and was a combined eight for 10 at the plate over the first two games (.800).

The Aggies also took the third game 9-1 behind a strong performance on the hill by pitcher Trey Ross who was relieved in the seventh inning after allowing just one run for the game in his first Division I start. Hipp was a factor in the offense once again with his first home run of the season while Aguayo was 2-for-4 for the day. Outfielder Bryan Karraker hit his second homerun of the season and added four RBIs in the victory.  

Sacramento State Hornets

2010: (18-35) (7-17) Trevor Paine returns to the lineup after hitting .381 with 10 home runs and 64 RBI but the Hornets need to improve on the hill to climb in the WAC standings.

2011: (2-1) Split a doubleheader with UC Davis on Sunday to start the season, winning the first game 4-3 before dropping the nightcap 1-0. Game one was decided on a three-run double by designated hitter Derek Goodwin of the Hornets who cleared the bases in the first inning to give Sacramento State the early lead.

The Hornets were shutout in the second game by UC Davis starting pitcher Anthony Kepbens hurled six scoreless innings before the bullpen was called upon to preserve a 0-0 tie. Davis added the only run of the game on an RBI by designated hitter Scott Lyman, handing the Hornets their first loss of the year.

Sacramento State answered back to beat UC Davis 3-2 on Monday behind five strong innings by starting pitcher Dallas Chadwick who allowed just one run. The win was recorded by Steven Amaral who pitched a scoreless top half of the inning before shortstop Kirby Young’s game-winning RBI single won it for the Hornets in the bottom half of the tenth.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

2010:  (27-30) (11-13) Hovered around .500 for most of the season and were never able to string together enough wins for a run at the conference crown. Junior third baseman Mark Threlkeld powered the offense with a .335 average, 14 home runs and 62 RBIs and was an All-WAC selection.

2011: (3-0) Louisiana Tech won all three of its games over the weekend to start the season 3-0. The Bulldogs bested Southern Illinois 3-1 on Friday, Nichols State 4-2 on Saturday and remained perfect on Sunday with a 13-0 rout of Grambling State.

Centerfielder Joey Ford finished the three-game stint with a .545 average (6-11) while slugging a home run and knocking in five RBIs.

Mark Threlkeld added two home runs in the three games while hitting at a clip of .455 (5-11). Threlkeld was a Preseason All-WAC selection and tabbed as the most draft-eligible prospect in the conference by Baseball America Magazine.