Baseball: Friday Recap
Highlights
- The American’s baseball teams begin their weekend series on Friday night, going 2-6 against nonconference foes. ECU and UCF’s starters shined on the way to picking up Game 1 wins.
- The sophomore tandem of Trey Benton and Tyler Smith allowed just two hits and combined to strike out 13 batters as ECU picked up a 2-1 win over No. 6 North Carolina Friday at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the win, the Pirates improve to 5-0 on the year. The victory also marked the fourth American win over a ranked opponent this season.
- No. 24 UCF posted its first shutout of the 2018 season with a 4-0 win over Savannah State at John Euliano Park to snap a three-game skid. Starter Chris Williams finished the game with a career-high nine strikeouts over seven innings of work. The Knights got two hits from first basemane Rylan Thomas, outfielder Tyler Osik and designated hitter Dalton Wingo.
- Left-hander Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) struck out nine in another six inning effort, but the USF baseball team fell to Fordham, 2-0, Friday night in the first of a three-game series.
- Cincinnati dropped two close games at Sam Houston State, with each coming down to at least two runs. Manny Rodriguez had a great start in Game 1 at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with a triple. The two starting pitchers dueled for most of Game 2, and both teams staged comebacks, with the Bearkats walking off in the bottom of the ninth.
- Tied at 1-1 through three scoreless innings, Memphis suffered a 3-1 loss after giving up two runs on three hits in the fifth. Outfielder Colton Neel batted .500 (2-for-4) to lead the Tigers at the plate.
- UConn dropped their series opener against Southeastern Louisiana, 6-2. The Huskies tied the game in the third after back-to-back singles from John Toppa and Mike Woodworth, but the Lions regained the lead in the fifth and refused to look back from there.
- Houston went the distance with Cal State Fullerton, going to 15 innings tied at 1-1, but the Titans walked off on a wild pitch. The Cougars held their foe to just two hits, while the pitching staff gathered 19 strikeouts. Starter Trey Cumbie pitched 6.2 innings and fanned 10 battters, securing double digit strikeouts in his second straight game.
- Tulane was trailing No. 9 Ole Miss 2-1 before the game was halted in the fifth inning due to inclement weather.
Upcoming Schedule/Results
Tuesday, February 20
Florida State 5, USF 2
Ole Miss 8, Memphis 6
Stetson 1, UCF 0
Wednesday, February 21
ECU 7, Campbell 2
Friday, February 23
Sam Houston State 5, Cincinnati 3
ECU 2, No. 6 North Carolina 1
Eastern Illinois 3, Memphis 1
No. 9 Ole Miss 2, Tulane 1 | Suspended 5th inning
No. 24 UCF 4, Savannah State 0
Southeastern Louisiana 6, UConn 2
Fordham 2, USF 0
Sam Houston State 3, Cincinnati 2
No. 13 Cal State Fullerton 2, No. 22 Houston 1
Saturday, February 24
Omaha at Wichita State • 3 p.m.
UConn at Southeastern Louisiana • 3 p.m.
Eastern Illinois at Memphis • 3 p.m.
Cincinnati at Sam Houston State • TBD
Tulane at Ole Miss • 4 p.m. (SEC Network +)
North Carolina vs. ECU • 6 p.m. %
Savannah State at UCF • 6:30 p.m.
Fordham at USF • 6:30 p.m.
Houston at Cal State Fullerton • 9 p.m.
Sunday, February 25
Savannah State at UCF • 1 p.m.
ECU at North Carolina • 1 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Eastern Illinois at Memphis • 2 p.m.
Omaha at Wichita State • 2 p.m.
UConn at Southeastern Louisiana • 2 p.m.
Tulane at Ole Miss • 2:30 p.m.
Houston at Cal State Fullerton • 4 p.m.
Omaha at Wichita State • 4 p.m.
Fordham at USF • 6:30 p.m.
All times ET
% Durham, N.C.