STATISTICS
Friday, February 15 Results:
Highlights
- American Athletic Conference baseball teams went 7-2 on Opening Day, as UConn highlighted the action with a 3-2 win over No. 4 Louisville on Friday night. No. 11 ECU swept Radford in a doubleheader, while UCF, Houston and Tulane each picked up ninth-inning walk-off wins. USF surged early on to complete its sixth-straight season with an opening-day victory in a 7-4 victory against Samford. Eight American teams will be in action Saturday with the league combining for 10 games.
No. 11 ECU 6, Radford 2 | No. 11 ECU 15, Radford 9
No. 11 ECU completed an opening-day sweep at home against Radford after moving its Saturday game to Friday (due to projected inclement weather) for a doubleheader.
After giving up two home runs in the third inning of Game 1, ECU scored the final four runs of the contest to open its 2019 campaign with a 6-2 win. First baseman Spencer Brickhouse drove in three runs, including a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Pitcher and designated hitter Alec Burleson went 4-for-5 at the plate, while tossing the first five innings, which included four shutout frames. The Pirates led 13-4 in hits. Along with Burleson and Brickhouse, center fielder Bryson Worrell had a multi-hit game (2-4) with a pair of runs scored, as eight players in the lineup recorded at least one single.
The Pirates’ offense was firing on all cylinders in Game 2, as ECU scored 15 runs on 16 hits with five players recording a multi-hit game. Worrell continued his surge at the plate, driving in four runs on a double and a home run. Outfielder Bryant Packard (3-5, 1 2B, 1 HR) and designated hitter and catcher Seth Caddell (2-5, 1 2B, 1 HR) each recorded three RBIs. Nine Pirates recorded at least one hit in the win. ECU will go for the weekend sweep Sunday at Noon ET.
UCF 3, Siena 2
UCF walked off with an opening-day win in the ninth inning, defeating Siena 3-2 to start off its 2019 slate. The Knights led 8-4 in hits, as third baseman Griffin Bernardo went 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored, a double and a solo home run. Head coach Greg Lovelady earned his 200th career win.
Tied at 1-1, outfielder Pedro Castellano brought home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, but Siena brought the game back to a draw in the ninth stanza. Bernardo then scored the game-winning run on a throwing error to end the game. Starter Grant Schuermann fanned seven batters through 6.0 innings. Game 2 of the series is set for 6 p.m. ET Saturday.
UConn 3, No. 4 Louisville 2
Stepping up to the plate for the first time as a Husky, catcher Paul Gozzo made his only at-bat of the night count, as he blasted the game-winning solo home run in the eighth inning to lift UConn past No. 4 Louisville in Lakeland, Fla. The win was the first over a top-five ranked opponent since beating No. 1 Notre Dame on May 6, 2001, 19-12.
Freshman catcher Pat Winkel and shortstop Anthony Prato (1 RBI) each had two hits, as Conor Moriarty plated a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2. Winkel also picked off two base runners in his debut game with UConn. The Huskies led the Cardinals 10-8 in hits. Closer Jacob Wallace entered the game in the eighth inning and earned the save after retiring six of seven batters faced. UConn and Louisville square off in Florida again on Saturday with first pitch set for 3 p.m. ET.
Florida Atlantic 9, Cincinnati 0
Cincinnati gave up eight runs in the third inning, as the Bearcats suffered a 9-0 loss at Florida Atlantic to open their season. Freshman Drake Batcho had a solid outing in his debut out of the bullpen, striking out five batters through 3.1 innings pitched, while scattering two hits. Andru Summerall went 3-for-4 at the plate for Florida Atlantic, recording a pair of RBIs. The series resumes Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
USF 7, Samford 4
For a sixth-straight year, USF started off its season with a win, as the Bulls scored five runs through the first three innings on the way to a 7-4 win over Samford. Freshman shortstop Nick Gonzalez hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat with the Bulls during the second frame to help fuel USF’s early spurt. Five different Bulls ended the night with at least one RBI. Starter Collin Sullivan earned the win after fanning a career-high 10 batters through the first six innings, while surrendering two earned runs on four hits. USF hosts Samford again on Saturday night with the action beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Tulane 3, George Washington 2
Tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, outfielder Grant Mathews hit a double before pinch runner Hudson Haskin crossed home plate on a throwing error to give the Green Wave a 3-2 opening-day win against George Washington. Tulane continues its series against the Colonials Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. Six Tulane players recorded a hit, as designated hitter David Bedgood and catcher Acy Owen each had an RBI. Righthander Kaleb Roper scattered four hits through seven innings, while striking out five batters.
Houston 5, Northwestern State 3
Houston improved to 23-2 on Opening Day under head coach Todd Whitting after shortstop Kobe Hyland hit a two-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning to lift the Cougars past Northwestern State, 5-3. Down by three in the sixth inning, designated hitter Joe Davis hit a three-run homer to bring the game to a tie. Righthander Fred Villarreal pitched 5.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, while striking out four batters. Houston and Northwestern State play Game 2 of their series Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Grand Canyon 9, Wichita State 1
Wichita State allowed six runs through the first three innings and took a 9-1 loss to open its 2019 season. Third baseman Luke Ritter went 2-for-3 with a triple to begin his senior season. Freshman Jack Sigrist earned his first-career RBI, driving in the Shockers’ sole run of the night with a double in the seventh inning. Wichita State continues its opening-weekend action in Arizona with two games on Saturday. The Shockers will face Grand Canyon again before ending the night with a 9:30 p.m. ET game against No. 5 Stanford.
RESULTS/UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| Friday, February 15 |
 |
Radford |
2 |
 |
ECU |
6 |
|
2:00 PM |
Greenville, N.C. |
|
|
Radford |
9 |
|
ECU |
15 |
|
5:50 PM |
Greenville, N.C. |
|
 |
Louisville |
2 |
 |
UConn |
3 |
|
6:00 PM |
Lakeland, Fla. |
|
 |
Siena |
2 |
 |
UCF |
3 |
|
6:00 PM |
Orlando, Fla. |
|
 |
Cincinnati |
0 |
 |
Florida Atlantic |
9 |
|
6:30 PM |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
|
 |
Samford |
4 |
 |
USF |
7 |
|
7:00 PM |
Tampa, Fla. |
|
 |
Goerge Washington |
2 |
 |
Tulane |
3 |
|
7:30 PM |
New Orleans, La. |
|
 |
Northwestern State |
3 |
 |
Houston |
5 |
|
7:30 PM |
Houston, Texas |
|
 |
Wichita State |
1 |
 |
Grand Canyon |
9 |
|
8:00 PM |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
|
Saturday, February 16 |
 |
Indiana |
|
 |
Memphis |
|
|
1:00 PM |
Memphis, Tenn. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
|
Louisville |
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UConn |
|
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3:00 PM |
Lakeland, Fla. |
Live Stats |
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Cincinnati |
|
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Florida Atlantic |
|
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4:00 PM |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
|
Indiana |
|
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Memphis |
|
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4:00 PM |
Memphis, Tenn. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
|
Goerge Washington |
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Tulane |
|
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5:30 PM |
New Orleans, La. |
Live Stats Live Video |
|
Grand Canyon |
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Wichita State |
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6:00 PM |
Tempe, Ariz. |
Live Stats Live Audio |
|
Siena |
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UCF |
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6:00 PM |
Orlando, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
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Samford |
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USF |
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6:30 PM |
Tampa, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
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Northwestern State |
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Houston |
|
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7:30 PM |
Houston, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
 |
Stanford |
|
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Wichita State |
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9:30 PM |
Tempe, Ariz. |
Live Stats Live Audio |
Sunday, February 17 |
|
Cincinnati |
|
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Florida Atlantic |
|
|
Noon |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
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Radford |
|
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ECU |
|
|
Noon |
Greenville, N.C. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
 |
Pepperdine |
|
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Wichita State |
|
|
Noon |
Tempe, Ariz. |
Live Stats Live Audio |
|
Samford |
|
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USF |
|
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1:00 PM |
Tampa, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
|
Louisville |
|
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UConn |
|
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1:00 PM |
Lakeland, Fla. |
Live Stats |
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Siena |
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UCF |
|
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1:00 PM |
Orlando, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
|
Northwestern State |
|
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Houston |
|
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2:00 PM |
Houston, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
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Indiana |
|
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Memphis |
|
|
2:00 PM |
Memphis, Tenn. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio |
|
Goerge Washington |
|
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Tulane |
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2:00 PM |
New Orleans, La. |
Live Stats Live Video |
All times Eastern and subject to change