Bama, Auburn stunned in NCAA openers

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Posted 7:13AM on Saturday, June 1, 2002

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - A first-pitch triple. Six runs in four innings. Homers from the eighth and ninth hitters. Southeast Missouri State wasn't the least bit intimidated in a 7-4 victory over top-seeded Alabama Friday night in the opening round of the NCAA regional. Alabama, the No. 3 national seed, had been 13-0 in regional games at Sewell-Thomas Stadium and was 32-2 at home this season. The Tide face Auburn in an elimination game, the first meeting between two SEC teams in a regional. FLORIDA ATLANTIC 16, AUBURN 11 TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - Florida Atlantic watched its 10-run first inning cushion evaporate. Then, the Owls sent Tom MacLane to the mound and went back to hitting the ball out of the park. Leadoff man Gabe Somarriba drove in six runs and L.J. Biernbam was 5-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs as third-seeded Florida Atlantic pounded Auburn 16-11 in an NCAA regional opening-round game Friday. The third-seeded Owls (44-18) scored 10 runs in the first inning, slugged five home runs and racked up 16 hits against six pitchers. Florida Atlantic plays Southeast Missouri winner on Saturday while the second-seeded Tigers (34-25) take on Alabama in an elimination game. FLORIDA 13, BETHUNE-COOKMAN 1 GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - Matt Maley, making his first start of season, hit a grand slam to propel Florida to a 13-1 win over Bethune-Cookman in NCAA regional play early Saturday. It was Maley's third home run. Prior to his fourth-inning slam, the Gators (44-17) were clinging to a one-run lead in a game that was delayed almost three hours by rain. The Gators will play defending national champion Miami on Saturday afternoon. The Hurricanes beat Florida International 9-1 Friday. Bethune-Cookman will face Florida International in an elimination game Saturday. FLORIDA ST. 11, STETSON 8 TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - Nick Rogers drove in three runs, and Stephen Drew had an RBI double in a four-run eighth as Florida State rallied to beat Stetson 11-8 in NCAA regional play Friday night, extending its winning streak to a nation-best 23 games. The Seminoles (57-12), the No. 1 overall seed in the 64-team field, overcame a six-run deficit - its largest come-from-behind victory this season. Florida State will play Central Florida on Saturday in the double-elimination regional. Stetson (42-18) will play South Florida, which lost to Central Florida earlier Friday. ARKANSAS 8, OKLAHOMA 5 WICHITA, KANSAS - Ryan Fox had three hits and three RBIs Friday as No. 3 seeded Arkansas defeated No. 4 seeded Oklahoma 8-5 in a first-round NCAA regional game. The win puts Arkansas in a game Saturday against Oral Roberts, a 6-1 victor Friday over Wichita State in the double-elimination tournament. CLEMSON 15, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 1 CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson (48-14) faces East Carolina on Saturday after a 15-1 win over georgia Southern Friday. Georgia Southern (38-24) takes on Elon in an elimination game Saturday morning. Khalil Greene and third baseman Jeff Baker each homering twice Friday night to tie the school's single-season record. Both are among five finalists for college baseball's Golden Spikes award as player of the year, have put up plenty of runs for the Tigers this season. LSU 5, SOUTHERN U. 4 BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - J.C. Holt got the pitch he was looking for. ``I just tried to protect the plate. I went up there looking for a fastball in my zone,'' Holt said after tripling and scoring the run that gave LSU a 5-4 victory over Southern on Friday in an NCAA regional opening-round game. Holt scored after Southern pitcher Dewon Day walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and gave up an RBI single to Sean Barker, LSU's leading hitter. On Saturday, LSU (41-19) will play Louisiana-Lafayette, a 6-3 winner over Tulane in Friday's second game. Southern (45-9) will play Tulane on Saturday. S. CAROLINA 6, VCU 3 COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina's Gary Bell (10-2) started hot, retiring 15 straight batters at one point while striking out eight. But he ran into trouble in the ninth and was pulled before he could get the last out as the Gamecocks (49-14) beat Virginia Commonwealth 6-3. South Carolina advances to play North Carolina (41-19) Saturday afternoon with the winner advancing to Sunday's championship. Scott Autrey threw a two-hit complete game leading the Tar Heels over James Madison 5-0 in the early game Friday. WAKE FOREST 12, GEORGE WASHINGTON 6 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - There's something about the NCAA baseball tournament that brings out the best in Jamie D'Antona. The Wake Forest sophomore Jamie D'Antonahit his sixth home run in six career postseason games and Kyle Sleeth won his 20th straight decision as the Demon Deacons beat George Washington 12-6 Friday night. The Demon Deacons (45-11-1) fell behind 3-0 early, but rallied to advance to play Richmond on Saturday in the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament. George Washington will play Navy in the loser's side of the draw. N. CAROLINA 5, JAMES MADISON 0 COLUMBIA, S.C. - Scott Autrey is a Texan who's used to pitching in the heat and he proved it here Friday with his best outing in the biggest game of the season so far. The right-hander threw a complete game two-hitter as North Carolina beat James Madison 5-0 in the first game of the NCAA regional tournament. The Dukes head to the elimination game Saturday as North Carolina advances to the winner's bracket. The Tar Heels face South Carolina (48-14).