Bama beats Gators; SEC baseball roundup

Posted 6:31AM on Saturday 6th April 2002 ( 23 years ago )

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - Lance Cormier retired 14 straight batters over four innings to lead Alabama to a 4-1 win over Florida on Friday. Cormier (8-0) pitched the whole game, allowing six hits and striking out eight to lead Alabama (26-6, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) as Alabama won its 24th consecutive home game. Ryan Shealy and Matt Goss each went 2-for-4 to lead Florida (24-8, 6-4). Jimmy Ramshaw (2-3) took the loss for the Gators. Cormier retired the 14 batters between the fourth and eighth innings to set a school record with 28 career wins. Peter Stonard drove in two runs for Alabama, extending a seven-game hitting streak. OLE MISS 9, VANDERBILT 0 OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - J.R. Pickens pitched eight shutout innings and Bryce Morrison and Jon Reeder each homered as Mississippi defeated Vanderbilt 9-0 Friday night. The Rebels (23-7, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) have won eight straight games. Pickens (6-1) allowed four hits and two walks while striking out two. The junior lowered his ERA to 2.66. Nick Bradshaw pitched the final inning, striking out two. Reeder entered the game in the second inning after left fielder Drew Rogers left the game with a hamstring injury. Reeder was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. He also stole three bases. Morrison hit a home run in the eighth. One out later, Reeder hit his first homer of the season to complete the scoring. Morrison's homer was his fourth. Clint Farrar was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored for Ole Miss. Jeff Little allowed 11 hits and nine runs in 6 2-3 innings for the Commodores (14-10, 3-5). Sean Luellwitz was 2-for-4 for Vanderbilt. ARKANSAS 7, S. CAROLINA 4 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) Scott Hode batted in two runs and Arkansas broke open the game with a four-run third inning in beating South Carolina 7-4 Friday night. In the fourth, Arkansas' Ryan Fox singled and Nick Pitts doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Brett Hagedorn singled to bring home both baserunners for a 4-2 lead. After Cody Clark sacrificed Hagedorn to second, Scott Hode doubled home Hagedorn. Kirk McConnell then tripled to left-center to score Hode for 6-2. South Carolina (24-7, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) cut the Razorback lead to 6-4 in the seventh. Steve Thomas and Yaron Peters each had RBI singles as the Gamecocks had three hitters single with two-strike counts to keep the inning alive. Arkansas (16-11, 3-5) loaded the bases with one out in the seventh after Fox was intentionally walked. The Razorbacks scored one run, on an RBI fly out by Pitts, as Cliff Crouse was doubled-off trying to advance to third on the play. Gary Hogan Jr. (3-2) pitched seven innings for Arkansas, and gave up four runs on nine hits. He struck out four and walked none. Josh Merryman struck out four over two shutout innings, for which he picked up the save. Gary Bell (5-3) took the loss for South Carolina, giving up six runs over 3 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Peters opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first. Arkansas scored two in the second, and the Gamecocks tied it 2-2 in the third. LSU 9, AUBURN 4 AUBURN, ALABAMA - Chris Phillips was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and LSU scored five runs in the third inning to beat Auburn 9-4 on Friday. Lane Mestepey (6-2) earned the win for LSU (19-12, 4-5 Southeastern Conference). He allowed 10 hits and four runs and struck out four in a little more than six innings of work. Sean Gamble was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Jonathan Schuerholz was 3-for-4 with one RBI to lead Auburn (23-9, 5-5). Levale Speigner (6-3) took the loss for the Tigers, allowing 10 hits and eight runs in just two innings. TENNESSEE 12, KENTUCKY 7 KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - Jordan Czarniecki drove in five runs as Tennessee rallied to erase a deficit and defeat Kentucky 12-7 on Friday. The Volunteers (16-17, 3-7 Southeastern Conference) trailed 3-0 when Hal Bibee ran home on Czarniecki's double in the fifth. Tennessee tied it on Walter Sevilla's two-run double later in the inning. Kentucky (12-16, 2-8) took a 4-3 lead in the sixth when Spencer Graeter drew a bases-loaded walk. But Czarniecki's two-run single in the bottom of the inning put the Volunteers ahead for good at 5-4. Tennessee sealed it with a six-run eighth inning, including Czarniecki's two-run triple. Joey Andrews (4-4) had the win, and Joseph Blanton (3-4) suffered the loss.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/4/196414