Colleges

Hurricanes have convincing start

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 3, 2006

LINCOLN, Neb. - Danny Valencia homered and drove in five runs and Danny Gil pitched a solid five-plus innings in a rare start, leading Miami to an 11-2 victory Friday night over San Francisco in the NCAA Lincoln Region.

The Hurricanes (37-21) play in the winner's bracket tonight against Manhattan (33-21), which upset No. 6 national seed Nebraska 4-1. Chris Cody threw 142 pitches for Manhattan, which won in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1957.

Miami beat the Jaspers 12-2 in a regular-season game March 15.

The Dons (38-22), in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, meet Nebraska (42-16) in an elimination game Saturday afternoon.

Valencia's five RBIs were the most by a Miami player in the postseason since Danny Matienzo drove in six against Tennessee in the 2001 College World Series.

Valencia hit a bases-loaded single to put Miami up 5-0 in the second. Then in the sixth, after Danny Giles doubled and Jon Jay tripled, Valencia launched a three-run homer to left.

Dons' starter Scott Cousins (4-3) called it a night after Valencia's seventh homer of the season. Jason Dufloth relieved and saw Dennis Raben deposit his first pitch over the fence in left center.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Ben Lasater's run-scoring double in the bottom of the 16th gave College of Charleston a 5-4 victory over Notre Dame in a game that matched the second-longest game in NCAA Tournament history.

Lasater hit Kyle Weiland's pitch off the wall in the left-field corner, scoring pinch-runner Oliver Marmol.

It was the longest tournament game since South Alabama beat Clemson 2-1 in 16 innings in 1998. Clemson also was involved in the longest tournament game, a 3-2, 19-inning victory over Florida in 1988.

Justin Brashear and Mark Wright hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning to lift the host Rebels in the Oxford Region. Bethune-Cookman (30-26), the No. 4 seed, faces No. 2 seed Tulane today in an elimination game.

Pat Irvine's pinch hit, two-out single in the bottom of the eighth lifted Elon to its first ever NCAA Tournament victory in Clemson, S.C., in its second appearance.

Mike Ballard pitched 62/3 innings to remain almost unbeatable at home and Brandon Guyer went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs for the host Cavaliers in the Charlottesville Region. Ballard improved to 14-1 at Davenport Field over the past two seasons.

Matt Buschmann threw a six-hitter and Pedro Alvarez claimed a school record with one of Vanderbilt's three homers in Atlanta. Alvarez, a freshman, homered in the fifth, his 20th of the season to break a four-way tie for Vanderbilt's season record.

The game between Stetson and Georgia Tech in Atlanta was postponed until today because of rain; the teams will meet at 11 a.m.

[Last modified June 3, 2006, 01:29:10]