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SOUTH FLORIDA

Baseball

Two Grand Slams In Eighth Lift Bulls, 12-6

TAMPA - A solo shot in the second and two grand slams in the eighth inning gave the University of South Florida baseball team a 12-6 victory over Savannah State in the first game of a double-header Saturday afternoon at Red McEwen Field.

Junior outfielder Brian Hobbs launched a home run in the bottom of the second, then juniors Brandon Smith and Trey Manz each rocked grand slams in the bottom of the eighth to give USF its fourth win of the 2008 season.

The pair of grand slams in the eighth ties the NCAA team record for grand slams in an inning. The feat, which has now been done 22 times, was last achieved on April 10, 2005, by Quinnipiac against Mt. St. Mary's in the ninth inning.

USF had 11 hits in the game, six of which were in the eighth inning.

In the second inning, Hobbs sent the 2-0 pitch over the left field fence for the second home run of his USF career. The Bulls then threatened to strike again in both the fifth and seventh innings, but left three players stranded in both innings. USF left 11 players on base in the first game of the series with Savannah State.

After watching the Tigers score one in the fourth and sixth, then add four more in the eighth, 15 USF batters stepped to the plate in the bottom half of the inning, scoring 11 and giving the Bulls the 12-6 win.

Manz led off the eighth inning with a double to left center, then senior Joey Angelberger was walked and freshman Jonathan Koscso was hit by a pitch to load the bases for senior Eric Bauman, who drew a walk and picked up an RBI. Freshman Ryan Lockwood drew a walk, then Smith cracked a grand slam to right center, recording USF's second home run of the game, and first grand slam.

Juniors Addison Maruszak and Chris Rey drew walks and Hobbs singled up the middle in time for Manz to send a homer down the right field line, USF's second grand slam of the game, giving USF the six-run lead.

Still with no outs, Angelberger singled to left center and Koscso singled to left field before the Bulls were retired for the inning.

Five Bulls had two hits in the game, including Smith (2-for-4), Hobbs (2-for-4), Manz (2-for-3), Angelberger (2-for-3) and Koscso (2-for-4).

Sophomore Shawn Sanford picked up the win for USF, his second of the year. The right hander allowed a pair of runs from two hits in 0.1 IP. Sophomore Matt Quevedo started the game, allowing two runs from five hits and striking out six in 6.0 IP.

After a 45-minute break, the Bulls and Tigers will take the field again for the second game of the double header. The teams will conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

2nd game

Bulls Sweep Double Header

TAMPA - The University of South Florida baseball team completed the sweep of the double header against Savannah State with a 9-0 victory Saturday evening at Red McEwen Field.

USF won the first game 12-6 earlier in the afternoon.

Freshman RHP Randy Fontanez earned his first win of the year, striking out nine of his 25 batters faced. Fontanez allowed four hits and no runs in 70 IP.

Senior David Torcise and freshman Matt Stull each pitched one inning, not allowing a hit or a run, and picked up a strikeout apiece.

Offensively, the Bulls continued where they left off after the first game, scoring at least one run per inning through the first six innings of the second contest.

USF connected on 13 hits in the game, a season high, as eight of the nine starters for USF tallied a hit in the game.

In the first, freshman Ryan Lockwood singled then took second on a passed ball and stole second before a sac fly from junior Addison Maruszak scored USF's first run of the game. An inning later, junior Chris Rey doubled to center field then scored on a Tigers error, then a sac bunt from senior Joey Angelberger scored junior Brandon Smith, who reached on a walk.

USF scored three more over the next two innings as Lockwood doubled and freshman Jonathan Koscso, Rey and Smith all picked up singles for the Bulls.

The Bulls added two more in the fifth and one in the sixth before being held scoreless in the seventh, the first time in the contest. Smith, Angelberger, junior Brian Hobbs and sophomore Victor Pina all picked up singles for USF in the fifth and Maruszak and Hobbs collected singles in the sixth.

The Bulls and Tigers face off one last time, at 1 p.m. Sunday in Tampa, to complete the three-game series.

Men's tennis

Bulls Blank Eagles

TAMPA - The No. 34-ranked University of South Florida men's tennis team (8-3) swept their opponent for the second-straight match, downing the Boston College Eagles, 7-0, Friday afternoon at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts.

The hard work and preparation Barr has implemented the past few weeks has transitioned on to the court and the results are coming to fruition in doubles competition. The sweep against the eagles marked the fourth-straight match in which the Bulls have captured the doubles point. USF is 8-0 when winning the doubles point and 0-3 when falling behind their opponent after doubles competition.

Sophomore Thomas Estrada (8-3) was off the court first for the Bulls with his 6-2, 6-1 victory against Brian Locklear at the No. 5 spot. Last match versus Villanova, Estrada dropped four games in two sets, the most of any of his teammates. Barr's motivational techniques paid off as Estrada only dropped three games against Boston College, a team low.

Mahmoud Hamed (2-6) returned to the lineup for the first time in five matches, defeating Alex Rastorgouev at the No. 2 spot, 6-1, 6-4.

No. 78-ranked Lucas Jovita (8-3) continued his win-streak at the top singles spot, winning his sixth-straight, defeating Thomas Nolan, 6-3, 6-2.

Also picking up wins on the afternoon were Jamal Adderley (9-2), Diego Toledo (8-3) and Michael Nusslein (7-3).

The Bulls will look to add to their winning streak when they take on the Georgia State Panthers Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts.

SAINT LEO

Men's basketball

SAINT LEO MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM SEASON ENDS WITH 75-55 LOSS TO UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA IN SSC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS

All Five Tampa Starters Score in Double Figures to Lead Third Seed to Championship Game

Tampa - The seventh seeded Saint Leo University men's basketball team (14-15) suffered a season-ending 75-55 loss to the No. 3 seed University of Tampa (20-7) on Saturday afternoon in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Semifinal. Tampa will face top-seed Florida Southern College in the SSC Tournament Championship on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

All five Tampa starters scored in double figures to lead the Spartans to the win. Tampa forward Chris Evans scored a game-high 20 points, while fellow senior forward Jeremy Black registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

Saint Leo was led by sophomore Jordan Prais (Lakeland) who scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Junior Eric Sharper (Orlando) pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds in defeat for the Lions.

A closely played first half saw a total of seven lead changes and four ties, as neither team led by more than six points in the opening frame. The Lions held that six-point lead with 6:58 left in the first half when Walter Perkins (Fr., Valrico) hit back-to-back lay-ups. Tampa closed the half on an 11-4 run to take a one-point lead at the half.

The Spartans came out of the break, and carried on their run, scoring the opening seven points of the second half and 13 of the first 17 points overall in the second stanza. Saint Leo closed to within nine on three occasions, but Tampa used a 10-2 run to stretch its lead to 17 and put the game out of reach.

UT led by as many as 21 points down the stretch before settling for the final margin of 20 to advance to Sunday's title game.

Saint Leo shot 33.3% (20-of-60) for the game, and the Lions were just 5-of-27 (18.5%) in the second half. Meanwhile, Tampa shot 44.4% (24-of-54) from the floor in the contest. The Lions held the rebounding edge 42-35 overall, including a 16-7 advantage on the offensive glass.

The Spartans took advantage of Saint Leo's 17 turnovers, outscoring the Lions 24-4 in points off of turnovers and the home team also outscored SLU 14-0 in fast break points.

Baseball

SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY BASEBALL TEAM SPLITS SSC DOUBLEHEADER AT FLORIDA TECH

Melbourne- The Saint Leo University baseball team (17-7, 2-1 SSC) split a Sunshine State Conference doubleheader at Florida Tech (16-6-1, 3-3 SSC) on Saturday afternoon in Melbourne, Fla. Saint Leo stretched its winning streak to seven games with a 19-9 win in game one, but had the win streak snapped in a wild 17-15 loss in the seven-inning second half of the twinbill.

Kyle Hobbs (Jr., Dade City) and Jonathan Duncan (Jr., Starke) both went a combined 4-for-7 in the doubleheader. Hobbs five RBI, a home run and three runs scored, while Duncan registered an RBI and three doubles. Saint Leo senior 1B Brandin Daniel (Tampa) was a combined 3-for-8 with six RBI and four runs scored. Daniel finished the three-game weekend series with 13 total RBI.

The Lions followed Friday's 26-6 win in game one with another offensive performance in the first half of Saturday's doubleheader. Saint Leo scored three runs in the first to take an early lead. The Lions then erupted for 14 runs in the third inning, batting around the order twice in the inning and totaling 10 hits in the frame.

Tech cut the lead to 17-7 with runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but the Lions ended any hopes of a comeback with a two-run home run by Braulio Pardo (Jr., Land O'Lakes) in the top of the ninth. The Panthers added a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to provide the final score.

In game two Saint Leo again scored first, plating a pair of runs in the first inning including a leadoff homer by Hobbs. However, Tech answered with eight runs in the bottom half to take an 8-2 lead. Hobbs delivered another RBI with a single in the second to cut further into the Tech lead.

The Panthers made it 10-3 in the third and held an 11-5 advantage heading into the sixth inning. The Lions rallied in the top of the sixth, as they took their first lead of the game with nine runs in the inning to go in front 14-11. Tech regained its lead with six runs in the bottom of the sixth, and led 17-14 heading into the final inning.

With daylight getting short, Saint Leo made it a two-run game when Daniel singled up the middle to score Duncan who led off the inning with a double. The Lions had runners at first and second, but a game-ending double play helped the Panthers avoid a weekend series sweep.

The Lions will host Bentley College on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. in a non-conference game. Earlier this season, Saint Leo defeated Bentley 9-8 at Southard Stadium.

Lacrosse

SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY LACROSSE TEAM DEFEATS QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE 8-7

Kyle Marceau Scores Game-Tying and Winning Goals to Lead Come-From-Behind Victory

Charlotte, N.C. (March 8, 2008) - Kyle Marceau (So., Concord, N.H.) scored the game-tying goal with 4:05 left, and the game-winning goal with 59-seconds remaining to give the Saint Leo University lacrosse team (4-1) to an 8-7 road win over Queens University of Charlotte (1-5) on Saturday afternoon at the Queens University of Charlotte Sports Complex at Marion Diehl Park. The victory was the third straight for the Lions.

In addition to Marceau's two goals, junior Benjamin Brigham (Scituate, Mass.) scored three goals for the Lions. Ryan Pomponio (Jr., Garden City, N.Y.) also added a goal and assist in the win. Sophomore goalie DJ Garry (Greenwood, Ind.) made seven saves in net to earn the win and improve to 3-0 on the season.

The Royals took an early lead just 1:57 into the contest, and less than a minute later doubled their advantage. Saint Leo came to life late in the first quarter, as Pomponio and Brigham scored goals 1:07 apart to tie the game at 2-2 after one quarter.

The second quarter produced two goals, one for each team. Chris Storrie (Jr., Syracuse, N.Y.) scored first for the Lions and Nick Mezzanotte tied the game for Queens off of an assist from Corey Thomas.

Two goals just eight seconds apart to start the third quarter gave Queens a two goal cushion, 5-3. Brigham cut the two-goal lead down to one less than a minute after Boyle's goal, but Boyle tallied his second goal of the game to increase the lead to two again. Brigham notched a last second goal to put the Lions within one entering the fourth quarter.

Saint Leo's Nick Bova tied the game at 6-6 with just five minutes remaining in the game, but Randy Jones gave Queens the one-goal lead again with just 4:30 seconds to spare. 25-seconds after Jones' goal Marceau tied the game again, and the sophomore struck again for the go-ahead and game-winning goal with 59 ticks left on the clock

The Lions will face No. 3 Limestone College on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in Gaffney, S.C.

FLORIDA

Baseball

Weidig Pitches Brown Past Florida, 11-2

GAINESVILLE - Sophomore Will Weidig (1-1) went eight strong innings as Brown (3-2) captured the first game of a doubleheader against Florida (8-3) with an 11-2 victory on Saturday afternoon at McKethan Stadium. The right-hander from Katy, Texas, held the Gators scoreless until the sixth inning and the Bears used a three-run homer in the sixth by sophomore Nick Pual (1-for-5) and a four-run eighth to take the opener of the three-game set. Weidig registered seven strikeouts, scattered five hits and permitted two walks for the defending Ivy League champions.

The Bears seized a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a one-out single by senior Conor Reardon (2-for-3) off sophomore Billy Bullock (Balm, Fla.) (1-2). Senior Ryan Murphy (2-for-5, two runs) opened the frame with a bunt single, moved to second on a wild pitch and took third on a passed ball. Reardon sliced a base-hit through the right side of the infield to score his teammate and snap UF's string of 20.1 scoreless innings before Bullock induced an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.

Brown increased its advantage to 2-0 the next inning on a double to left by senior J.J. Eno. Freshman Ryan Zrenda had reached on a one-out error by sophomore shortstop Cole Figueroa (Tallahassee) and Eno roped a 0-1 offering from Bullock over junior left fielder Avery Barnes' (High Springs) head for his fourth RBI.

Murphy prevented the Gators from getting on the board in the bottom of the fifth when he robbed sophomore Clayton Pisani (Naples) of a potential homer with a leaping grab at the wall in left field. Pual cranked a three-run shot with two down in the sixth to give the Bears a 5-0 cushion. Murphy opened the stanza with an infield hit and was sacrificed to second by junior Matt Nuzzo. Bullock issued a walk to Reardon and then caught junior Robert Papenhause looking on strikes for his fifth K. Pual launched the right-hander's next offering just out of Barnes' reach for his first round-tripper of the year.

The Gators used a sacrifice fly by Figueroa and an RBI single by sophomore Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale) to close the gap to 5-2 in the home part of the frame. Barnes connected on his second double of the afternoon with one down and freshman Josh Adams (Jacksonville) followed with a single for runners on the corners. Soon after, Figueroa lofted his third sac fly to straightaway center field for his team-leading 19th RBI. After a walk to senior Jon Townsend (London, Ky.), den Dekker rifled a single into left on a 3-2 pitch from Weidig to drive in Adams. The hurler worked out of a further trouble by having sophomore Jonathan Pigott (Ormond Beach) line out to third to strand the two runners.

Junior J.K. LaCoste (Jacksonville) replaced Bullock (6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 5 K, 1 BB) prior to seventh and plunked Eno and junior Steve Daniels with one down. The righty had Murphy ground into a 4-6-3 double play to keep UF down by three. Brown tacked on four insurance runs on three hits and two errors in the eighth to build a 9-2 lead. The Bears loaded the bases with none out, as Nuzzo reached on a throwing error by Figueroa and the duo of Reardon and Papenhause singled. Sophomore Tony Davis (Cooper City) was summoned from the bullpen for LaCoste (1.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER) and uncorked a wild pitch to allow Nuzzo to score. After having Pual ground out, Davis walked Zrena intentionally to fill the sacks. Freshman Matt Colantonio poked an infield single to score sophomore pinch runner Chris Tanabe and a fielder's choice by Eno brought in Papenhause. A throwing miscue by Figueroa on the play also enabled Zrenda to come in for a seven-run lead for the visitors.

The Bears plated two more runs on three hits in the ninth off freshman reliever Cody Barnes (Sanadvanced to second on a wild pitch before Tanabe earned a free pass. Papenhause delivered an RBI base-knock up the middle and Zrenda later added a run-scoring single to finalize the 11-2 margin.

Brown out-hit the Gators by a 12-6 count, as three players turned in multiple-hit outings. For Florida, Avery Barnes was 2-for-4 and Pigott extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a ninth-inning double off senior Anthony Vita (1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K). Junior RHP Patrick Keating (Harrisburg, Ill.) (1-0, 0.96) will start game two of the twinbill against Brown senior RHP Alex Silverman (1-0, 2.57).

Game 2

Avery Barnes' Walk-Off Single Helps Florida Split With Brown, 8-7

GAINESVILLE - Junior Avery Barnes (High Springs) delivered a pinch-hit single with the bases full in the bottom of the ninth to lift Florida (9-3) over Brown (3-3) and forge a split of Saturday's doubleheader at McKethan Stadium. The Bears had captured the opener, 11-2. In the nightcap, the Gators trailed 3-0 in the fourth and 7-2 in the sixth before tying the score with a three-run seventh. Sophomore Clint Franklin (Orlando) (2-0) threw a career-high four innings without yielding a run to notch the victory.

Senior Bryson Barber (Pensacola) (2-for-3, two runs) opened the final frame with a single up the middle off senior Rob Hallberg (0-1). Freshman Chris Freshcorn (Tampa) laid down a bunt to advance his teammate into scoring position but Hallberg threw the ball into the outfield, leaving runners on the corners. Following an intentional walk to senior Jon Townsend (London, Ky.) (2-for-3, three RBI) that filled the sacks, Barnes drove a 2-2 pitch just above the reach of junior shortstop Matt Nuzzo to plate Barber with the decisive run. "It was exciting getting the winning hit," Barnes said. "I think as a team we did a good job tonight of battling back. Although we got down early, we didn't lose focus. Fortunately we were able to come back and get it done at the end. This was a great win for our ballclub."

Brown started the scoring in the third inning on an RBI grounder by senior Conor Reardon. Junior Steve Daniels (2-for-3) drew a leadoff walk from junior Patrick Keating (Harrisburg, Ill.) but was erased on a fielder's choice by senior Ryan Murphy. A base-hit through the right side by Nuzzo gave the Bears runners on the corners and Reardon's ground ball to first base gave the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Bears seized a 3-0 advantage on back-to-back RBI singles in the fourth by senior J.J. Eno (2-for-5) and Daniels. Sophomore Nick Pual (2-for-4) opened the inning by being hit by a pitch and freshman Matt Colantonio (3-for-4) delivered a single before freshman Ryan Zrenda sacrificed his teammates into scoring position with a bunt. After allowing the consecutive run-scoring hits, Keating had Murphy ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the stanza.

UF countered with a run of its own in the bottom of inning when Townsend drove in sophomore Jonathan Pigott (Ormond Beach) with a two-out single. Pigott struck out to start the inning but reached on a wild pitch by senior Alex Silverman. He reached second on a wild pitch, moved to third on Barber's grounder and scored on Townsend's hit to the edge of the grass behind second base.

The visitors loaded the sacks with one down in the fifth but could not pad its two-run edge. Keating retired the leadoff batter, Nuzzo, and was replaced by junior Stephen Locke (Tampa). Over 4.1 innings, Keating gave up six hits and three runs and matched his season high of four strikeouts. Locke committed a fielding error on Reardon's bunt and then let loose a wild pitch to push the runner to second. After issuing a walk to junior Robert Papenhause, the southpaw yielded a single to Pual to fill the bases. However, he worked out of the jam by fanning

Colantonio and having Zrenda ground out. Senior Brandon McArthur's (Seffner) fielder's choice pulled the Gators within 3-2 in the home part of the fifth. Sophomore Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale) poked a leadoff single and was sacrificed over by freshman Josh Adams (Jacksonville, Fla.). Sophomore Cole Figueroa (Tallahassee) reached on an error for runners on the corners and McArthur collected his 12th RBI with a grounder to third. The Bears exploded for four runs on four hits to create a 7-2 bulge in the sixth. Eno singled up the middle, Daniels was hit by pitch and fielder's choice by Murphy loaded the bases with none out. Nuzzo deposited a RBI single into center for a 4-2 margin and prompted a pitching change. Franklin took over for Locke (0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R) and popped up sophomore Chris Tanabe before surrendering a two-run single into left center by Papenhause and a two-out hit by Colantonio for a five-run Brown lead.

Florida came right back with a pair of runs in the inning to close the gap to 7-4. Barber was hit by a pitch and Townsend registered his second career triple with one down before sophomore Buddy Munroe (Miami) lofted a sac fly to center field to end the night for Silverman. Over 5.2 innings, the righty struck out eight batters, allowed six hits was charged with four runs (three earned). Sophomore reliever Matt Boylan had den Dekker foul out to end the inning.

Franklin retired the Bears 1-2-3 in the seventh and his teammates responded with three runs to knot the game at 7-7. Adams began the frame with his team-leading third homer to right field. Following a walk to Figueroa, Brown made the call to senior Peter Moskal out of the bullpen. The righty walked McArthur and Pigott beat out a bunt to increase his hitting streak to 16 games and load the bases. After Barber was hit by a pitch for the second time in the contest, bringing home Figueroa, Moskal struck out freshman Chris Freshcorn (Tampa). Townsend lofted his initial sac fly of the year to even the score and the reliever fanned Munroe to leave the runners on the corners.

The Gators threatened in the eighth, as Figueroa and McArthur collected back-to-back two-out singles off senior Anthony Vita. Hallberg uncorked a wild pitch on his first throw from the mound to advance the runners into scoring position but recovered to have Pigott fly out to right.

Each squad finished with 12 hits and committed three errors. The quartet of Adams, Barber, Figueroa and Townsend had two hits each for UF, while Colantonio led the Bears with a 3-for-4 outing. Freshman Tommy Toledo (Tampa) (1-0, 3.60) will start tomorrow's finale at 1 p.m. for the Gators against either Brown freshman RHP Josh Feit (0-0, 0.00) or freshman RHP Matthew Kimball (0-0, 180).

Track and field

T&F's Williams Posts Season-Best Mark In Weight Throw At Virginia Tech Last Chance

BLACKSBURG, Va. - University of Florida senior Shawneise Williams (Archer, Fla.) fired a season-best 20.17m/66-2.25 in the women's weight throw on Saturday at the Virginia Tech Last Chance, moving into the top-15 nationally and making a strong bid for an invitation to the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Williams, who achieved the mark on her first attempt, finished third in the competition, and stood in a tie for 13th on the NCAA descending order list when the action concluded. Sixteen athletes gained entrance to the national meet in 2007, with the distance cutoff falling at 20.13m/66-0.50.

The performance came a day after freshman Liene Karsuma (Riga, Latvia) took advantage of a last-chance opportunity in the women's high jump with an automatic-qualifying mark of 1.85m/6-0.75 - a leap that also tied the UF record - at the Arkansas Last Chance Qualifier in Fayetteville. Junior Willie Perry (Lenoir, N.C.) also had a productive trip to the Arkansas campus, finishing the men's 200m with an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 21.05 that moved him into position for a berth in the NCAA meet.

The Gators will now wait to finalize their squad for the NCAA Indoor Championships before heading back to Fayetteville for the competition, which is slated to take place from March 14-15 at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Softball

The No. 5 Florida Softball team (26-1, 2-0 SEC) opened the Southeastern Conference portion of the season with a doubleheader sweep of Ole Miss (13-6, 0-2 SEC), winning both games by a score of 4-3, in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon. The Gators tallied 14 hits in the two games, including six for extra bases.

Late inning heroics by senior Mary Ratliff (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) gave Florida its first SEC win of the season. With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, junior Kim Waleszonia (Fontana, Calif.) led off with a single to center field. Freshman Aja Paculba (Wildomar, Calif.) followed with an infield base hit. Two batters later, with two outs, Ratliff stepped up to the plate and knocked the game-winning single to right field, scoring Waleszonia for the 4-3 win.

Florida got on the board first, as the bottom half of the lineup came up with Florida's first hits of the game in the bottom of the second. Ratliff led off the inning with a base hit to right center. She advanced to second on a ground out to short by freshman Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.). Junior Kristina Hilberth (Dunedin) reached on an infield base hit. A sophomore Corrie Brooks (Christmas, Fla.) double to center plated Ratliff and advanced Hilberth to third. Waleszonia brought Hilberth home with a sacrifice fly to left for a 2-0 Gator lead.

Ole Miss came back to take a one-run lead in the top of the fourth. Three straight walks from Florida junior pitcher Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) loaded the bases for the Rebels. Michelle May reached on a fielder's choice as Brooks connected to Hilberth to throw Lauren Grill out at the plate. Lauren Rowe reached on a Gator error, allowing Ashley Dowdy to score and leaving the bases still loaded. An Aly Presswood base hit tied the game at 1-1. Morgan Button grounded out to second for the second out of the inning, but May came home to give put the Rebels up by one.

A Bush home run, her fourth of the season, tied the game at 3-3 in the home half of the fourth.

Ole Miss loaded the bases on three walks with one out in the sixth inning, but Florida's defense shut them down. Nelson struck out Alise Doubt and Lisa Conchos lined out to junior Brooke Johnson (Lakeland) for the last out. Nelson (15-1) gave up only two hits in the win, but walked eight. She also struck out seven Rebel batters. Tara Willit started the game for Ole Miss, but was relieved by Lindsey Perry to start the fifth. Perry took the loss, evening her record at 2-2. The Ole Miss pitchers gave up 10 hits, walked four and struck out three Gators.

The Gators scored first again in the second game of the doubleheader to end the second inning leading 2-0. With one out, junior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) knocked a double to center field. Ratliff followed with a RBI triple, the first of her career. Ratliff came home on a sacrifice fly to left by Waleszonia. Ole Miss narrowed Florida's lead to 2-1 in the top of the fifth as Doubt scored on a Grill RBI single up the middle.

Florida stretched the lead again in the fifth. Hilberth led off with a single up the middle. Brooks followed with a perfectly laid bunt single. Waleszonia hit the Gators second triple of the game, her third of the season, to score Hilberth and Brooks for the 4-1 advantage. Ole Miss caused some trouble in the top of the seventh as Grill hit a one-out home run with a runner on to bring the Rebels within one. Nelson came in the game to relieve freshman hurler Stephanie Brombacher (Pembroke Pines). Nelson gave up a hit to the first batter she faced, but followed that with a strikeout for the second out of the inning. Dowdy was able to move to third on two wild pitches and Rowe walked to put runners on first and third, but Nelson took care of business, striking out Button for the final out of the game to preserve the 4-3 win.

Brombacher moved to 10-0 on the season, while Nelson earned her second save. The Gators were out hit for only the second time all season as Brombacher scattered eight hits, while Ole Miss pitcher Becky Nye (6-2) gave up six to the Gators in the loss. The two teams will close out the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Men's golf

Horschel In 10th, No. 9 UF Men's Golf In 10th At Southern Highlands Collegiate

LAS VEGAS - Junior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) maintained his top-10 placing with an even-par 72 on Saturday as the No. 9 University of Florida men's golf team completed the second round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship in 10th place.

The Gators shot a 13-over total of 301 after recording a 5-over 293 on Friday. The cumulative 18-over par total of 594 puts Florida at 10th overall and five strokes back of seventh place Arizona State. No. 1 Georgia posted the low round of the day at the Southern Highlands Golf Club on Saturday with a 3-under 285 to leap four spots to first on the leaderboard. Host UNLV is two shots back at even par, and No. 3 Charlotte is in third place at 2-over. First day leader No. 7 Southern Cal dropped four spots to fourth after firing a 7-over 295 on Saturday. Horschel entered the day in a tie for 10th and that is where the junior remained after the second round. He got off to a stellar start with birdies one holes one and three. At 2-under for his round through five holes, he gave a stroke back with a bogey five on the par-4 sixth and later took a double bogey on the par-5 ninth.

Horschel rallied for birdies on two of his first three holes to start the back nine, but a bogey on the par-5 13th hole left him at even for the round. He closed with five straight pars for a round of 72 that put him at 1-under overall for the tournament with two other players. Among the two is former U.S. Walker Cup teammate Rickie Fowler of Oklahoma State, who shot a 1-over 73 in round two.

Georgia's Hudson Swafford entered the day in sixth place but carded a 6-under 66 to take a commanding four shot lead heading into the final day. Swafford recorded four birdies on his front nine and added an eagle on the back nine with no bogeys. Five players are at 4-under overall for second place. Senior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) posted a 3-over 85 on Saturday to drop to 20th place. Villegas, who is 3-over overall, rolled in a birdie on his first hole but later bogeyed five of his next 11 holes. However, the senior was able to pick up a stroke with two birdies and a bogey the rest of the way.

Senior Tyler Brown (Jacksonville) and junior Toby Ragland (Jacksonville) are in a six-way tie for 44th place after firing rounds of 76 (+4) and 78 (+6), respectively. Brown was 1-under on his round before heading to the seventh hole that began a streak of three straight bogeys. He played his final nine holes at 2-over and is 8-over overall.

Ragland tallied a 5-over 41 on the front nine, but improved with a 1-over total of 37 on the back nine. He closed with back-to-back birdies on the par-4 16th and the par-3 17th. Junior Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.) shot an 8-over 80 on Saturday and is tied for 69th place at 15-over overall. Final round tee times get underway at 11 a.m. ET Sunday. Live scoring is available at www.Golfstat.com.

FLORIDA STATE

Softball

Seminoles Shutout Huskies And Mountaineers

TALLAHASSEE- Florida State returns home to host its final tournament, the FSU Invitational, and shutouts both Connecticut and Appalachian State Saturday, March 7, on JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex. The Seminoles are now 14-9 after defeated the Huskies 7-0 and the Mountaineers 2-0.

Notching her third win of the season against UConn was senior Tiffany McDonald who struck-out 11 and gave up only three hits with zero walks and zero runs. McDonald now leads the Seminole pitching staff with a 1.40 season ERA and is tied for first with three shutouts.

Freshman and ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 18), Ashley Stager , pounded her first career home run against the Huskies in the bottom of the sixth to score the seventh run of the game and seal the win for FSU. Stager's homer over the left field wall was one of two hits for the Trinity, Fla., native who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI's to bring her season average to .262.

Sophomore Carly Wynn also went 2-for-3 in game one, scoring one run and stealing two bases from UConn. The ACC leader in the hits category, Whitney Buckmon , got two hits, one RBI and scored one run for the Seminoles, bringing her total to 30 hits and a team-leading .385 average.

Senior Brittany Osmon went 1-for-2 with one RBI and one run, while sophomore Robin Ahrberg also went 1-for-2 but had two RBI's and one run scored in the 7-0 win.

"Tiffany [McDonald] threw really well today," Seminole head coach JoAnne Graf said. "I think we were able to get the jump on Connecticut early and I'm glad we were able to maintain it."

With less than 30 minutes to prepare, the Seminoles headed into their second and last game of the day against the Appalachian State Mountaineers who suffered a 7-1 loss to Georgia State earlier in the day. The Mountaineers, who have won just one game all season, are 1-14 following the 2-0 shutout to Florida State.

Sophomore Terese Gober takes the win and nearly threw a no-hitter against Appalachian State. Gober, now 6-6 with a 1.85 ERA, gave up a single hit and struck out seven while allowing only two walks.

"Terese [Gober] also threw really well against App. State," Graf said. "She did a good job at shutting them down early."

Osmon led the Seminoles against the Mountaineers; going 2-for-3 with one run scored and is now batting .349 on the season. Ahrberg and fellow sophomore Camille Garcia each got one hit in two at-bats, with Garcia and freshman Kristie McConn recording the two RBI's for FSU.

Stager scored the other run for Florida State and was hit by Appalachian State pitcher, Yancy Moose, twice in the second a sixth innings. Stager is tied with Buckmon at four for number of times each were hit by a pitch this season.

With two wins under their belt at the end of day one, the Seminoles will face Georgia State, also 2-0 in the tournament, at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, followed by the championship rounds beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Follow all the action with Game Tracker and listen to live internet radio provided by Stretch Internet by logging onto Seminoles.com.

Baseball

Villanueva Tosses Complete Game As FSU Downs Maryland 5-4

Tallahassee - Florida State starter Elih Villanueva went the distance as the Seminoles hung on for a 5-4 victory over Maryland in game one of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium. In the conference opener for both team, the Seminoles (10-0, 1-0) scored all five runs in the first four innings to extend their winning streak to 31 straight games over the Terps (5-5, 0-1), while running their all-time record in the series to 52-3.

Villanueva (3-0) was the story in game one as he threw the first nine-inning complete game for the Seminoles since Tyler Chambliss went nine innings back on March 11, 2006 in a 6-2 Florida State victory over Maryland. The junior right hander gave up four runs, two earned, on five hits as he walked just one and struck out a season-high eight batters.

"It was pretty exciting," said Villanueva on his complete game performance. "Last year, I ate up a lot of innings in JUCO and had eight complete games. With my first two starts and only going five innings, this game was pretty huge especially to go out there and save the bullpen."

Five Seminoles recorded a pair of hits in the first game, while Ohmed Danesh drove in the first two runs of the game on his first triple of the season. In his first start at second base in 2008, Tommy Oravetz went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored.

Florida State got on the board first with a one out 2-RBI triple to deep center field by Danesh in the bottom of the second. Tony Delmonico started the inning with a bunt to single to third and moved to second on a walk by designated hitter Mike McGee. Danesh stepped in and drilled the ball to center field scoring Delmonico and McGee for an early 2-0 lead. With Tyler Holt at the plate, Maryland starter Scott Swinson (1-2) unleashed a wild pitch to score Danesh for a three run advantage.

In the third, the Seminoles added to their lead on a Dennis Guinn home run. The senior first baseman took a 3-2 offering from Swinson out of the ball park in left for his team leading fifth round tripper of the season and 22nd of his career.

Florida Stated pushed its lead to 5-0 in the fourth as the Seminoles put together a run on two-outs. Oravetz got things started legging out a double down the line in right. Following a walk to Buster Posey, right fielder Jack Rye pushed a single through the left side scoring Oravetz from second for a five run lead.

Maryland finally broke through with a pair of runs in the fifth off Villanueva. The Terrapins loaded the bases with two outs and got a two-run single to left by Bill Rice. Jensen Pupa led off the inning with a single up the middle but after a strikeout and a fly out, Villanueva gave up a single to AJ Casario and then a walk to Steve Braun. Pupa and Casario would score on Rice's single to left. The junior right hander would get out of trouble as he got catcher Chad Durakis looking on strikes.

Villanueva once again found his groove after the two-run fifth retiring the Terps in order in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. He set down 11 straight Maryland batters before Mike Murphy's single to left field with one out in the ninth.

The Terrapins made things interesting after the Murphy base hit as the next batter Jensen Pupa reached base on a fielding error by Danesh in left. Battling the sun and a blustery wind, the ball bounced off the glove of Danesh to score Murphy from first. Pupa would advance to third on a throw to the plate. Will Greenburg stepped in and sent a sacrifice fly to left scoring Pupa to cut the Seminole lead to one. But that was as close as the Terrapins would come as Villanueva got Nick Jowers to fly out to Holt in center for the final out of the game and his first career complete game as a Seminole.

Villanueva threw 126 pitches on Saturday to remain perfect on the year at 3-0. He has tallied 19 strikeouts in 19.1 innings of work while posting a season ERA of 3.26.

"My slider worked for me really well today and it helped keep the hitters off balanced," added Villanueva. "Pretty much that is my ball game; I go out there and try to pitch, not to throw. That was the best I felt this year."

Game 2

Florida State Blanks Maryland 16-0 In Game Two

Tallahassee - Game two of a doubleheader on Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium may have featured some cold temperatures Saturday evening but it was the Florida State (11-0, 2-0) bats that were on fire as the Seminoles blanked Maryland (5-6, 0-2) 16-0 in front of a crowd of 4,532. FSU pounded out 14 hits in game two reaching the double-digit hit plateau for the 11th straight game to start the season. The Seminoles have now won 32 straight games against the Terrapins.

With the doubleheader sweep, Florida State has now won all 17 series against Maryland since joining the ACC in 1992. The Garnet and Gold leads the all-time series 53-3 including a mark of 27-2 at home. Dating back to the last league series in 2006 against NC State, the Seminoles have won 11 of their last 12 ACC series.

"We had some really strong pitching for us no doubt about it," said head coach Mike Martin. "Elih pitched extremely well and Matt Fairel had a great outing. We are very excited about the way our guys played. We know that tomorrow is another day, so we have to be ready to go."

The Seminoles once again got another strong performance from sophomore Matt Fairel (3-0). The southpaw from Winter Haven, Fla., worked seven scoreless innings to tie a career-high. He allowed seven hits and walked two while tying another career-high with seven strikeouts. Fairel has now pitched 10.1 consecutive scoreless innings.

"I felt comfortable out there tonight," said Fairel. "My defense picked me up a lot; they helped me out two or three times. Tony Delmonico and Jack Rye made some great plays that really helped me out to preserve the shutout."

Offensively, left fielder Ruairi O'Connor had a big game going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. In his career against Maryland, O'Connor has registered six hits with four runs and six runs batted in. Buster Posey and Jack Rye also collected a pair of hits in game two.

Tyler Holt, the ACC leader in on-base percentage, improved on that number in game two as he reached base on four of his six at-bats. The freshman centerfielder drew three base-on-balls and a single while scoring twice and driving in a pair. Tommy Oravetz, who got his second start of the season at second base, scored twice, drove in two runs and walked two times. Jimmy Marshall and Nick Vickerson each picked up their first collegiate hit on a single to right field in the eighth.

The Florida State offense gave Fairel some breathing room right off the bat thanks to a five-run first inning. The first five batters reached on a leadoff walk by Holt and four straight hits by Oravetz, Posey, Rye and Tony Delmonico. All five of those batters would come around to score. O'Connor's RBI single to centerfield ended the night for Terrapin starter Kevin Biringer (1-1), who lasted just two-thirds of an inning in his second start of the season.

The Seminoles increased their lead to 8-0 in the third on back-to-back sacrifice flies by Holt and Oravetz scoring designated hitter Mike McGee and third baseman Stuart Tapley. O'Connor would score the third run of the inning on a fielding error by Maryland pitcher Mike Sufozynski.

In the sixth, Florida State added three more runs on two consecutive doubles by Tapley and O'Connor. Tapley laced a double down the line in left to score Delmonico who drew a walk. After a Maryland pitching change, O'Connor greeted Brett Jones with a double to right to score Dennis Guinn and Tapley.

Florida State would bat around for the second time in the game putting a five spot on the board in the eighth. The Seminoles sent 10 batters to plate collecting five hits and two base-on-balls.

Bo O'Dell and Jimmy Marshall each pitched an inning in relief contributing to the combined shutout. The last time the Seminoles shutout an opponent was on March 27, 2007 as Florida State defeated North Florida 6-0. The last shutout posted by FSU in an ACC game came in game three of last year against Boston College as the Seminoles blanked the Eagles 7-0.

With the 16 runs on Saturday night, Florida State has now scored 10 or more runs in 29 of the 56 all-time games against Maryland.

"To start out 2-0 in the ACC is really big," added Fairel. "Every game that you win in this league counts for something. You got to get up for every game; you can't afford to lose to anyone. There are so many great teams in this league."

Florida State will return to the diamond to face Maryland on Sunday, March 9 in the series finale. Senior Ryan Strauss will take the mound in his second start of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 pm. The game will be broadcast live on ACC Select, while faces can also catch the action on gametracker and over the radio on 100.7 FM.

Track and field

The Seminoles pick up four automatic and three provisional marks.

Ames, Iowa - With a week left before the NCAA Indoor Championships, Florida State track and field took advantage of two last chance meets in the Midwest to secure three more automatic bids and four provisional marks. Including the results from this weekend's Iowa State and Arkansas last chance meets, the Seminoles will most likely be sending 12 men and three women to Fayetteville, Ark. March 13 to try and win the program's first national indoor title.

"It was a pretty good weekend for us," said head coach Bob Braman . "Everyone gave it a good shot. We got done what we had to get done, which was to get Walt [Dix] , Charles [Clark] and the men's relay into the national championships."

At Iowa State, senior seven-time national champion and 15-time All-American Dix posted his best 60m mark of the season in the semi-finals as he clocked a first-place time of 6.63 for his second automatic bid to NCAA Indoors. Sophomore and fellow All-American Clark flew through the 200m dash to post a first-place, automatic qualifying time of 20.83, his best of the season. Dix and Clark also notched a fourth-place automatic mark in the men's 4x400m relay with teammates Tywayne Buchanan and Pablo Navarette , as they crossed the line in 3:07.41.

"It was great to have Tywayne back running the leadoff leg in the relay," said Braman. The race in Iowa was Buchanan's first competition since injuring himself at the New Balance Invite in February.

Elsewhere in competition, senior Andrew Krummins improved on his provisional mark from earlier in the season with a 1:49.23 in the men's 800m run. Freshmen Brandon Byram and Kamorean Hayes also posted provisional marks. Byram notched a third-place 21.20 in the 200m, his collegiate best while Hayes tossed a fifth-place 50'08.25" in the women's shot put.

In Arkansas at the site of next week's championships, freshman Brian Chibudu posted his career-best long jump of 25'01.75" for his first provisional mark of the season.

"Going into the national championships, we've got 12 athletes on the men's side which should give us a decent advantage-we will probably be co-favorites," said Braman. "For the women, we will be relying on three powerhouses- Susan [Kuijken] , Hannah [England] and Kim [Williams] . So we are definitely looking at two top ten teams here."

The Seminoles will head back to Fayetteville for the national meet March 14-15. Last year the men finished second while the women ended the meet tied for 30th.

ECKERD

Baseball

ST. PETERSBURG - Eckerd College (8-12, 1-3 SSC) scored only mustered two runs in the first inning and then were shut out by visiting Lynn University (12-7, 1-0 SSC) as they fell 13-2 in the opening game of a Sunshine State Conference series at Turley Field on Saturday night. The series concludes with a doubleheader tomorrow at noon.

[Last modified March 8, 2008, 23:36:34]