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SEC home teams continue dominance
Through two and a half weeks of conference play, SEC home teams are winning at a 38-14 clip (.731). The home team has clinched all four series that started Thursday.
— Arkansas got a walkoff single from Hudson White in a 10-inning 4-3 victory over LSU to clinch the series. Peyton Stovall has three hits for the Razorbacks, who clinched the series with the win. LSU is now 2-6 in SEC play and faces Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the next two weeks. The Tigers are trying to break the curse that the last two College World Series champions—Mississippi State in 2022 and Ole Miss in 2023—did not even make the SEC Tournament in the next season.
— Some have questioned the Georgia schedule and attributed the offensive prowess – Georgia leads the nation in home runs – to a weak non-conference slate. After struggling at Kentucky, losing all three games to open SEC play, that might have had merit. But Georgia swept a three-game series from Alabama last weekend and run-ruled fourth-ranked Tennessee 16-2 Friday night. Corey Collins slugged two home runs, and Kolby Branch went 3-for-3 in the 14-hit attack. Charlie Goldstein held a potent Tennessee lineup to only two unearned runs in six innings.
— Florida juggled the rotation, going to closer Brandon Neely instead of Cade Fisher to start versus Mississippi State on Friday. Neely was sharp in the first three innings before allowing five runs in the fourth. Fisher worked 3.1 relief innings, and Luke McNeillie struck out the side in the ninth. Florida trailed 6-2 in the eighth and 6-4 in the ninth before walking it off on Cade Kurland’s RBI single. Ty Evans and Tanner Garrison homered for the Gators, who rebounded from the large deficit to steal a 7-6 victory.
NEVER COUNT US OUT ⚡#GoGators // 📺 SEC Network+ pic.twitter.com/FyJ9nEwSv5
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 30, 2024
— Alabama used a seven-run eighth inning to break a tie and defeat South Carolina 13-6 to clinch the series win. Gage Miller went 3-for-4, Ian Petrutz had a homer and five RBIs, and Evan Sleight had a homer and a double in the win. Ben Hess started and took a no-hitter into the fifth, striking out eight, but the wheels came off, and four relievers took over from there. Also, Alabama announced that Hagan Banks, the Sunday starter in SEC play, had surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
— Texas A&M clinched a series win over Auburn with a 12-8 win Friday. The Aggies slugged five home runs, with Braden Montgomery hitting two and Jace LaViolette, Ali Camarillo, and Caden Sorrell all hitting one. Cooper McMurray and Ike Irish both homered for Auburn in the loss, which drops the Tigers to 1-7 in SEC play.
Another for good measure. 🫧#GigEm x @B_mont_ pic.twitter.com/2rkn7KERAl
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) March 30, 2024
— Kentucky improved to 6-1 in SEC play with a 5-3 win at Ole Miss. Trey Pooser started and allowed six hits and three runs – two earned, with five strikeouts and one walk. Johnny Hummel worked his way out of a bases-loaded situation to collect the save.
— Bryce Cunningham allowed just three baserunners over seven scoreless innings as Vanderbilt clinched a series win with a 4-0 victory over Missouri. Cunningham struck out 12 in the win. In the first two games against Missouri, the Commodore pitching staff hasn’t allowed an earned run and has registered 25 strikeouts while holding the Tigers to four hits.
Double-digit dude 🔒
Cunningham carves up his 10th batter tonight. pic.twitter.com/nJyGlW2ua3
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) March 30, 2024
ACC home woes
Road teams won six of the seven games Friday night in ACC play.
— North Carolina slugged four home runs, including a pair from Casey Cook, in a 6-5 win at Wake Forest. Cook drove in four runs, as UNC handed Chase Burns his first loss of the year. The flamethrower struck out 14 and didn’t walk a batter, but he did allow nine hits and six runs in 6.1 innings.
— Virginia set up a huge rubber game Saturday with a 7-3 win at Duke Friday. Griff O’Ferrall had two hits including a double and three RBI for the Cavaliers.
— Clemson evened its series at Miami with a 3-2 win. Four Tigers’ arms held Miami to seven hits while making the most of their six hits.
#Clemson pulled out a gritty win to even the series in Coral Gables. 🐅
🎥 Clemson vs. Miami (Fla.) Highlights ➡️ 3/29/24 pic.twitter.com/fJkAkng4O7
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) March 30, 2024
— Louisville took advantage of four Florida State errors to even the series with a 5-2 win in Tallahassee. The Cardinals made the most of their five hits as Logan Beard…
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