AUSTIN, Texas — After catching Cal State Fullerton and Baylor on Friday, it was time to make the short hour drive up Interstate 35 for the doubleheader between Hawaii and Texas.
The first matchup of the day pitted Hawaii talented junior left-handed pitcher Scott Squier against Texas lefty Dillon Peters, who was terrific last weekend at the Houston College Classic. On this day, though, Squier had the better performance in a 6-1 Hawaii win, while the second game was postponed with a 2-2 score in the eighth inning.
Squier was a rather interesting pitcher to watch. He’s got a skinny frame at 6-foot-5, 190 pounds, but he was an effective, though not overwhelming, prospect. Squier worked very fast, had a consistent delivery and command, and did a nice job of hiding the ball, not taking it out of his glove until the last possible moment.
Stuff-wise, Squier showed last summer he had the ability to get up to 92 and 93, but on a day that included mid-40s temperatures, along with a steady mist/rain, his fastball topped out at 90 and had some sink to it. Squier also flashed a mid-80s slider, low-80s changeup and a soft 71-72 curveball.
He finished the afternoon with two strikeouts, four walks, while allowing a run on two hits in seven innings. Meanwhile, Peters had a very uncharacteristic performance, allowing six runs on seven hits in five innings. Peters’ command was iffy at best while he topped out at 91 with his fastball.
Offensively, Hawaii had an aggressive lineup with some good approaches, making Sunday’s finale a rather intriguing game to follow.
TEAM OF THE DAY
Houston
The Cougars have shown a lot of potential so far this season, so it probably shouldn’t come as a huge surprise they’re 2-0 in the Dodgertown Classic after capturing a 4-3 win over UCLA. UH right-handed pitcher Jake Lemoine struck out four, walked one and allowed three runs on 10 hits in seven innings, while reliever Chase Wellbrock was terrific, striking out two in a pair of shutout frames … Offensively, Justin Montemayor and Caleb Barker each had two hits and an RBI.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Jace Fry, lhp, Oregon State
Oregon State swept a doubleheader from Northern Illinois with Fry leading the charge. He struck out 10 and walked two in a no-hitter and complete game performance in the first game of the day. Fry threw 97 pitches in the game, 66 for strikes in the victory over the Huskies. The triumph with Fry on the mound wound up being the quickest game in Goss Stadium history.
UPSET OF THE DAY
Maryland over Florida State
The Terps have been very pleased with freshman right-handed pitcher Mike Shawaryn the past couple of weeks, and it’s easy to see why after he silenced Florida State on the way to a 5-1 triumph. The New Jersey native struck out five, walked three and allowed just a run on five hits in 7 1/3 innings, while also throwing 98 pitches, 65 for strikes. Shawaryn’s clutch performances sets up what ought to be a dandy of a series finale Sunday afternoon.
More notable upsets:
Baylor 1, Cal State Fullerton 0 (Brad Kuntz — 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R)
Ohio State 5, Oregon 0 (Robert Riga — CG, 5 H, 1 BB, 10 K)
Houston 4, UCLA 3 (Justin Montemayor — 2 H, 1 RBI)
Seattle 15, Cal Poly 14 (Landon Cray — 3 H, 2 HR, 2 RBIs)
UC Santa Barbara 7, Mississippi State 6 (Robby Nesovic — 2 H, 3 RBIs)
Duke 3, Virginia 2 (Andrew Istler — 8 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K)
THE GOOD
James Norwood, rhp, Saint Louis: The Billikens still have high hopes this season and Norwood, who has a fastball in the mid-90s, has elite stuff at times. He struck out two and allowed just three hits in seven shutout innings in a 10-0 win over North Dakota.
Kurt Yinger, rhp, Portland: The Pilots picked up a 1-0 win over Cal State Bakersfield with Yinger leading the charge. He struck out 11 and allowed just two hits in eight shutout innings.
Cameron Neff, rhp, St. Mary’s: New coach Eric Valenzuela has the Gaels more competitive this season and Neff led the charge in a 4-0 win over Penn State. Neff struck out 10, walked one and allowed just two hits in a complete game shutout.
Andrew Morales, rhp, UC Irvine: Morales is one of the top pitchers in college baseball few talk about. He had yet another dominant performance in a 1-0 win over Gonzaga, striking out 12, walking two and allowing six hits in eight shutout innings.
Pepperdine: The Waves are knocking on the door of the PG Top 25 after improving to 2-0 in the Dodgertown Classic with a dominant 10-4 win over USC. First baseman Brad Anderson went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs, while talented catcher/designated hitter Aaron Barnett went 3-for-4 with an RBI to help the cause.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide got into the no-hitter act yesterday in a 7-0 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Tide threw a combined no-hitter with left-handed pitcher Justin Kamplain leading the way. Kamplain struck out 12 and walked two in seven shutout innings. Meanwhile, Jay Shaw and Geoffrey Bramblett each threw shutout frames to finish off the contest.
Auburn: Though the Tigers haven’t been terrific so far this season, they’ve captured a very nice series win over Mercer with a 4-1 victory on Saturday. AU freshman right-handed pitcher Keegan Thompson allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings, while fellow freshman and leadoff hitter Anfernee Grier went 2-for-5 with two RBIs.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks continued their impressive ways on Saturday with a pair of shutout wins (13-0, 8-0) over Brown. In the first game, left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery struck out eight and allowed just four hits in 5 1/3 innings, while in the second game, lefty Jack Wynkoop struck out five and allowed just four hits in eight shutout frames.
San Francisco: The Dons have started the weekend with a pair of impressive victories, taking the Saturday game 1-0 over California. Dons left-handed pitcher Christian Cecilio struck out seven and didn’t walk anyone in 7 1/3 innings of work, while outstanding outfielder Bradley Zimmer went 2-for-4 with a home run and RBI.
UNC Wilmington: The Seahawks have scuffled a bit with an extremely tough schedule, but started the weekend on a positive note with a 4-2 win over Virginia Commonwealth. UNCW starting pitcher Mat Batts struck out seven, walked one and allowed two runs on eight hits in seven innings, while reliever Kelly Secrest tossed a pair of shutout frames. At the plate, first baseman Corey Dick had two hits and two RBIs.
Sal Annunziata, 1b, Seton Hall: The Pirates recorded an impressive 15-4 road win over James Madison with Annunziata leading the charge. Annunziata went 3-for-6 with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs.
Michigan State: We said a couple of weeks ago the Spartans had a solid club, and they clinched a really nice road series win over TCU with a 4-1 triumph on Saturday. Starting pitcher Mick VanVossen struck out six, walked two and allowed just a run on six hits in eight innings, while outfielder Anthony Cheky went 4-for-4 to lead the offensive charge.
Wake Forest: Put Tom Walter’s Demon Deacons on the board as a team to watch for in next week’s Perfect Game College Top 25. The Deacs beat Georgia Tech 12-8 on the road to clinch a huge ACC series, improving to 11-4 overall. Wake Forest first baseman Matt Conway went 3-for-6 with three doubles and three RBIs to lead the way.
Weston Wilson, 3b, Clemson: Wilson had an afternoon to remember in a 12-2 win over Virginia Tech. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and five RBIs to guide the Tigers.
Jared Miller, lhp, Vanderbilt: The talented left-handed pitcher tossed another gem in a 5-0 win over Winthrop He struck out eight, walked three and allowed just five hits in 6 2/3 shutout frames. Miller threw 106 pitches, 63 for strikes.
THE BAD
Mississippi State: It’s safe to say the Bulldogs are having a weekend to forget with already three losses entering Sunday’s contest. State dropped a 7-6 decision to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday with starting pitcher Trevor Fitts allowing five runs on five hits in just 2 1/3 innings of work.
Fresno State: The Bulldogs must find a way to bounce back on Sunday against Air Force. AF captured a 6-2 victory Saturday afternoon with veteran right-handed pitcher Cameron White leading the charge. White struck out 10, walked one and allowed just two runs on five hits in six innings. Meanwhile, in a surprise, righty Jordan Brink allowed six runs on 10 hits in seven innings.
Florida Atlantic: Every team goes through some growing pains at some point, and the Owls dropped a tough series to UTSA over the weekend. FAU dropped the opening game of the doubleheader on Saturday with UTSA’s Nolan Trabanino striking out five, walking one and allowing just four hits in 6 2/3 innings of work.
Coastal Carolina: The season is still young, but the Chanticleers have started out rather slow, falling to 4-8 on the season after a 5-2 setback to Minnesota. CCU starting pitcher Ben Smith actually put together a decent start, striking out five (also walking five) and allowing just two runs (none earned) on three hits in seven innings.