Three Strikes: Friday Night Edition

Friday night is in the books for week two of college baseball. Let's count down the three strikes:


Strike One: ACC Woes

The top-ranked ACC teams had a tough time on Friday, with five highly-ranked teams taking losses in their match-ups. (18) Florida State lost in an intense pitcher's duel, where College of Charleston pitchers only allowed the Seminoles to combine for three hits. (2) Louisville lost game one of a big series in Oxford, Mississippi to the Ole Miss Rebels, who were able to fend the Cardinals off after a big inning where the Rebels were able to string together four runs. East Carolina gave (11) Virginia all that they could handle, stealing a victory from the Cavaliers in 10-innings. The top-ranked Florida Gators shutout (6) Miami in convincing fashion with a 5-0 win. The most shocking loss for the ACC on Friday: (8) North Carolina State dropped their opening game to Wright State 10-8.

Strike Two: Friday Feats

Something happened Friday in college baseball that I've never seen before. South Carolina third baseman Jonah Bride must have a baseball magnet in his back pocket when stepping into the batter's box, as he was hit by a pitch FOR THE SEVENTH TIME this season. South Carolina has played six games. Obviously, Bride leads all Division One players in hit-by-pitches with seven.

Vanderbilt sophomore Jeren Kendall continued his tear at the plate against Illinois-Chicago Friday night. Kendall went 2-for-2 at the plate, including a RBI triple.

Strike Three: Interesting Game 2's

With some interesting upsets on Friday night, Saturday's slate presents us with some interesting "round two" match-ups. Here's some of the games that have me very intrigued going into Saturday:

College of Charleston vs. Florida State (College of Charleston leads 1-0)
Pepperdine vs. Texas A&M (Pepperdine leads 1-0)
Florida vs. Miami (FL) (Florida leads 1-0)
Louisville vs. Ole Miss (Ole Miss leads 1-0)
Oklahoma State vs. North Carolina (North Carolina leads 1-0)
East Carolina vs. Virginia (East Carolina leads 1-0)
Stanford vs. Texas (Game 3 Saturday, series tied 1-1)
UC Santa Barbara vs. Kentucky (UCSB leads 1-0)
Wright State vs. North Carolina State (Wright State leads 1-0)

As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @griffaldo.