Clemson Rallies for Late 3-2 Win Over Charleston Southern Wednesday

May 5, 2004

Clemson, SC – Clemson scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, its only runs of the game, in a 3-2 victory Wednesday evening over Charleston Southern at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers got a two-run homer from Kris Harvey and game-winning RBI single from Travis Storrer in the ninth to earn the win. Storrer’s walk-off single was the third this season for Clemson, as Russell Triplett and Zane Green did so in consecutive games versus N.C. State last month. Clemson improved to 29-16 with the win, while Charleston Southern fell to 20-26 with the loss.

Josh Cribb (3-0) earned the win after 3.1 innings of no-hit ball in relief of Harvey. Cribb struck out four of the 11 batters he faced. Nino Fasulo (3-2) suffered the loss after giving up the final run of the game. R.J. Swindle and Ian Holmen combined to pitch six shutout innings for the Buccaneers, only to see their lead disappear in the end.

Tony Sipp was the only Tiger to record multiple hits in the game. In fact, before the ninth inning, Clemson did not have a base runner reach third. Harvey drove in two runs with his eighth home run of the season.

Charleston Southern manufactured a pair of runs in the third inning. Brian Sole singled, then advanced to second on a hit batsman . The Buccaneers then executed a double steal, but catcher Lou Santangelo’s attempt to throw Sole out at third sailed high, allowing him to score. Then, Alan Bontya slapped a single to left field to plate Jordan Haar from second base.

Clemson did not have a runner reach second base until the fifth inning, when Russell Triplett. However, Holmen got both Tyler Colvin and Ryan Hub to strike out swinging.

The Buccaneers threatened again in the sixth. Marcos Arias singled, then stole both second and third. Scotty Thacker reached on a walk, then stole second. Harvey exited for Clemson, and Cribb entered the game. He walked Lionel Greene to load the bases, but avoided any damage after striking out Adam Brown.

Sipp led off the ninth with a single up the middle. That set the stage for Harvey, who turned on the first pitch he saw for a deep homer to left field. His two-run shot helped him avoid the loss. Then, following a single by Brad McCann and double by Santangelo, second baseman Storrer hopped a ball over the shortstop’s head and hit the game-winner for the Tigers.

The Tigers continue their extended homestand with three games this weekend. UCF, ranked #24 in the country, will visit Clemson for a non-conference series. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 7:15 PM.