#14 Tigers Trounce College of Charleston 19-7 Tuesday

May 15, 2007

Clemson, SC –

Taylor Harbin went 3-for-4 with six RBIs, and #14 Clemson scored 10 runs in the fourth inning on its way to a 19-7 win in front of 5,108 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Tuesday night. Clemson improved to 35-18, while the Cougars fell to 37-16. The Tigers improved to 18-0 all-time against College of Charleston as well.

The Tigers scored a season-high 19 runs in their regular-season home finale. Every Tiger starter scored at least one run and the Clemson leadoff batter reached base in all eight innings in which it batted. The Tigers, who had 15 hits on the night, slugged four homers and three doubles as well.

Harbin totaled six RBIs along with a double, and came inches away from adding two more RBIs to his total, as he was robbed of a three-run homer on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Marquez Smith was 3-for-4 with a double, homer, three runs scored, and three RBIs, while D.J. Mitchell was 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. Doug Hogan and J.D. Burgess added three RBIs and a long ball as well.

Starter P.J. Zocchi (4-2) earned the win, as he allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings pitched. He also got his third win in as many career starts against the Cougars. College of Charleston starter Michael Bunton (4-1) suffered the loss, as he allowed nine runs (five earned) in 3.2 innings pitched.

In the bottom of the first inning, Mitchell led off with a single to right-center. He moved to third on two wild pitches, then Wilson Boyd walked. Smith followed with a single up the middle to score Mitchell, then Boyd and Smith advanced on another wild pitch. Two batters later, Harbin hit a fly ball to the wall in left field, but Michael Harrington reached over the fence to take away a home run. However, Boyd scored on the sacrifice fly to up the Tigers’ lead to 2-0.

Graham Maiden led off the second inning with a line-drive single to right field on an 0-2 count. Two batters later, Alex Garabedian walked and Joey Bergman loaded the bases with a single to right field. Gabe Marchant’s groundout to first plated Maiden. Barrett Kleinknecht then loaded the bases again on a catcher’s interference on an 0-2 count. Jedd Cordisco followed with a single through the left side to score Garabedian and Bergman, giving the Cougars a 3-2 lead. The runs snapped their 30-consecutive-scoreless-inning streak against the Tigers over the last five meetings.

In the third inning, Chris Campbell deposited a hanging curveball over the fence in left field for a solo homer, his eighth of the season.

Clemson responded with two runs in the bottom of the third to tie the score. Boyd led off with a hit-by-pitch. After Andy D’Alessio walked, Harbin singled up the middle to score Boyd. Hogan’s groundout then plated D’Alessio.

The Tigers erupted for 10 runs in the fourth inning, the most-ever allowed by the Cougars in the fourth inning and tied for the fifth-most runs in the fourth by a Clemson team. The Tigers sent 13 batters to the plate and hit three home runs in the frame. Eight of the 10 runs came with two outs as well. The inning started when Bunton’s throw to first on Addison Johnson’s bunt was wild. Burgess and Mitchell followed with singles, with the latter scoring Johnson. Later in the inning, Harbin hit a two-out, two-run single through the left side. Hogan then belted a two-run homer down the left-field line, his 10th of the season. After Ben Paulsen and Johnson walked, Burgess blasted a three-run homer to left field. It was the freshman’s first career homer. Mitchell followed with a solo homer down the left-field line, his second of the season. Both Burgess and Mitchell collected two hits and a homer in the frame.

The Cougars added single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. In the sixth, pinch-hitter Michael Kohn hit a solo homer to left field, his ninth of the season.

Kohn delivered again in the seventh inning with a two-out triple to right-center to score Garabedian.

Clemson scored three runs in the seventh inning to take a 17-7 lead. Alex Lee led off with a single through the right side. Smith and D’Alessio walked with one out to load the bases, then Harbin lined a double down the left-field line to score Lee and Smith. Alex Burg followed with a sacrifice fly down the right-field line to score D’Alessio.

Smith added a two-run homer in the eighth inning, his 11th of the season.

Four Cougars totaled two hits apiece, including Kohn’s 2-for-2 game with a homer and triple off the bench.

Clemson will travel to Raleigh, NC to play N.C. State in a three-game series beginning Thursday at 7:00 PM.