Baseball Edges South Carolina, 8-7

April 15, 1999

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Brian Ellis trotted home on a strikeout wild pitch in the eighth inning Wednesday night to break a 7-7 tie and give Clemson an 8-7 win over South Carolina before an overflow crowd of 5,114.

Ellis led off the top of the eighth with a double and Khalil Greene drew a walk. Lee Gronkiewicz relieved Brett Price on the mound for South Carolina and Casey Stone, the first of two consecutive pinch hitters, moved both runners up with a bunt. Justin Singleton then struck out on a pitch that bounced past catcher Marcos Rios, allowing Ellis to score the tie breaking run. Brian Adams, 4-5, pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and three walks but no runs, to earn the win. Price, 0-1, the second of four South Carolina pitchers, took the loss. Clemson improved its record to 21-16 while South Carolina dropped to 24-12. The two rivals meet again at Clemson in one week.

Clemson jumped to a 5-0 lead with two runs in the first inning and three unearned runs in the third. Singles by Patrick Boyd and Jason Harris, wrapped around a walk and followed by an RBI ground out accounted for the first inning runs. Singles by Henri Stanley and Boyd, a passed ball and a throwing error by Gamecock third baseman Bryon Jeffcoat that bounced into the South Carolina dugout, plated three unearned runs in the third.

South Carolina got on the scoreboard with two fourth inning runs when Tim Angiolini hit his seventh home run of the season following a single by Adam Poe. Clemson countered with a two run homer by Bradley LeCroy in the sixth to lead 7-2.

South Carolina scored five runs on only two hits, four walks and a hit batter, in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score at 7-7. One of the hits was a two run homer by Shane Nelson and the other was a two RBI game tying single by Poe, after pinch hitter Clint Collins was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Each team collected eight hits with Boyd the only Clemson batter with two. Ellis and Brian Holstad had doubles. Poe and Nelson had two hits for South Carolina. Jeffcoat and Rios had doubles.

CLEMSON         203 002 010 - 8-8-0SOUTH CAROLINA  000 205 000 - 7-8-1

Mottl, Additon (6), Adams (6) and Ellis. Bouknight, Price (6), Gronkiewicz (8), Barber (9) and Rios. W-Adams (4-5). L-Price (0-1). 2B-CU, Ellis, Holstad; USC, Rios, Jeffcoat. HR-CU, LeCroy (3); USC, Angiolini (7), Nelson (3).