Cavaliers Eliminate #12 Clemson With 5-4 Win Saturday

May 28, 2005

Jacksonville, FL –

Virginia advanced to the finals of the ACC Tournament with a 5-4 win over #12 Clemson at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Saturday. The Cavaliers will play Georgia Tech on Sunday to determine the ACC Champion. Clemson fell to 39-21, while Virginia won its ninth straight game to improve to 41-17.

Reliever Sean Doolittle (3-0) picked up the win. The freshman lefthander pitched 3.1 innings, allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts. Casey Lambert pitched the final inning to record his 14th save of the season. Cavalier pitchers were aided by three double plays. Tiger starter Kris Harvey (5-4) suffered the loss. David Kopp pitched outstanding in relief, as he allowed no earned runs and two hits in 5.2 innings pitched.

The Cavaliers took the game’s first lead in the second inning. Brandon Guyer led off with a single to center and Scott Headd was hit by a pitch. Tom Hagan advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt and Mike Campagna popped up for out #2. But Kyle Werman, who reached base in all four plate appearances against the Tigers on Wednesday, lined a single up the middle to plate Guyer.

In the third inning, Matt Street led off with a walk, stole second, and went to third on Ryan Zimmerman’s single to right field. Doolittle then loaded the bases with a walk. After Guyer flew out to left for out #1, Headd hit a bloop single off the end of hit bat down the right-field line, scoring two runs. The Cavaliers continued their well-placed hits with another soft single to center by Hagan, scoring Doolittle.

The Tigers got on the board in the fourth inning. Brad Chalk led off with a bunt single and advanced to second when Doolittle’s throw to first was wild. After the next two Tigers popped up, Harvey singled up the middle to score Chalk. Travis Storrer followed with a two-run homer to right field, his sixth of the season.

Virginia added to their lead in the sixth inning. Campagna hit a one-out single to left-center and advanced to third when Stan Widmann’s throw to first base was high and went into the Tiger dugout. After Werman walked, Tim Henry brought home Campagna on a sacrifice fly to center.

Clemson cut the Cavalier lead in half in the eighth inning when Harvey led off with an opposite-field homer to right field, his 22nd of the season. Two batters later, Andy D’Alessio singled through the right side, but the rally was thwarted when Widmann lined into an inning-ending double play.

In the ninth, Herman Demmink hit a one-out, infield single to put the tying run on first base, but like the eighth inning, the Tigers hit the ball in the wrong spot. This time, Chalk grounded into a game-ending 4-3 double play. It was only the second time in 2005 Chalk grounded into a double play.

Demmink, Chalk, Harvey, and D’Alessio all had two hits apiece, as Clemson out-hit Virginia 10-8. Chalk extended his hitting streak to 13 games, while Demmink upped his to 11 games. Taylor Harbin’s 12-game hitting streak came to an end, as he was 0-for-3 with a walk. Zimmerman led Virginia with two hits.

Clemson, who has made 18 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and has won 11 of its last 13 games in 2005, will await Sunday’s 3:40 PM announcement on ESPNews of the 16 NCAA Regional host sites. Then on Monday, ESPN will televise the announcement of the 64-team NCAA Tournament bracket at 11:30 AM. Regionals begin Friday, June 3.