Clemson Baseball Weekly Wrapup

April 13, 2008

Clemson University Overall Season Record: 18-17 ACC Regular-Season Record: 6-12

Last Week: 0-4 Wed. L away vs. #14 South Carolina, 7-1 Fri. L home vs. #4 North Carolina, 8-2 Sat. L home vs. #4 North Carolina, 4-3 Sun. L home vs. #4 North Carolina, 8-4

Next Week Tue. Home vs. Western Carolina, 7:15 PM Wed. Home vs. South Carolina, 7:15 PM Fri. Away vs. Duke, 7:00 PM Sat. Away vs. Duke, 2:00 PM Sun. Away vs. Duke, 1:00 PM

Notes Clemson went 0-4 in four games this past week, including falling at #14 South Carolina 7-1 on Wednesday before being swept by #4 North Carolina over the weekend.

James Darnell went 4-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs to lead South Carolina to a 7-1 win over Clemson at Sarge Frye Field on April 9. Phil Disher and Justin Smoak added long balls, as all seven of the Gamecocks’ runs came on home runs. Smoak went 3-for-4 with a double, homer, and three runs scored for South Carolina, who left just three runners on base. Meanwhile, starter Nick Godwin limited the Tigers to only four hits, one run, and no walks with eight strikeouts in 8.0 innings pitched to earn the victory. Doug Hogan provided Clemson’s lone run with a solo home run in the first inning.

North Carolina then swept Clemson by a combined score of 20-9 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium from April 11-13. The Tar Heels outhit the Tigers .339 to .213 and totaled 10 extra-base hits to Clemson’s four. The Tigers were just 4-for-28 (.143) with runners in scoring position, while the Tar Heels hit .429 with two outs. North Carolina’s pitching staff had a 2.67 ERA, as they stranded 30 Tigers on base in the three games. Mike Freeman paced Clemson by going 5-for-12 (.417), while Wilson Boyd added four hits.

In game-one on April 11, three Tar Heel pitchers limited Clemson to five hits in North Carolina’s 8-2 victory. The final three innings of the game were completed on April 12 after inclement weather halted play on April 11. Dustin Ackley’s three-run homer in the sixth inning gave North Carolina a comfortable cushion. Four other Tar Heels had two hits apiece to lead their 10-hit attack. Jeff Schaus led the Tigers with two hits and an RBI. Starter Alex White pitched 5.2 scoreless innings of one-hit ball to earn the win. Four Clemson pitchers combined to walk 11 batters.

In game-two on April 12, Kyle Seager hit two homers with four RBIs to lead North Carolina to a 4-3 victory over Clemson. Seager hit a three-run homer in the first inning after a costly Tiger error, then he hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Clemson scored two runs in the first inning, highlighted by Boyd’s run-scoring double. Trailing 4-3 in the seventh inning, the Tigers had runners at the corners with no outs. But Clemson left the bases loaded after failing to bring home the tying run. The Tigers also had two at-bats with the tying run on second base in the ninth inning, but they came up emtpy both times. Clemson left 10 runners on base and was 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

In game-three on April 13, North Carolina pounded out 18 hits in its 8-4 victory over Clemson. The Tigers jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by Kyle Parker’s two-out, run-scoring double. Then with the Tar Heels ahead 5-4, they scored three runs in the eighth inning after the first two batters of the frame were retired. Clemson left the bases loaded in both the seventh and eighth innings, as the Tigers stranded 11 runners on base in the game. Every Tar Heel starter had at least one hit, while Freeman and Boyd paced the Tigers with two hits apiece. Six North Carolina pitchers combined to walk eight batters, but the Tar Heels did not allow a run after the third inning.

During the week, the Tigers hit .200 with a .322 on-base percentage and 10 runs scored in four games. The pitching staff had a 5.65 ERA and .342 opponents’ batting average, while Clemson fielded at a .975 clip.

Freeman led the Tigers on the week by going 6-for-16 (.375), while Boyd added five hits. Graham Stoneburner allowed two earned runs in 8.2 innings pitched over his two relief appearances as well.

The Tigers, who have lost nine games in a row, have an 18-17 overall record and 6-12 ACC mark on the season. The team is hitting .281 with a .370 on-base percentage. Clemson is fielding at a .963 clip as well.

Ben Paulsen leads the team with a .333 batting average along with 10 doubles, 10 homers, and 28 RBIs. Freeman is batting .330 with a .409 on-base percentage. Hogan leads the team with 37 RBIs along with nine long balls.

The pitching staff has a 4.70 ERA and .272 opponents’ batting average. Matt Vaughn has eight saves, but has not had an opportunity to add to his total in two weeks due to the team’s losing streak. D.J. Mitchell (3.04) and Stoneburner (3.06) have solid ERAs.

The Tigers will play host to Western Carolina on Tuesday and South Carolina on Wednesday before playing at Duke in a three-game series over the weekend.