Clemson Rallies For Three Runs in the Ninth to Top #6 Georgia Tech 6-5 Saturday

April 30, 2005

Clemson, SC –

Taylor Harbin’s two-out, two-run single capped off Clemson’s come-from-behind 6-5 win over #6 Georgia Tech Saturday night in front of 4,706 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. With the Tigers trailing 5-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Clemson scored three runs on four-straight singles with two outs. The Tigers improved to 28-17 (13-7 ACC), while the Yellow Jackets dropped to 31-12 (17-6 ACC).

Travis Storrer led off the ninth with a single up the middle. Andy D’Alessio lined out to right for the first out, and Stan Widmann flew out to right for the second out. Ben Hall came on as a pinch-hitter and hit a pop up on the infield near the homeplate area. Catcher Andy Hawranick called for the ball, but first-baseman Whit Robbins collided with Hawranick, allowing the ball to fall to the ground in fair territory. However, the ball bounced and rolled foul before it was touched. Two pitches later, Hall singled up the middle. Herman Demmink then lined a single off the glove of a leaping Tyler Greene at shortstop, scoring Storrer. Brad Chalk followed with an infield single to second base, barely beating out the throw at first on a controversial call, to load the bases. Harbin followed with a single past a diving Greene, allowing pinch-runner David Williams and Demmink to score the the tying and winning runs.

Stephen Clyne (2-0) picked up the win in relief, as he retired the only batter he faced. Although he did not factor in the decision, reliver David Kopp kept the Yellow Jackets at bay, as he pitched 3.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Matt Wieters (1-2) suffered the loss despite allowing three unearned runs. Starter Blake Wood allowed three runs on eight innings over 8.0 innings, but did not factor in the decision.

Demmink led the Tigers with three of the team’s 13 hits. Demmink also upped his hitting streak to 10 games. Chalk, Harbin, and D’Alessio added two hits apiece as well. Steven Blackwood, Wes Hodges, and Hawranick each had two hits apiece, as Georgia Tech totaled 12 in all. Every Yellow Jacket starter had at least one hit.

Georgia Tech opened the scoring in the third. With two outs and the bases empty, Blackwood beat out an infield single. Wieters followed with a single and Hodges walked to load the bases. A single by Jeremy Slayden through the right side scored Blackwood. Jeff Kindel then walked, scoring Wieters.

The Yellow Jackets appeared as though they would add another run in the third. With one out and Danny Payne on third, Greene lifted a fly ball to right that was caught by Storrer, who threw a perfect strike to Adrian Casanova at home to nail Payne.

Clemson got its first run of the night on D’Alessio’s 10th home run of the year, a mammoth solo shot to right field.

Georgia Tech answered in the sixth when Mike Trapani hit his second home run of the year, a two-run blast to left. Later in the inning, Hodges singled on an 0-2 pitch with two outs, scoring Greene.

In the bottom of the inning, Demmink led off with a single and moved to second when Chalk walked. After a fielder’s choice groundout moved Demmink to third, Tyler Colvin extended his hitting streak to 19 games with an RBI single to right-center.

D’Alessio singled to shortstop to being the seventh and moved to second on a groundout by Widmann. Pinch-hitter Jesse Ferguson hit a double just inside the line at third base to score D’Alessio. Daniel Pritchard came in as pinch-runner for Ferguson, but was stranded at third base.

Neither team scored again until the ninth, as Harbin’s walkoff, two-run single was the second time this season that the Tigers won on a walkoff hit, and third time they won on a walkoff play. Clemson also improved to 5-8 in one-run games.

The two teams conclude the three-game series Sunday at 2:00 PM at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.