Fifth-Ranked Clemson Tops #7 South Carolina 10-5 Wednesday

April 12, 2006

Clemson, SC-

Fifth-ranked Clemson jumped out to a 10-1 lead after six innings and held on to defeat #7 South Carolina 10-5 in front of a capacity crowd of 5,617 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium Wednesday. The Tigers captured the four-game season series three games to one, after dropping the first game at South Carolina on March 4. Clemson improved to 26-8, and the Gamecocks dropped to 27-7.

Herman Demmink, Travis Storrer, and Stan Widmann had two hits apiece for the Tigers, and every Clemson starter had at least one hit. Reese Havens was 3-for-4 and scored a run, and James Darnell added two hits off the bench, including a home run, for South Carolina.

David Kopp (2-0) allowed one run on five hits in 6.0 innings pitched to earn the victory for Clemson. Andrew Cruse (3-1) pitched only the first inning, and allowed three runs on three hits to take the loss for South Carolina.

Brad Chalk walked with one out in the first, and went to second on a bunt single to third by Taylor Harbin. With two outs, Andy D’Alessio hit a sharp line drive off the glove of a leaping Justin Smoak at first, and the ball rolled down the right field line for a double that scored Chalk and Harbin. The double extended D’Alessio’s hitting streak to 12 games. Marquez Smith followed with a single to left to score D’Alessio.

Widmann led off the second with an infield single, and went to second on Adrian Casanova’s sacrifice bunt. Demmink then hit an 0-2 pitch for a single to center to score Widmann. Chalk then brought home Demmink with a double just inside the left-field line.

Neil Giesler was hit by a pitch on an 0-2 count for the second time in the game with one out in the fourth. Havens singled through the right side to send Giesler to third. Drew Martin hit a fielder’s choice grounder to D’Alessio at first that score Giesler.

Casanova led off the fourth with a home run to left, his fourth of the year. It was also the first Clemson homer of the four-game series with South Carolina this year. Demmink singled to left, and went to second when Chalk was hit by a pitch. Tyler Colvin then hit a triple down the right-field line to score both Demmink and Chalk. Colvin’s hit meant that every Tiger starter had at least one hit by the fourth inning.

D’Alessio walked with one out in the sixth, and scored on a two-out double off the fence in right by Storrer. Widmann follwed with a single past a diving Havens at short to score Storrer.

Smoak hit a sharp single up the middle to begin the seventh, and went to second on a groundout by Andrew Crisp. Pinch-hitter Darnell then doubled off the fence in right, but Smoak could only advance to third after making sure the ball was not caught. Michael Campbell then hit a fielder’s choice grounder that scored Smoak.

Havens doubled down the right-field line with one out in the eighth, and scored on a two-out single by Ian Paxton. Smoak followed with a double in the gap in right-center to score Paxton.

Darnell homered to left to lead off the ninth, his second of the season.

The win was Clemson’s ninth straight Wednesday victory over South Carolina.

The 10 runs were the most Gamecocks have allowed in 2006.

Daniel Moskos was selected the winner of the 2006 Bob Bradley Award, given to the Clemson MVP of the four games with South Carolina every year since the 2001 season. Moskos became the first Tiger pitcher to win the award, pitching 8.0 innings in the series, surrendering one run on only two hits, and allowing an opponent’s batting average of .095. Neil Giesler won the Tom Price Award for the Gamecocks.

Clemson returns to action Friday at 7:00 PM for the first of three games at Georgia Tech.