Hogan Leads Tigers to 4-2 Win Over South Carolina Wednesday

April 2, 2003

Columbia, SC –

Patrick Hogan pitched a career-high 7.2 innings to lead #15 Clemson to a 4-2 win over rival South Carolina Wednesday in front of 6,158 fans at Sarge Frye Field in Columbia, SC. Clemson improved to 21-6, while South Carolina fell to 19-10.

Tiger junior starter Patrick Hogan, who was making just his third career start and first of 2003, earned the win in 7.2 innings pitched. His previous career high outing was 6.0 (twice), as those were his only two outings pitching over 4.0 innings in his career. Hogan (1-1), a Columbia native, allowed just four hits and one run in throwing 109 pitches. Gamecock starter Matt Campbell (1-2) suffered the loss, his second against Clemson in 2003. Reliever Paul Harrelson earned his fifth save of the year and second in as many nights as well.

Clemson picked up the second win over its rival in 2003 despite leaving 13 runners on base, including at least one in every inning. On the other hand, Tiger pitchers did an outstanding job of quieting the Gamecock bats with runners in scoring position, as they were just 2-for-10 in that situation Wednesday and are 2-for-23 (.087) in three games versus Clemson in 2003. The Gamecocks have also totaled just 17 hits (.191 batting average) in the three games versus Clemson this year. Jack Leggett improved to 11-6 against South Carolina in Columbia as the Tiger skipper as well.

Clemson got on the board in the fifth inning. Garrick Evans led off with a walk, advanced to second on Russell Triplett’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on Brad McCann doubled to left field, Jeff Hourigan singled through the left side to score Johnson. However, McCann was thrown out at the plate for out #2. Pinch-hitter Zane Green grounded out to end the inning, leaving the Tigers with eight men stranded through five innings.

Johnson gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning on a solo homer to right field. It was the 51st of his career and ninth against the #20 Gamecocks in 15 career games. It was also his first homer in the last 13 games this year. All five of his homers this year have been on the road as well. McCann then made it back-to-back homers when he hit a Conor Lalor pitch well over the left-field fence, just inside the foul pole, to give Clemson a 4-0 lead.

South Carolina got on the board in the eighth inning. Matt Riddle led off with a walk, then pinch-runner Davy Gregg advanced to third on Jon Coutlangus’ double down the right-field line. Bryan Triplett’s infield single on a 1-2 pitch plated Gregg to cut the Tiger lead to 4-1. The hit with runners in scoring position was the first by a Gamecock this season in 19 at bats in that situation against Clemson. Brian Buscher, South Carolina’s home-run leader, then came up to the plate as the tying run. But reliever Robert Rohrbaugh got Buscher to fly out on the first pitch from the freshman.

South Carolina mounted a comeback in the ninth inning. Pinch-hitter Nick Gardiner reached with one out on a fielding error by second baseman David Slevin. After Justin Harris singled to right-center, pinch-hitter Jared Greenwood blooped a single down the left-field line, scoring a run. But Harrelson got Michael Campbell to ground into a game-ending double play.

Clemson will play host to Virginia this weekend beginning Friday at 7:15 PM. Game two will start at 4:00 and the series finale Sunday will start at 1:00 PM. Clemson will play the final of its four regular-season games against South Carolina Wednesday at 7:15 PM at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.