Tigers Down Western Carolina 7-4 Tuesday in Completion of Suspended Game

April 12, 2005

Cullowhee, NC –

In a game that started on April 12 at Cullowhee, NC and ended on April 19 at Clemson, SC, Clemson defeated Western Carolina 7-4. Clemson improved to 19-13, while Western Carolina fell to 21-12.

Reliever Stephen Faris (3-1) earned the win by pitching the final 5.0 innings. He allowed three hits and two unearned runs. Starter Bryan Tupper (0-2) suffered the loss.

After both teams were retired in order in the first inning, Tyler Colvin led off the second with a home run to right field, his second of the season.

Clemson added to its lead in the fourth inning after the first two batters were retired. Kris Harvey drew a walk on four pitches and Andy D’Alessio followed with a line-drive, two-run homer down the right-field line. It was D’Alessio’s sixth homer of the season.

Western Carolina responded in the bottom of the fourth thanks to South Carolina transfers Jared Greenwood and Trey McDaniel. Greenwood doubled off the wall in left field with one out. McDaniel then grounded a two-out single through the right side. Right-fielder Travis Storrer’s throw to the plate was in time to retire Greenwood, but catcher Adrian Casanova was unable to handle the short hop. Chris Davis followed with a line-drive single to left, but this time McDaniel was thrown out at the plate by Colvin. The throw was towards the third-base dugout, but Casanova was able to handle the one-hopper and make the tag just before McDaniel touched home plate.

The Tigers answered back with a runs in the fifth inning without the benefit of a hit. Stan Widmann led off with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Casanova. On a pitch to Brad Chalk, Widmann wisely read the ball in the dirt and took third base on the wild pitch, Tupper’s first of the season. Greenwood’s throw to third was low, and Widmann scored when the ball got away from Nate Hall at third base.

Two Clemson errors aided the Catamounts’ one-run fifth inning. Jonathan Greene reached when third-baseman Jorge Andrade, Jr. booted a ground ball over the bag. Hall followed with a walk on a 3-2 pitch. Brandon Zollman then laid down a sacrifice bunt back to David Kopp, but his throw to Taylor Harbin at first base was too high and off the top of his glove, allowing Greene to score. It was only the third error of the year by a Tiger pitcher. While Barrett Shaft was at the plate with an 0-1 count, a deluge of rain ensued and the umpires called for the tarp. The rain stopped after approximately 25 minutes, but after the tarp was taken off the infield, the umpires determined that the infield was too wet to continue play.

No less than 164 hours and 33 minutes later on April 19, the game resumed at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Faris entered the game on the mound. He got Shaft to ground back to himself, and retired Hall at third on a run-down play. Faris then got two of the next three Catamounts to ground out to end the inning without them scoring.

After a scoreless sixth inning, Clemson scored three runs in the top of the seventh, all with two outs. Andrade, who singled, scored on Storrer’s single to left. After Harbin walked to load the bases, Colvin laced a two-run double to left-center. Harvey followed with a deep fly to center, but like his last at-bat, the stiff wind blowing straight in kept the ball in the ballpark.

Western Carolina scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh thanks to some sloppy fielding. Hall reached on an infield single and advanced to second when Faris booted a hard bunt right back to him. Shaft bunted the runners up a base, and Tim Hallam was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Greenwood then hit a towering drive to center, but the wind kept the ball in the ballpark instead of the would-be grand slam. Hall still scored on the sacrifice fly, then Steven Strausbaugh singled up the middle to plate Zollman.

The two teams will play the regularly-scheduled game at Doug Kingsmore Stadium Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM.