Tigers Drop ACC Opener To North Carolina 10-2

May 22, 2003

Two Clemson errors cost the Tigers seven runs in a 10-2 North Carolina win over #17 Clemson (38-19) in the first round of the ACC Tournament at Salem Memorial Stadium Thursday. The game was scheduled for Wednesday, but the threat of inclement weather suspended all four games.

Tar Heel lefty starter Daniel Moore (7-2) earned his second win of the season over the Tigers, pitching 8.0 innings, allowing two runs on seven hit while striking out six. Tiger starter Steven Jackson (7-3) suffered the loss. Tar Heel pitchers held Clemson to just one hit in 12 at bats with runners on base, while Tar Heel hitters were 9-for-20 in that situation.

Clemson took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Brad McCann hit a base hit up the middle to plate Garrick Evans. Evans singled down the right-field line to start the inning. McCann’s single extended his hitting streak to 16 games.

Freshman Blair Waggett, the #9 hitter in the order, tied the score 1-1 when he hit the first pitch of the third inning over the left-field fence. It was Waggett’s first home run. Two batters later, Chad Prosser reached on an infield single and Jeremy Cleveland was save on a fielding error by second-baseman David Slevin on a potential inning-ending double play grounder. Sean Farrell then brought home Prosser on a single through the left side. Sammy Hewitt then gave the Tar Heels (38-19) a 4-1 lead when he tripled to right-center, plating Cleveland and Farrell. Ryan Blake added another run when Ryan Blake singled to right-center, scoring Hewitt.

North Carolina tacked on three more runs in the fifth inning. With runners on first and second, Waggett hit a slow-roller to McCann at third. His throw to first to first was errant, allowing two runners to score. Greg Mangum followed with an RBI bunt single, give the Tar Heels an 8-1 lead.

Evans, a native of Burke, VA, cut into the Tar Heel lead when he led off the bottom of the fifth with a long home run down the left-field line, his second of the season. Hewitt added an insurance run for the Tar Heels when he hit an opposite-field homer to right field, his 10th of the season, in the seventh inning.

Farrell gave North Carolina a double-digit run total when he singled up the middle, scoring Jeremy Cleveland. Cleveland hit a one-out double off the wall in left field. Slevin extended his hitting streak 19 games with a fourth-inning single. Clemson will play Duke Friday at 10:00 AM at Salem Memorial Stadium. The Blue Devils were defeated 13-0 by Florida State on Thursday.