Clemson Tops Virginia Tech, 11-4 |
Clemson, SC-Third baseman Marquez Smith hammered two home runs for the second time in three games and drove in five runs to lead Clemson to an 11-4 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson. The Tigers improved to 32-13 overall,
14-6 in the ACC, while Virginia Tech fell to 17-26 overall, 3-20 in the ACC. Clemson has now won the first two games of the ACC series by a combined 22-6 total. The same two teams will complete the three-game set on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM. It marked the third consecutive game that Clemson has scored in double figures, the first time Clemson has done that since the 2001 season when the Tigers scored at least 10 runs in three consecutive games against New York Tech. If Clemson can score 10 or more runs on Sunday it will mark the first time since 1995 that Clemson has had three consecutive double figure scoring games in an ACC series. Clemson accomplished that feat at NC State that year. Jason Berken got the win for the Tigers. The red-shirt junior from De Pere, WI went five innings and allowed seven hits and four runs, but he struck out six and did not walk a batter in improving his pitching record to 6-3 in his comeback season from Tommy John surgery. P.J. Zochi and Steve Richard combined to pitch the last four innings and they did not allow a run. Clemson had just nine hits, but took advantage of seven Hokie walks. Smith was 2-4 with five RBIs to lead the Tiger offense. He received support from Brad Chalk, who scored three runs, and Tyler Colvin who had two hits, including a key two-run double, scored two runs and drove in a pair of runs. First baseman Andy D'Alessio, the Tigers leading home run hitter this year, clubbed his 13th of the season, his first since April 14. Virginia Tech starter Evan Frederickson pitched five innings and allowed just three hits, but yielded five earned runs, as his record fell to 0-3 for the season. Virginia Tech was led at the plate by Nate Parks, who had a triple and a single and scored two runs. Sean O'Brien drove in a pair of runs and Warren Schaeffer had two hits and also reached on a walk. The contest was close for the first six innings as there were four lead changes. Clemson took a 1-0 lead in the first thanks to three walks and a balk. Virginia Tech head coach Chuck Hartman was in control of the Hokie team for just 12 minutes as he was thrown out in the bottom of the first inning after arguing a balk call. The Hokies took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning thanks to three hits and a hit batter. O'Brien had a two-out single to center to score Schaeffer and Parks with the two runs. The Tigers took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Tyler Colvin began the uprising with a single to left. One out later Smith hit his first homer of the game and seventh of the year over the left field fence. Clemson's lead was short lived as the Hokies took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth behind three consecutive hits to open the inning. Matt Foley started the rally with a single to right and scored on a triple by Parks. Parks then scored on a single by Matt Hacker. Berken settled down after that and got the three-four-five batters out consecutively. The Tigers took the lead back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, and thus made Berken a winner in front of 4,993 Clemson fans. Colvin's two-out double to center drove in Chalk and Travis Storrer with the tying and lead runs. Clemson broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh with six runs. Smith had the key blow, a three-run homer to left field with two out. It was his second two-homer game of the week as he also accomplished the feat against Wofford this past Wednesday. D'Alessio followed with a homer to make the score 11-4, the eventual final.
Virginia Tech 4 (17-26,3-20 ACC)
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