CLEMSON BASEBALL

#7 Clemson powers past Virginia Tech to sweep series


by -

Clemson, SC –

John Nester went 2-for-4 with a career-high four RBIs to lead #7 Clemson to a 13-8 victory over Virginia Tech in the second game of a doubleheader in front of 5,580 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Saturday night. The Tigers, who swept the three-game series 3-0, improved to 17-2 overall and 6-0 in the ACC. Virginia Tech dropped to 13-8 overall and 2-4 in ACC play.

Sophomore righthander Scott Weismann (3-0) earned the win in a starting role, as he allowed six hits, two runs (one earned), and one walk with a career-high seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched. Jonathan Meyer pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to record his second save of the year.

Hokie starter Joe Mantiply (2-1) suffered the loss, as he yielded seven hits, six runs, and two walks with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.

The Hokies took the game's first lead in the top of the second inning. Ronnie Shaban led off with a single to center and advanced to third on Anthony Sosnoskie's double to right-center. Two batters later, Matt Blow's groundout plated Shaban.

The Tigers came right back and took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Wilson Boyd hit a one-out double down the right-field line to extend his hitting streak to 10 games and Richie Shaffer followed with a walk. Two batters later with two outs, Jason Stolz loaded the bases with an infield single. Addison Johnson then tripled down the right-field line to score Boyd, Shaffer, and Stolz.

In the top of the third inning, Sean Ryan led off with a single up the middle, stole second, and advanced to third when Nester's throw went into centerfield. Buddy Sosnoskie followed with an infield single to bring home Ryan.

Clemson answered with three runs for the second inning in a row in the bottom of the third. Mike Freeman led off with a single up the middle. Two batters later, Kyle Parker singled through the right side to move Freeman to third, then Boyd lined a 1-2 pitch to center for a single to score Freeman. Will Lamb followed with a groundout that enabled Parker to score, then Nester singled through the left side to bring home Boyd.

In the fourth inning, Johnson led off with an infield single, advanced to second on a passed ball, and moved to third on a wild pitch as Brad Miller walked. Freeman's sacrifice fly to center scored Johnson, upping Clemson's lead to 7-2.

After two scoreless innings, the Hokies rallied in the top of the seventh inning. Tony Balisteri led off with a single to left field. After the next two Hokies were retired, Austin Wates singled up the middle and Steve Domecus walked to load the bases. Shaban then came through with a single through the right side to score Balisteri and Wates. Tomas Cruz kept the Tigers ahead by three runs when he struck out Anthony Sosnoskie with runners on second and third to end the frame.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Jeff Schaus led off with a single up the middle and Parker followed with a walk. Two batters later, Lamb walked with one out to load the bases, then Nester was hit-by-pitch to bring home Schaus. Pinch-hitter John Hinson hit a sacrifice fly to right-center to plate Parker, then Johnson reached safely on a fielding error by Shaban, allowing Lamb to score.

But the Hokies refused to go quietly. In the top of the eighth inning, Michael Seaborn led off with a single up the middle. After the next two batters were retired, Ryan walked and Buddy Sosnoskie singled up the middle to score Seaborn. Ryan also scored on the play when Johnson's throw to third base was errant. Wates followed with a two-run homer to right-center, his second long ball of the season, to narrow Clemson's lead to 10-8.

Clemson added to its lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Freeman led off with a single to center. Two batters later, Parker walked and Boyd singled to the fence in left-center to score Freeman. After Lamb struck out for out #2, Nester came through with a double to right-center to score Parker and Boyd.

Boyd had a game-high three hits, including a double, and added two RBIs and three runs. Parker went 2-for-4 with three runs, while Johnson went 2-for-4 with a triple and a career-high three RBIs for the Tigers, who totaled 13 hits in the game.

Virginia Tech, who also tallied 13 hits, was led at the plate by Ryan, Buddy Sosnoskie, Wates, Shaban, Anthony Sosnoskie, and Seaborn, who all had two hits apiece.

Clemson's win in the series-finale marked its 14th home victory in a row against the Hokies. The Tigers' 6-0 ACC start is also their best since 2004, when they also started 6-0 in league play.

Clemson will host Elon in a two-game midweek series starting Tuesday at 6:30 PM.


Virginia Tech 8 (13-8,2-4 ACC)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB

------------------------------------------------------

Sean Ryan cf............. 4 2 2 0 1 1 2 0 0

Buddy Sosnoskie dh/rf.... 5 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 0

Austin Wates rf/1b....... 5 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0

Steve Domecus lf......... 4 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 2

Ronnie Shaban 3b/p....... 4 1 2 2 1 1 0 2 0

Anthony Sosnoskie c...... 5 0 2 0 0 2 8 1 4

Michael Seaborn 2b....... 5 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 0

Matt Blow 1b/3b.......... 3 0 0 1 0 1 4 0 1

Ben Rowen p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Andrew Rash ph.......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jake Joyce p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Chris Kay ph............ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Tony Balisteri ss........ 4 1 1 0 0 3 4 1 1

Joe Mantiply p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mathew Price p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Totals................... 41 8 13 7 3 10 24 6 9

Clemson 13 (17-2,6-0 ACC)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB

------------------------------------------------------

Brad Miller ss........... 3 0 0 0 2 3 1 3 3

Mike Freeman 2b.......... 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0

Jeff Schaus lf........... 5 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 0

Kyle Parker rf........... 4 3 2 0 1 0 1 0 1

Wilson Boyd dh........... 4 3 3 2 1 0 0 0 0

Richie Shaffer 1b........ 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 0

Will Lamb 1b............ 3 1 0 1 1 1 6 1 0

John Nester c............ 4 0 2 4 0 0 9 1 0

Jason Stolz 3b........... 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 2

John Hinson ph/3b....... 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1

Addison Johnson cf....... 4 1 2 3 0 1 2 0 0

Scott Weismann p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

Dominic Leone p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Tomas Cruz p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jonathan Meyer p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals................... 34 13 13 12 7 8 27 11 7

Score by Innings R H E

-------------------------------------------

Virginia Tech....... 011 000 240 - 8 13 1

Clemson............. 033 100 33X - 13 13 5

-------------------------------------------

E - SHABAN(7); MILLER 2(12); NESTER(3); JOHNSON(1); CRUZ(1). DP - Va. Tech

1. LOB - Va. Tech 9; Clemson 7. 2B - A. SOSNOSKIE 2(7); BOYD(4); NESTER(2).

3B - JOHNSON(1). HR - WATES(2). HBP - NESTER. SF - FREEMAN(3); HINSON(2). SB

- RYAN(2); SHABAN(1); FREEMAN(4); NESTER(1). CS - MILLER(2).

Virginia Tech IP H R ER BB SO AB BF

-----------------------------------------------

Joe Mantiply........ 2.2 7 6 6 2 3 14 16

Mathew Price........ 3.1 1 1 0 3 3 9 13

Ronnie Shaban....... 0.1 1 3 2 2 0 2 4

Ben Rowen........... 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 2 4

Jake Joyce.......... 1.0 4 3 3 0 1 7 7

Clemson IP H R ER BB SO AB BF

-----------------------------------------------

Scott Weismann...... 6.0 6 2 1 1 7 25 26

Dominic Leone....... 0.2 3 2 2 1 1 5 6

Tomas Cruz.......... 1.0 3 4 4 1 2 6 7

Jonathan Meyer...... 1.1 1 0 0 0 0 5 5

Win - WEISMANN (3-0). Loss - MANTIPLY (2-1). Save - MEYER (2).

WP - MANTIPLY(5); PRICE 2(6); CRUZ(1). HBP - by ROWEN (NESTER). PB - A.

SOSNOSKIE(2).

Umpires - HP: Mac Stokes 1B: Junior Creech 3B: Bryant Woodall

Start: 6:31 PM Time: 3:27 Attendance: 5580

Game 1

CLEMSON -- Sophomore lefthander Will Lamb tossed 6.0 strong innings, allowing just one unearned run, to lead #7 Clemson to a 5-2 win over Virginia Tech in the first game of a doubleheader at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Saturday. The Tigers, who took a 2-0 series lead, improved to 16-2 overall and 5-0 in the ACC. Virginia Tech fell to 13-7 overall and 2-3 in ACC play.

Lamb (2-0) earned the win in 6.0 innings of work in a starting role. The Seaford, VA native allowed seven hits, one unearned run, and two walks with two strikeouts. Alex Frederick pitched 3.0 innings in relief, allowing three hits and one run to record his second save of the year.

Hokie starter Jesse Hahn (4-1) suffered the loss, as he yielded 10 hits, four runs (three earned), and one walk with two strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.

The Tigers dented the scoreboard with two runs on four singles in the first inning. Brad Miller led off with a single to left-center but was retired when Mike Freeman's sharp grounder hit Miller on what would have been a single through the right side. Jeff Schaus followed with a single through the right side to move Freeman to third, then Freeman scored on a passed ball. Two batters later, Wilson Boyd fisted a single to right-center to score Schaus.

In the third inning, Miller led off with a single to right and stole second. Then with two outs, Kyle Parker laced a single through the right side to score Miller.

A Tiger miscue allowed the Hokies to put a run on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. Anthony Sosnoskie and Michael Seaborn hit one-out singles. Two batters later with two outs, Tony Balisteri hit a routine grounder to Miller at shortstop. But Miller booted the ball, allowing Sosnoskie to score from second. Mike Kaminski's walk loaded the bases, but Clemson escaped further damage when first-baseman Richie Shaffer caught Sean Ryan's pop-up near the Tiger dugout.

The Tigers increased their lead in the sixth inning when Parker led off with an opposite-field, solo home run to right field, his ninth long ball of the season. It was Parker's 35th career home run, moving him into a tie for 10th place in the Clemson recordbook in that category. It was also the first homer allowed by Hahn in 2010.

In the top of the eighth inning, Ronnie Shaban drew a one-out walk and went to second on Balisteri's groundout. Pinch-hitter Matt Blow followed with a two-out single to right to score Shaban, cutting Clemson's lead to 4-2.

Clemson added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Schaus led off with a single through the right side and went to third two batters later when Boyd singled through the right side on a hit-and-run. John Hinson's sacrifice fly to left plated Schaus.

After the first two Hokies were retired in the ninth inning, Steve Domecus doubled down the left-field line and Sosnoskie followed with a walk to bring the potential tying run to the plate. Seaborn then hit a line drive to center, but Addison Johsnon made a sliding catch for the final out.

Miller, Schaus, Parker, and Boyd all had two hits apiece to pace Clemson's 12-hit attack.

Domecus went 3-for-5 to lead Virginia Tech, who had 10 hits in the game. However, the Hokies stranded 13 runners on base in the game, including nine in scoring position.

Clemson and Virginia Tech will play the second game of the doubleheader and series-finale on Saturday at 6:30 PM.


Virginia Tech 2 (13-7,2-3 ACC)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB

------------------------------------------------------

Sean Ryan cf............. 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 5

Buddy Sosnoskie lf....... 5 0 1 0 0 0 3 1 0

Austin Wates 1b.......... 5 0 1 0 0 0 6 1 1

Steve Domecus c.......... 5 0 3 0 0 0 4 2 0

Anthony Sosnoskie dh..... 4 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1

Michael Seaborn 2b....... 4 0 1 0 1 1 3 2 4

Ronnie Shaban 3b......... 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0

Tony Balisteri ss........ 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2

Mike Kaminski rf......... 2 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0

Matt Blow ph............ 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

Luke Padgett pr......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Andrew Rash rf.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jesse Hahn p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Brandon Fisher p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Ben Rowen p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals................... 35 2 10 1 4 3 24 9 13

Clemson 5 (16-2,5-0 ACC)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB

------------------------------------------------------

Brad Miller ss........... 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 3 0

Mike Freeman 2b.......... 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 5 0

Jeff Schaus dh........... 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kyle Parker rf........... 4 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 0

Wilson Boyd lf........... 4 0 2 1 0 0 3 0 1

John Hinson 3b........... 3 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 1

Chris Epps cf............ 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1

Addison Johnson cf...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Richie Shaffer 1b........ 3 0 1 0 0 1 12 0 1

Phil Pohl c.............. 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0

Will Lamb p.............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Alex Frederick p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Totals................... 31 5 12 4 1 3 27 11 5

Score by Innings R H E

-------------------------------------------

Virginia Tech....... 000 100 010 - 2 10 0

Clemson............. 201 001 01X - 5 12 1

-------------------------------------------

E - MILLER(10). DP - Clemson 1. LOB - Va. Tech 13; Clemson 5. 2B - B.

SOSNOSKIE(5); WATES(7); DOMECUS(7); POHL(5). HR - PARKER(9). HBP - SHABAN;

POHL. SH - RYAN(3); BALISTERI(1). SF - HINSON(1). SB - DOMECUS(5);

MILLER(3). CS - EPPS(3); POHL(1).

Virginia Tech IP H R ER BB SO AB BF

-----------------------------------------------

Jesse Hahn.......... 5.1 10 4 3 1 2 23 25

Brandon Fisher...... 2.0 2 1 1 0 1 7 7

Ben Rowen........... 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

Clemson IP H R ER BB SO AB BF

-----------------------------------------------

Will Lamb........... 6.0 7 1 0 2 2 23 28

Alex Frederick...... 3.0 3 1 1 2 1 12 14

Win - LAMB (2-0). Loss - HAHN (4-1). Save - FREDERICK (2).

HBP - by HAHN (POHL); by LAMB (SHABAN). PB - DOMECUS(1).

Umpires - HP: Bryant Woodall 1B: Mac Stokes 3B: Junior Creech

Start: 2:36 PM Time: 2:43 Attendance:

Ultimate Level LogoUpgrade Your Account

Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.

Upgrade Now
Comment on this story
Print   
Game time, TV channel, Vegas odds on Clemson-Alabama in Elite 8
Game time, TV channel, Vegas odds on Clemson-Alabama in Elite 8
WATCH: Clemson vs. Arizona Sweet 16 extended highlights
WATCH: Clemson vs. Arizona Sweet 16 extended highlights
Everything Brad Brownell said after Clemson advanced to the Elite 8
Everything Brad Brownell said after Clemson advanced to the Elite 8
Scanlon's walk-off homer lifts Hurricanes over No. 2 Tigers
Scanlon's walk-off homer lifts Hurricanes over No. 2 Tigers
Post your comments!