Florida State Eliminates Clemson with 5-4 Victory |
FORT MILL, SC - Florida State used three straight singles in the ninth
inning to score the game-winning run and eliminate Clemson from the ACC Tournament in a 5-4 victory on Friday. The Seminoles improved to 42-16 while the Tigers dropped to 38-20. With the game tied 4-4 in the ninth inning, Florida State put runners on first and second after singles by John-Ford Griffin and Ryan Barthelemy. Karl Jernigan followed with a line drive to left field that dropped in front of left fielder Casey Stone and allowed Griffin to score the game-winning run. Florid State's Eric Roman (3-2) picked up the win while Josh Cram (4-2) got the loss for Clemson. The reliever got the Tigers out of a jam in the eighth inning but yielded the Seminole run in the ninth. Clemson opened the scoring in the second inning with Michael Johnson's home run over the fence in right field. His 14th homer of the year put the Tigers ahead 1-0. In the third inning, Casey Stone singled, stole second base and then scored on Khalil Greene's line drive double down the left field line that increased the Tiger lead to 2-0. Florida State got on the board in the bottom of the inning thanks to three singles. Scott Toole scored after hits by Griffin and Barthelemy but Clemson starter Jarrod Schmidt avoided further trouble by getting Jernigan to pop out. The Tigers added another run in the fifth. Ryan Riley walked and moved to third on a hit-and-run with Stone, then scored on a passed ball for a 3-1 Clemson advantage. The Seminoles pulled even in the bottom of the sixth with Michael Futrell's two-run homer to left field. Tony Richie followed with a single to right field that knocked Schmidt out of the game, but Nick Glaser came in and recorded the final two outs of the inning. Clemson reclaimed the lead in the eighth inning when Jeff Baker hit Robby Read's first pitch towering over the fence in left field. The home run, which was just inside the foul line, was Baker's 22nd of the season, two shy of the Clemson single-season record. Rogers singled, stole second base, then moved to third base on Futrell's bunt single. The Seminoles tied it up on Richie's RBI single and had runners at first and second with one out when Cram entered the game. He induced an inning-ending double play on his very first pitch and gave the offense a chance to go ahead in the ninth inning. Stone led the way for Clemson on offense with two hits while Baker and Johnson both homered. Stone now has extended his hit streak to 10 games, the longest current streak on the team. Clemson will return to action on Friday, May 25 at 7:00 PM as the host of one of 16 NCAA Regionals. The other three teams in the Clemson Regional will be announced on Monday at 3:00 PM. Coaches Quotes Clemson head coach Jack Leggett "It was a tough ball game to lose. Schmidt pitched well early in the game.. We played good defense and made all the plays we needed to make. We just had trouble hitting. When we got a big hit we had trouble protecting the lead. It is very disappointing to lose." "We obviously wanted to come in here and play well and get us into a rhythm for next weekend. We just didn't hit well enough. We were outhit 17-7. That is just too big a margin to overcome." Where do you have to improve going into next weekend's NCAA Regional "We have to hit. We are pitching all right. We have six or seven guys who have been throwing pretty well and we are playing pretty good defense. We've had lapses here or there, but I think it is more offensive than anything else." Florida State head coach Mike Martin "It was a crazy game.. You look at the score board and see that we have 17 hits, you would think we would score more than five runs. I think that is a credit to Clemson and the outstanding job they did all day long in pitching and playing strong defense.. I'm very proud of our baseball team. They came back after a night in which they were disappointed. But they showed what they are all about. We played hard for 27 outs." "I think the only way to describe this (FSU) baseball team is that they are winners. Winners don't get down. Baseball is a game you have to play on an even keel. You can't get up and you can't get down. If I start double-bogey, double-bogey and shoot 88, I didn't get my composure. I was very pleased with the way these guys played." On being a top-eight seed in upcoming NCAA Regional Play "I think we need two more. We've got to get to the finals of this tournament before I can say that. If we can win the ACC regular season and play for the conference championship....I can tell you this, if we can get to that point, these winners are not going to be satisfied; but getting there is going to be tough." "We will now play Wake Forest, no matter what. That is a pretty good threesome-Georgia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest. It doesn't get any easier from here."
Clemson University 4 (38-20)
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