Tigers Complete Sweep Over Monarchs, 10-2 |
Eleventh-ranked Clemson defeated Old Dominion 10-2 Sunday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium to complete a three-game series sweep over the Monarchs. Clemson improved to 5-1 while Old Dominion dropped to 2-5-1.
Red-shirt freshman Michael Johnson led Clemson as he homered twice and drove in five runs. Johnson got Clemson on the board in the first inning with a grand slam home run to right field. The home run was the first of Johnson's career and the first this season for the Tigers. It was also the first home run allowed by Old Dominion this year. Johnson added a solo homer in the seventh inning and had three hits in four at-bats. Ryan Mottl (2-0) started for the Tigers and pitched 5.0 scoreless innings to pick up the win. He gave up just one hit while striking out four Monarch batters. J.D. Jackson (1-2) started for Old Dominion and in 3.0 innings of work walked five batters and gave up five runs, four of which were earned, as he suffered the loss. Old Dominion, who had just two hits, scored two runs in the sixth on a passed ball and run-scoring single by Jared Musolf. Clemson added four runs in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach. Patrick Boyd's two-run single highlighted the uprising. In six games of '99, Clemson pitchers have allowed just seven earned runs (1.17 ERA) and 29 hits (.156 opponent batting average). Clemson's 10 runs doubled its previous high in runs in a game this season. Clemson plays host to James Madison from Feb. 25-27 in its next action. Tigers Allow Only One Earned Run in Sweep of Old Dominion Tiger pitchers continued their impressive early showing by allowing just one earned run and 11 hits against Old Dominion as Clemson swept the Monarchs by 5-0, 3-1, and 10-2 scores from Feb. 18-20. The Monarchs hit just .121 while Tiger pitchers had an incredible 0.33 ERA. Clemson blanked Old Dominion 5-0 in the first of three games from Feb. 18-20. Scott Berney pitched 7.0 shutout innings, allowing just three hits and no walks to get the win. Berney threw just 73 pitches (54 strikes). Ryan Riley led the Tiger offensive side with a 2-for-3 performance and three stolen bases. Game two featured more outstanding pitching, as Steve Reba pitched 3.0 shutout innings in relief to pick pick up the win in the Tigers' 3-1 victory. Clemson scored two runs in the eighth inning to go ahead for good. Patrick Boyd's single and Khalil Greene's double brought home the two runs. Boyd broke a 1-for-17 slump with a 2-for-2 performance. Nick Glaser pitched the ninth inning to pick up the save. Monarch pitchers allowed just four hits, but walked Tiger hitters eight times. In game three, Michael Johnson hit two home runs and had five RBIs in Clemson's 10-2 victory over the Monarchs. Johnson, a red-shirt freshman, hit the first two Tiger homers of the season in the game and hit the first two given up by Old Dominion in 2000. Johnson's first inning grand slam gave the Tigers all the runs they would need. He ended the day with three hits and five RBIs. Ryan Mottl pitched 5.0 innings, allowing no runs and one hit to pick up the win. James Madison Next Up for the Tigers This Weekend Clemson (5-1) faces James Madison on Friday (3:00), Saturday (2:00), and Sunday (2:00) in its next action. The Tigers are coming off a three-game sweep of Old Dominion and look to continue the outstanding pitching that limited the Monarchs to only one earned run on 11 hits in three games. James Madison enters this week's play with a 5-2 record, including winning two of three games over Penn State this past weekend. The two teams have met 12 times with the Tigers holding a 10-2 advantage. They last played in 1997 at Clemson. The Tigers won both mid-week games by 12-5 and 11-3 scores. The Dukes are led by Steve Ballowe, who is hitting .407 with two homers and 10 RBIs. The Dukes have stolen 24-32 bases, led by Rich Thompson (7-7) and T Riley (8-9). The Duke pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.82. Starters for this weekend's game will be announced later in the week.
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