Tigers hit three home runs in win over Michigan St.

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GREENVILLE – If the Clemson Tigers keep hitting the ball like this, the worries over the pitching staff may be moot. But the pitching staff is looking solid as well.

John Hinson, Wilson Boyd and Mike Freeman all hit home runs to lead 15th-ranked Clemson to a 10-2 victory over Michigan State in front of 3,563 fans at Fluor Field on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers improved to 2-0 and moved to 6-0 all-time at Fluor Field. The Spartans fell to 1-1.

Hinson, making his first start since 2008 [he had back surgery and missed all of last season], gave Clemson a 4-0 lead with a three-run homer in the second inning. Boyd, who went hitless in Clemson’s season opening win on Friday, hit a two-run homer in the sixth and Freeman added a three-run home run in the seventh to put the game out of reach.

Freeman went 2-for-5 with a homer, double, and two runs, while Boyd went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs to lead Clemson's 10-hit attack.

Tiger starter Scott Weismann (1-0) earned the win. In 4.2 innings pitched, he allowed six hits, two runs, and one walk with a career-high six strikeouts. Will Lamb, the hitting star in Friday’s opener when he played first base, pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of one-hit ball, while freshman righties Jonathan Meyer and Scott Firth both pitched a scoreless inning to close out the game.

Spartan starter Tony Bucciferro (0-1) suffered the loss, as he allowed six runs on six hits in 6.0 innings pitched.

Clemson dented the scoreboard in the second inning with four runs. Kyle Parker led off with a hit-by-pitch and moved to second on Boyd's single to left field. Two batters later, Richie Shaffer laced a single to right field to score Parker. Hinson then followed with a long three-run homer to right field.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Spartans’ Jonathan Roof led off with a home run to left field, his first of the season and the first run allowed by the Clemson pitching staff this season.

Michigan State cut further into Clemson's lead in the fifth inning. Bo Felt led off with a single to left field, and after the next two Spartans struck out and Seth Williams walked, Brandon Eckerle doubled to right-center to score Felt. But Lamb got Erik Boike to ground out with runners on second and third to end the frame.

Clemson responded with two runs to take a 6-2 lead in the sixth inning. Parker drew a one-out walk and Boyd followed with a two-run homer down the right-field line, a homer that hooked around Greenville’s version of the Pesky Pole.

Another long ball enabled the Tigers to up their lead in the seventh inning. Phil Pohl and Chris Epps both walked with one out. Freeman then blasted his three-run homer to right-center.

The Tigers reached double-digits in runs in the ninth inning. Freeman hit a two-out double off the wall in left-center. After Jeff Schaus was hit-by-pitch for the second time in a row, Parker lined a single to left-center to plate Freeman.

Roof and Felt had two hits apiece for the Spartans, who had eight hits in the game.

Clemson 10 (2-0)


Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB


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


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


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


Jeff Schaus lf...........  3  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0


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


Wilson Boyd dh...........  5  2  3  2   0  1  0  0   2


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


Richie Shaffer 1b........  3  1  1  1   1  0  6  2   0


 John Nester 1b..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  2  0   0


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


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


Phil Pohl c..............  3  1  1  0   1  0  8  0   0


 Spencer Kieboom c.......  0  0  0  0   0  0  2  0   0


Scott Weismann p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  1  1   0


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


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


 Scott Firth p...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0


Totals................... 34 10 10 10   4  3 27 10   4


Michigan State 2 (1-1)


Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB


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Brandon Eckerle cf.......  4  0  1  1   0  1  3  0   0


Eli Boike rf.............  3  0  1  0   0  1  1  0   2


 Jordan Keur ph/lf.......  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0


Chris Roberts dh.........  4  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0


Jonathan Roof ss.........  3  1  2  1   0  0  2  4   0


 Andrew Rademacher ph....  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0


Jeff Holm 1b.............  3  0  1  0   0  0 12  0   0


 Ben Vrobel ph...........  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0


Bo Felt lf/rf............  3  1  2  0   0  0  2  0   0


 Tony Wieber ph..........  1  0  1  0   0  0  0  0   0


Ryan Jones 2b............  3  0  0  0   0  1  3  6   0


Andrew Carpenter 3b......  3  0  0  0   1  2  1  1   1


Seth Williams c..........  1  0  0  0   1  1  2  0   0


 John Martinez ph/c......  2  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   4


Tony Bucciferro p........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0


 Kyle Corcoran p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0


 Andrew Waszak p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0


 Joe Zwierzynski p.......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0


Totals................... 33  2  8  2   2 10 27 11   7


Score by Innings                    R  H  E


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Clemson............. 040 002 301 - 10 10  1


Michigan State...... 010 010 000 -  2  8  1


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E - HINSON(1); CARPENTER(1). DP - Clemson 2; Michigan St. 4. LOB - Clemson


4; Michigan St. 7. 2B - FREEMAN(1); ECKERLE(1). HR - FREEMAN(1); BOYD(1);


HINSON(1); ROOF(1). HBP - SCHAUS 2; PARKER; JONES.


Clemson                IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF


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Scott Weismann......  4.2  6  2  2  1  6 18 19


Will Lamb...........  2.1  1  0  0  0  1  8  8


Jonathan Meyer......  1.0  0  0  0  0  1  3  3


Scott Firth.........  1.0  1  0  0  1  2  4  6


Michigan State         IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF


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Tony Bucciferro.....  6.0  6  6  6  1  2 23 25


Kyle Corcoran.......  0.1  1  3  3  2  0  2  5


Andrew Waszak.......  1.2  1  0  0  1  0  4  5


Joe Zwierzynski.....  1.0  2  1  1  0  1  5  6


Win - WEISMANN (1-0).  Loss - BUCCIFERRO (0-1).  Save - None.


WP - ZWIERZYNSKI(1). HBP - by BUCCIFERRO (PARKER); by CORCORAN (SCHAUS); by


ZWIERZYNSKI (SCHAUS); by FIRTH (JONES).


Umpires - HP: Mike Mazzarisi  1B: Jeremy Dupree  3B: Mike Cheek


Start: 1:06 PM   Time: 2:37   Attendance: 3563

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