Tigers blast Tide, force Monday deciding game |
CLEMSON – The Clemson Tigers scored early and often on Sunday night, and with new life now have to hope that the formula repeats itself on Monday.
The Tigers scored six runs in the first and put the game out of reach with a nine-run sixth inning as they routed the Alabama Crimson Tide 19-5 in game two of the Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, and now have only a 1:05 p.m. game on Monday standing between them and a trip to Omaha and the College World Series. “Nice ballgame for us,” Clemson head coach Jack Leggett said. “I thought Scott [Weismann] did a nice job for us. He worked ahead all night and we played well defensively. We swung the bats really good tonight, and we started off with that big first inning. But the thing I was most pleased with was the fact that every time they scored, we scored, which is getting rebound runs. I like the way we played tonight, but we know we can’t take anything into tomorrow. We will have a battle on our hands tomorrow.” The Tigers quickly put the previous night’s inability to score with runners in scoring position behind them, opening up a 6-0 lead after just half an inning. With one out in the top of the first, Mike Freeman and Jeff Schaus singled ahead of Kyle Parker, who drove Freeman home with a single to left. Brad Miller then walked to load the bases, and John Hinson lined a two-run single up the middle for a quick 3-0 lead. Richie Shaffer later hit a sacrifice fly to score Hinson, and Spencer Kieboom capped the big first frame by launching a two-run double into the left-center field gap, and Clemson led 6-0. Weismann, who started and went six innings, giving up three earned runs, said it’s always nice to take the mound with a big lead. “That is a huge confidence boost,” Weismann said. “They have been doing that all year for me. When I gave up a run in the second, they came back with more. That is a huge confidence. At that point, you just let the defense work and fill up the strike zone.” Alabama scored their first run on a solo home run by Jake Smith in the bottom of the second inning, but Clemson answered in the top of the third on two homers. Hinson launched his 16th homer of the season just to the right of the huge screen in center, and Shaffer followed that with a blast just to the left of the scoreboard, his fifth of the season. Shaffer’s homer chased Alabama starter Adam Morgan, who gave up eight earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. Mike Freeman doubled off of the base of the left-center field wall with one out in the fourth, and Schaus followed that with an RBI single to put the Tigers up 9-2, but the Crimson Tide answered with a single run in the bottom of the inning and Clemson led 9-3 at the end of four. A Wilson Boyd single and Freeman double plated another run in the top of the fifth, but the game became a rout quickly in the top of the sixth. Clemson had already scored five runs in the inning when Miller, with the bases loaded, launched a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left center for a grand slam, and the Tigers led 19-3 heading into the bottom of the inning. Miller, who finished 4-for-5 with the four runs driven in and three runs scored, said the Tigers seem to play better when they have their backs against the wall. “We have had a lot of situations where we have had our backs against the wall this year,” Miller said. “I think we play better when we feel like we have to prove something to everybody. We just like to battle. We know the other team won’t give us anything easy, and we have to battle til that last out.” The Crimson Tide added single runs in the sixth and seventh, but the damage was done, and Clemson will throw righty Dominic Leone (2-1, 4.89 ERA) at Alabama on Monday. Alabama will pitch Nathan Kilcrease, who is 8-2 with a 2.42 ERA on the season in 33 appearances. The winner advances to Omaha, and will play the winner of the Arizona St.-Arkansas Super Regional. Arizona St. is the top-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament and beat Clemson in last year’s Super Regional in Tempe, AZ. Note on tonight’s Game Clemson’s Six Runs in Opening Inning * When Clemson scored six runs in the first inning this evening it was the most first-inning runs for the Tigers in an NCAA Tournament game since June 5, 1959 when the Tigers scored six in the first inning against Florida State. That was an NCAA Regional game played in Gastonia, NC. That is the only other game in Clemson’s 180-game NCAA Tournament history that the Tigers scored at least six runs in their first at bat. Clemson went on to a 24-2 victory that night in 1959. *The six runs were the most for the Tigers in the first inning this year since March 17, 2010 when the Tigers scored eight in the first inning against Georgia Southern.
Clemson 19 (42-23)
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