USC-Clemson Baseball Blog - Sunday
posted by Scott Hood, Sunday, March 02, 2008
4:30 - Enders strikes out for the second out. Hopper up. Lail on 2nd. Hopper fans. WE GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH WITH USC AHEAD, 5-1. Gamecocks will try for the weekend sweep. We're heading down to the field.
4:25 - Crisp is hit with a pitch. He has words with the Clemson catcher. Lail doubles to LF! Crisp scores. He says something to the Clemson C as he crosses home plate. USC leads 5-1!
4:20 - Darnell fans to start the 9th. Home run by Smoak! 3rd of the year. USC leads 4-1. That will give Johnson some cushion in the bottom of the 9th.
4:10 - Balk by Johnson. Runner goes to second. Paulsen fans. 1 out. Tanner is out to speak with Johnson. Big spot right here. Parker up. Senior pitching to a freshman. Strikeout. Ball skips away from Enders. Throw to first beats Parker. 2 outs. Strikeout. 3 outs. WE GO TO THE NINTH. USC LEADS 3-1.
4:05 - We're in the top of the 8th. USC goes down 1-2-3. First perfect inning for either team today. Hogan leads off bottom of the 8th with infield hit. Johnson was in self-protection mode right there.
4:00 - Johnson has sandwiched a pair of groundouts around a walk here in the 7th. Clemson has a runner at 2B with 2 outs. Top of the order. There's another walk. 2 runners on, 2 outs. Boyd up. He came in hitting .360. Johnson ahead 1-2. Weak grounder to the pitcher. 1-3. Johnson gets out of it. We go to the 8th with USC ahead, 3-1.
3:55 - Hopper up. 2 outs. Enders on 2B. He was credited with a double to drive in Smoak with USC's third run. Hoppr out U-3. Curtis Johnson is the new pitcher for USC. He had a great outing against ECU last timeout. Cooper 6IP, 7 hits, 1 run, no walks, 3 strikeouts. We go to the bottom of the 7th with USC ahead, 3-1.
3:50 - Count goes 3-2 on Crisp. Strikeout. Bad at-bat right there. All he had to was either bunt or hit the ball to the right side of the infield. Lail does, but now there's 2 outs after he grounds out 4-3. 2 outs. Ender bloops one to LF. He dives. he doesn't get it. Run scores. USC leads 3-1.
:48 - Smoak leads off the top of the 7th with a double into the RF corner. Andrew Crisp will PH for Disher. Look for a sac. bunt here. Clemson's corners are way in, so they're thinking the same thing.
3:42 - Leadoff single by Boyd. Hogan drives one to the warning track in RF but it's caught by Lail. 1-6 FC by Paulsen. There's a grounder to Darnell. He drops the ball. There's a bad throw to 1st. Ball gets past Smoak. Run scores. Batter ends up at 3rd. F-9 to end the inning. The run is unearned. USC leads 2-1 as we go to the 7th.
3:40 - Darnell lines to 3B for the final out. USC got 2 but they could have had more. Still, I'm sure they'll take it. Now it's up to Cooper and the USC pitching staff. We go to the bottom of the 6th with USC ahead, 2-0.
3:35 - Havens was just picked off second by McKinney. Bad base-running right there. 2 outs.
3:32 - Merrifield walks. Bases loaded in the top of the 6th. Darnell up. Here comes Leggett. Pitching change. McKinney now pitching for the Tigers.
3:30 - Single to RF by Havens! Run scores. It's 2-0 USC. Merrifield up.
3:25 - Lail, Enders, and Hopper due here in the 6th. Base hit for Lail, his second hit of the day. 5-4 fielder's choice by Enders. Hopper up. There's another error by Parker at 3B! USC has runnrs at 1&2 with 1 out. Wingo up. Parker has 3 errors. Base hit by Wingo! Enders scores. USC leads 1-0.
3:20 - Epps singled to left with 1 out. But Widmann bounced into a 4-6 FC. Clemson has a runner at first with 2 outs. Enders guns down Widmann trying to steal 2nd. We go to the 6th, 0-0. Someone has to break through here.
3:20 - Smoak singled with 2 outs in the top of the 5th, but that was it for USC. Smoak has hit safely in all six games this season. We go to the bottom of the 5th tied 0-0. Cooper still pitching for USC.
3:10 - One-out single to LF for Clemson in the 4th. 5-4-3 DP. Nice pitching by Cooper right there. We go to the fifth, 0-0.
3:05 - USC got a base runner on in the 4th but Havenbs fanned for the second time to end it. We go to the bottom of the fourth, 0-0.
3:00 - Clemson had a good opportunity to score in the bottom of the 3rd with runners on 1st and 3rd, but they trued a delaye dsteal of hom and the runners was tagged out by Enders. We go to the 4th with the game still tied at 0-0.
2:45 - Darnell P-4 to start the third. Smoak up. He flied to deep left the first time. But he strikesout here. 2 outs, none on for Disher. He singles to left. Hopefully, that will snap him out of his slump. He was batting .182 coming in. Lail fouls out to third. That's it. We go the bottom of the 3rd with the game still 0-0..
2:40 - Alex Lee of Clemson doubles down the third base line with 2 outs in the bottom of the 2nd. Epps grounds out 4-3. We go to the 3rd with the game still scoreless.
2:32 - Base hit to RF for Wingo! Bases loaded for Havens. Big opportunity for USC right here. Havens strikes out, though. That hurt. Merrifield up. He fans. Mitchell gets out of the jam. We head to the bottom of the 2nd, 0-0.
2:30 - Infield single for Hopper. He's now 7 for 13 on the season. USC has runners at 1&2 with 1 out. Clemson coach is out to talk with Mitchell. Wingo is up.
2:25 - Lail doubles to RCF. That's his third double of the season. But Lail commits a major base-running blunder. The ball skipped a hfew feet away from the Clemson C and Hail tried for third way too late. He was thrown out easily. 1 out. Enders walks. 1 on, 1 out.
2:20 - Clemson has runners on 1&2 with 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st. Parkers grounds out 6-3 for the third out. We go to the 2nd, 0-0.
2:15 - Cooper pitching for USC. Stan Widmann steps in. He fans. Nice pitching there by Cooper. 1 out. Wilson Boyd up. He leads Clemson with 4 HR. Base hit up the middle.
2:10 - Error by the Clemson 3B, Kyle Parker. He had a rough day on Sat. Darnell reaches and Havens moves to second. Smaok hits a rocket to LF but its caught by the Clemson LF. Disher up. Disher K's for the third out. We go to the bottom of the 1st with the game tied at 0-0.
2:08 - Base hit for Havens! Unbeliveable. He's now 11 for 20 on the season. But Merrifield strikes out. Here come the Big 3.
2:05 - We're almost ready for baseball here at DKS. The national anthem has been played and Clemson P DJ Mitchell is going through his final warmups. The red-hot Reese Havens will lead off for USC. Havens steps in. We're ready to go.
1:40 - Infield practice is over. Final preparations are being made to the field right now. It looks like it will be another sell-out crowd for a USC-Clemson game at DKS. The weather is fantastic. Sunny skies. Temps in the 60's. perfect day for baseball. Last year, the early game here featured 30-40 mph winds. Today is much nicer. We're about 20 minutes from baseball.
1:10 - Clemson is finishing up batting practice right now at DKS. We've just been provided the starting lineup for both teams. Here is USC's starting lineup:
Havens - 6
Merrifield - 8
Darnell - 5
Smoak - 3
Disher - DH
Lail - 9
Enders - 2
Hopper - 7
Wingo - 4
Cooper - P (0-1, 9.00 ERA, 3 IP, 6 H, 6 R)
It's the identical batting order from Saturday. Darnell, Smoak and Disher were a combined 1-for-11, so I'm looking for them to breakout today. Havens has been red hot, as most of you know. He comes into today's game with a .526 batting average, 4 HR and 14 RBI through the first 5 games. I doubt any leadoff hitter in the nation has better stats than that.
Here is Clemson's starting lineup:
Widmann - 6
Boyd - 7
Hogan - 2
Paulsen - 3
Parker - 5
Schaus - DH
Burgess - 4
Lee - 8
Epps - 9
Mitchell - P (1-0, 5.40 ERA, 5 IP, 3 R, 3H)
Kyle Parker had a nightmare game yesterdsay. We'll see how he responds today. He's playing baseball but is attending CU on a FB scholarship.
12:55 - We're live from the press box at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson. USC will try for the weekend sweep after trouncing the Tigers, 10-1, on Saturday at Sarge Frye Field. Blake Cooper will be the starting pitcher for USC, while DJ Mitchell is the scheduled starter for Clemson. Cooper struggled in his only career start v. the Tigers last season. It will be interesting to see if USC can play as well in all facets as they did yesterday. If you recall, USC played a perfect game here last year in the opening game of the four-game series. USC is wearing their gray uniforms with black hats and black trim. Those are the same uni's they wore here last year in the 12-0 victory. BTW, if you're planning to attend Wednesday's USC-Charlotte game, first pitch has been moved up to 4 p.m. The MBB team is hosting Kentucky at 7 p.m. at the CC.
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FINAL SCORE: USC 5 - CLEMSON 1.
4:30 - Enders strikes out for the second out. Hopper up. Lail on 2nd. Hopper fans. WE GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH WITH USC AHEAD, 5-1. Gamecocks will try for the weekend sweep. We're heading down to the field.
4:25 - Crisp is hit with a pitch. He has words with the Clemson catcher. Lail doubles to LF! Crisp scores. He says something to the Clemson C as he crosses home plate. USC leads 5-1!
4:20 - Darnell fans to start the 9th. Home run by Smoak! 3rd of the year. USC leads 4-1. That will give Johnson some cushion in the bottom of the 9th.
4:10 - Balk by Johnson. Runner goes to second. Paulsen fans. 1 out. Tanner is out to speak with Johnson. Big spot right here. Parker up. Senior pitching to a freshman. Strikeout. Ball skips away from Enders. Throw to first beats Parker. 2 outs. Strikeout. 3 outs. WE GO TO THE NINTH. USC LEADS 3-1.
4:05 - We're in the top of the 8th. USC goes down 1-2-3. First perfect inning for either team today. Hogan leads off bottom of the 8th with infield hit. Johnson was in self-protection mode right there.
4:00 - Johnson has sandwiched a pair of groundouts around a walk here in the 7th. Clemson has a runner at 2B with 2 outs. Top of the order. There's another walk. 2 runners on, 2 outs. Boyd up. He came in hitting .360. Johnson ahead 1-2. Weak grounder to the pitcher. 1-3. Johnson gets out of it. We go to the 8th with USC ahead, 3-1.
3:55 - Hopper up. 2 outs. Enders on 2B. He was credited with a double to drive in Smoak with USC's third run. Hoppr out U-3. Curtis Johnson is the new pitcher for USC. He had a great outing against ECU last timeout. Cooper 6IP, 7 hits, 1 run, no walks, 3 strikeouts. We go to the bottom of the 7th with USC ahead, 3-1.
3:50 - Count goes 3-2 on Crisp. Strikeout. Bad at-bat right there. All he had to was either bunt or hit the ball to the right side of the infield. Lail does, but now there's 2 outs after he grounds out 4-3. 2 outs. Ender bloops one to LF. He dives. he doesn't get it. Run scores. USC leads 3-1.
:48 - Smoak leads off the top of the 7th with a double into the RF corner. Andrew Crisp will PH for Disher. Look for a sac. bunt here. Clemson's corners are way in, so they're thinking the same thing.
3:42 - Leadoff single by Boyd. Hogan drives one to the warning track in RF but it's caught by Lail. 1-6 FC by Paulsen. There's a grounder to Darnell. He drops the ball. There's a bad throw to 1st. Ball gets past Smoak. Run scores. Batter ends up at 3rd. F-9 to end the inning. The run is unearned. USC leads 2-1 as we go to the 7th.
3:40 - Darnell lines to 3B for the final out. USC got 2 but they could have had more. Still, I'm sure they'll take it. Now it's up to Cooper and the USC pitching staff. We go to the bottom of the 6th with USC ahead, 2-0.
3:35 - Havens was just picked off second by McKinney. Bad base-running right there. 2 outs.
3:32 - Merrifield walks. Bases loaded in the top of the 6th. Darnell up. Here comes Leggett. Pitching change. McKinney now pitching for the Tigers.
3:30 - Single to RF by Havens! Run scores. It's 2-0 USC. Merrifield up.
3:25 - Lail, Enders, and Hopper due here in the 6th. Base hit for Lail, his second hit of the day. 5-4 fielder's choice by Enders. Hopper up. There's another error by Parker at 3B! USC has runnrs at 1&2 with 1 out. Wingo up. Parker has 3 errors. Base hit by Wingo! Enders scores. USC leads 1-0.
3:20 - Epps singled to left with 1 out. But Widmann bounced into a 4-6 FC. Clemson has a runner at first with 2 outs. Enders guns down Widmann trying to steal 2nd. We go to the 6th, 0-0. Someone has to break through here.
3:20 - Smoak singled with 2 outs in the top of the 5th, but that was it for USC. Smoak has hit safely in all six games this season. We go to the bottom of the 5th tied 0-0. Cooper still pitching for USC.
3:10 - One-out single to LF for Clemson in the 4th. 5-4-3 DP. Nice pitching by Cooper right there. We go to the fifth, 0-0.
3:05 - USC got a base runner on in the 4th but Havenbs fanned for the second time to end it. We go to the bottom of the fourth, 0-0.
3:00 - Clemson had a good opportunity to score in the bottom of the 3rd with runners on 1st and 3rd, but they trued a delaye dsteal of hom and the runners was tagged out by Enders. We go to the 4th with the game still tied at 0-0.
2:45 - Darnell P-4 to start the third. Smoak up. He flied to deep left the first time. But he strikesout here. 2 outs, none on for Disher. He singles to left. Hopefully, that will snap him out of his slump. He was batting .182 coming in. Lail fouls out to third. That's it. We go the bottom of the 3rd with the game still 0-0..
2:40 - Alex Lee of Clemson doubles down the third base line with 2 outs in the bottom of the 2nd. Epps grounds out 4-3. We go to the 3rd with the game still scoreless.
2:32 - Base hit to RF for Wingo! Bases loaded for Havens. Big opportunity for USC right here. Havens strikes out, though. That hurt. Merrifield up. He fans. Mitchell gets out of the jam. We head to the bottom of the 2nd, 0-0.
2:30 - Infield single for Hopper. He's now 7 for 13 on the season. USC has runners at 1&2 with 1 out. Clemson coach is out to talk with Mitchell. Wingo is up.
2:25 - Lail doubles to RCF. That's his third double of the season. But Lail commits a major base-running blunder. The ball skipped a hfew feet away from the Clemson C and Hail tried for third way too late. He was thrown out easily. 1 out. Enders walks. 1 on, 1 out.
2:20 - Clemson has runners on 1&2 with 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st. Parkers grounds out 6-3 for the third out. We go to the 2nd, 0-0.
2:15 - Cooper pitching for USC. Stan Widmann steps in. He fans. Nice pitching there by Cooper. 1 out. Wilson Boyd up. He leads Clemson with 4 HR. Base hit up the middle.
2:10 - Error by the Clemson 3B, Kyle Parker. He had a rough day on Sat. Darnell reaches and Havens moves to second. Smaok hits a rocket to LF but its caught by the Clemson LF. Disher up. Disher K's for the third out. We go to the bottom of the 1st with the game tied at 0-0.
2:08 - Base hit for Havens! Unbeliveable. He's now 11 for 20 on the season. But Merrifield strikes out. Here come the Big 3.
2:05 - We're almost ready for baseball here at DKS. The national anthem has been played and Clemson P DJ Mitchell is going through his final warmups. The red-hot Reese Havens will lead off for USC. Havens steps in. We're ready to go.
1:40 - Infield practice is over. Final preparations are being made to the field right now. It looks like it will be another sell-out crowd for a USC-Clemson game at DKS. The weather is fantastic. Sunny skies. Temps in the 60's. perfect day for baseball. Last year, the early game here featured 30-40 mph winds. Today is much nicer. We're about 20 minutes from baseball.
1:10 - Clemson is finishing up batting practice right now at DKS. We've just been provided the starting lineup for both teams. Here is USC's starting lineup:
Havens - 6
Merrifield - 8
Darnell - 5
Smoak - 3
Disher - DH
Lail - 9
Enders - 2
Hopper - 7
Wingo - 4
Cooper - P (0-1, 9.00 ERA, 3 IP, 6 H, 6 R)
It's the identical batting order from Saturday. Darnell, Smoak and Disher were a combined 1-for-11, so I'm looking for them to breakout today. Havens has been red hot, as most of you know. He comes into today's game with a .526 batting average, 4 HR and 14 RBI through the first 5 games. I doubt any leadoff hitter in the nation has better stats than that.
Here is Clemson's starting lineup:
Widmann - 6
Boyd - 7
Hogan - 2
Paulsen - 3
Parker - 5
Schaus - DH
Burgess - 4
Lee - 8
Epps - 9
Mitchell - P (1-0, 5.40 ERA, 5 IP, 3 R, 3H)
Kyle Parker had a nightmare game yesterdsay. We'll see how he responds today. He's playing baseball but is attending CU on a FB scholarship.
12:55 - We're live from the press box at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson. USC will try for the weekend sweep after trouncing the Tigers, 10-1, on Saturday at Sarge Frye Field. Blake Cooper will be the starting pitcher for USC, while DJ Mitchell is the scheduled starter for Clemson. Cooper struggled in his only career start v. the Tigers last season. It will be interesting to see if USC can play as well in all facets as they did yesterday. If you recall, USC played a perfect game here last year in the opening game of the four-game series. USC is wearing their gray uniforms with black hats and black trim. Those are the same uni's they wore here last year in the 12-0 victory. BTW, if you're planning to attend Wednesday's USC-Charlotte game, first pitch has been moved up to 4 p.m. The MBB team is hosting Kentucky at 7 p.m. at the CC.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.