Maryland
Clemson
No. 1 Clemson Uses The Long Ball To Down Maryland, 13-6
3/29/2002 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 29, 2002
CLEMSON, S.C.- Jeff Baker went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs as No. 1 Clemson defeated Maryland, 13-6, in front of 4,343 fans Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. The Tigers totaled 14 hits on the night to earn their first ACC win of the season.
The Tigers took advantage of two Maryland errors to score three unearned runs in the first. Clemson shortstop Khalil Greene and right fielder Jarrod Schmidt each made Maryland pay with RBI-singles and first baseman Michael Johnson produced a RBI-groundout to give Clemson a 3-0 advantage.
The Terrapins answered quickly in the top of the second with one run to cut the Tiger lead to 3-1. Senior catcher Kevin McDonald led off the inning with a double down the right field line. Sophomore third baseman Anthony Buffone (Manalapan, N.J.) followed with a single to right and McDonald scored when Clemson right fielder Jarrod Schmidt booted the ball.
The Terps tied the contest at three in the second with a pair of runs. After junior left fielder Daryl Whitmer (Waldorf, Md.) singled and stole second, junior shortstop John McCurdy (Crofton, Md.) blasted a two-run home run to right center field to tie the game at 3-3. The homer for McCurdy was his 12th this season, which ties him for the lead in the ACC.
Clemson roared back with four runs in the bottom half of the third to regain the lead, 7-3. The Tigers pounded out six hits in the inning including a two-run home run by Jarrod Schmidt.
The Tigers used the long ball again in the fourth to stretch the lead to 9-3. Clemson third baseman Jeff Baker blasted his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot, to deep left field for the Tigers' two runs.
Maryland got back into the contest in the seventh by knocking out Clemson starter Steve Reba with three runs. Kevin McDonald got things started with a bases loaded walk and Buffone followed with a two-run single to cut the Clemson lead to 9-6.
Clemson came right back with four runs of its own in the home half of the seventh. The big hit in the inning came when catcher Collin Mahoney drilled a three-run home run off Maryland reliever Mike Dallmeyer (Enola, Pa.) to make the score 13-6.
Steve Reba (7-0) earned the win for the Tigers as he allowed six runs on 10 hits. Reba fanned seven Terrapins as he won his seventh game of the season. Maryland starter Jared Stuart (Corning, N.Y.) was tabbed with the loss as he lasted five innings. Stuart (3-1) gave up nine runs, six of which were earned, to go along with eight strikeouts.
John McCurdy led Maryland by going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Anthony Buffone also went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs for the Terrapins.
With the win, the No. 1 Tigers improved to 21-1 overall and 1-0 in the ACC while Maryland fell to 17-7 on the year and 0-4 in the conference. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. The schedule change is due to the possibility of rain on Sunday.
