Box Score

Clemson 13, VT 5

 

CLEMSON, S.C. - Despite having an equal amount of hits, the Virginia Tech baseball team fell 13-5 to Clemson on Friday night by walking nine Tigers and committing four errors in an ACC contest at Kingsmore Stadium.

Each team had 10 hits and eight men left on, but Clemson's extra base runners proved to be the difference that dropped the Hokies to 18-24 overall and 4-18 in the ACC. Clemson improved to 22-20-1 overall and 8-13-1 conference play.

First baseman Sean O'Brien (Chappaqua, N.Y.) paced the Tech attack by going 3-for-5 with a double and a home run. Left fielder Steve Bumbry (Cockeysville, Md.) also homered, while shortstop Tony Balisteri (Lexington, Va.) and catcher Anthony Sosnoskie (Front Royal, Va.) each went 2-for-4 with a double. Starter Rhett Ballard (High Point, N.C.) took the loss to fall to 2-5 after allowing eight runs (five earned) on five hits and six walks in four innings.

Wilson Boyd and Ben Paulsen each homered and doubled for Clemson. Starter Graham Stoneburner (5-2) earned the victory for the Tigers on five innings of five-hit, three-run (one earned) work.

The Tigers wasted no time jumping out to a 4-0 lead as their first five batters in the opening frame reached base. Mike Freeman led off and reached on a throwing error by Balisteri, and Jeff Schaus moved him to third with a single. Boyd then cleared the bases with a three-run shot to left field - his sixth home run of the season. Paulsen followed with a double before Tech's second error of the inning - a wayward throw by third baseman Michael Seaborn (Atlanta, Ga.) on Kyle Parker's ground ball - allowed Paulsen to score from second.

Boyd did some more damage for Clemson in the bottom of the fourth when he doubled home Schaus, who had walked. Paulsen then led off the fifth with a solo home run - his 12^th of the year - to fuel a three-run inning that pushed the Tigers' lead to 8-0.

The Hokies mustered a combined five runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pull within three, but it wasn't enough in the end. Balisteri was the first batter of the sixth and he reached on a fielding error by the Clemson third baseman, setting the table for O'Brien. The redshirt senior lifted his sixth home run of the season - all of which have come in the last 10 ACC games - to right-center field to plate Balisteri and get Tech on the scoreboard. After center fielder Sean Ryan (Ashburn, Va.) walked and moved to second on a passed ball, Sosnoskie brought him home with his team-leading 14^th double of the season. Sosnoskie then advanced to third on a fly out by second baseman Austin Wates (Richmond, Va.) and scrambled home on an RBI base-knock by Seaborn.

Tech's tally in the seventh came on Bumbry's line shot to right field - his first home run since March 1^st. Clemson answered with a run in its half of the seventh before putting the game away in the ninth with four runs, three of which came on designated hitter Kyle Parker's long ball to deep right field.

The Hokies and Tigers are scheduled to play game two of the series on Saturday at 7 p.m.