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CLEMSON S.C.—The seventh-ranked Florida State Seminoles (39-15, 18-11)
dropped their second game in a row to the 22nd-ranked Clemson Tigers
(36-19, 17-12), losing 8-4 on Friday night.
The loss sets up a one-game playoff in Sunday’s series finale for first
place in the ACC Atlantic division and the second seed at next week’s
ACC tournament.
In the first two innings, Brian Busch held Tigers scoreless, but a
six-run third was too much for the Seminoles to overcome.
After allowing the first two Clemson hitters to get on with a walk and a
single, Brad Miller dropped a bunt towards third base. Third baseman
Sherman Johnson charged the ball and fielded it cleanly, but slipped
when he went to throw. Johnson held the ball and everyone was safe to
load the bases with no outs. Busch then walked in a run, before Kyle
Parker drove in two runs with a single.
The bases were loaded again after two more Tiger singles. Richie Shaffer
broke the game open with a bases clearing double to put Clemson up 6-0.
Busch took the loss pitching 2.1 innings, walking three, giving up six
runs on six hits and strict out two.
“It’s amazing how good ball clubs take advantage of the least little
thing,” Martin said of the third inning meltdown. “We slipped on a bunt,
which was an out. Six runs later you were wishing you had that out. We
walked the eighth hitter to start the inning, and it just mushroomed
there.”
Florida State responded by scoring two runs in the top of the fourth on
an RBI double from James Ramsey, and a sacrifice fly from Sean Gilmartin.
Clemson then added two more, on a two-run homer from Wilson Boyd in the
fifth inning off of Hunter Scantling.
FSU scored on in the seventh with a solo homerun from Ramsey, who
finished the game 2-for-3 with a double, a homerun, and two RBIs.
Gilmartin doubled in the ninth and was driven in by a double from Justin
Gonzalez.
After the game Martin said he hadn’t talked to pitching coach Jamey
Shouppe, but that either Scott Sitz (5-0, 4.41 ERA) or John Gast (6-2,
5.66 ERA) would get the start for FSU. Clemson will be starting
right-hander Dominic Leone (2-1, 4.30 ERA).
Martin said that it will be all hands on deck tomorrow for his pitching
staff and that he wouldn’t hesitate to throw closer Mike McGee two
innings if needed.
“We will use everybody that we can tomorrow, because we’re playing for a
division championship tomorrow,” Martin said.
He is hoping that the same resiliency that allowed his team to come back
from an 8-0 deficit last weekend will allow them to bounce back in the
series finale to take the division.
“I’ll trust that we’ll come out tomorrow and get after it. This Clemson
team is hot right now. They’re hot. They’d rather beat us than South
Carolina right now, I really believe that. Tomorrow we’ve just got to
get after it.”
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