Section B Online

Saturday May 22, 2010

	AT BAT		BALL					STRIKE				OUT						H/E
				3					2				2					H
		1	2	3	4	5	6		7	8	9			RUNS		HITS			E
FSU		0	0	2	1	0	0		0	0	0				3		6		0
CU		3	0	4	1	0	0		0	0	X				8		8		1

Clemson sweeps the 'Noles

by Paul Thomas, The Osceola

CLEMSON S.C.—For the first time since 2006 the seventh-ranked Florida State Seminoles (39-16, 18-12) were swept by the 22nd ranked Clemson Tigers (37-19, 18-12) as FSU dropped the series finale Saturday afternoon 8-3.

With the win Clemson moved into a tie for first place in the ACC Atlantic division, and will be awarded the second seed at the ACC tournament. Florida State will be the fifth seed, after failing to win just the one game they needed to clinch the two seed.

“Not what I was expecting, but we just ran into a hot ball club this weekend,” FSU head coach Mike Martin said. “They did everything they needed to do to win. They played very well.”

Clemson jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning and never relinquished the lead. The Tigers scored on two wild pitches and an RBI double from Kyle Parker off of John Gast in the innning.

FSU cut the lead to one in top half of the third on an RBI single from Sherman Johnson and Devon Travis scored as Johnson was thrown out trying to steal second.

In the bottom half of the inning Clemson pulled away with four runs on three hits to lead 7-2. FSU had a chance to get out of the inning unscathed as Gast struck out Richie Shaffer, but the ball got away from catcher Parker Brunelle and Shaffer reached first to keep the inning alive.

Tyler Everett came in the game to replace Gast after he walked Wilson Boyd to load the bases. Everett then walked in a run and FSU used two more pitchers in the inning before Robby Scott finally got Jeff Schaus to pop up to end it, but the damage had been done.

Gast took the loss going 2.2 innings, giving up six runs on four hits, walking three and striking out three.

“That hurt,” Martin said of the wild pitch on strike three that would have ended the inning. “No doubt about it that hurt.”

What also hurt FSU was a lack of production at the plate. In the final two games of the series the Seminoles managed just 11 hits and seven runs. Johnson and Stephen Cardullo each had two hits on Saturday.

Martin said that 11 hits in two games is not going to get it done for his team. The team will have three days to work on it before they open the ACC tournament in Greensboro against Miami (time and day to be determined).

“Not our club. No doubt about it that’s not going to get it done,” Martin said. “We’re just going through a little rut right now, and we just need to turn it around. That’s going to be a challenge when we play Miami.”

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