North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball: Clemson Knocks off Wolfpack, 9-0
4/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The win for Clemson snapped a two-game ACC losing streak and lifted the Tigers to 5-3 in the league and 27-7 overall. The loss was NC State's sixth loss in its last seven ACC games. The Pack fell to 6-8 in the conference and 21-14 overall.
Mottl (6-2) allowed just one hit, a fourth-inning single by Mike Prochaska, in seven innings. He walked three and struck out six. Wolfpack starter Dan D'Amato (5-4) was not sharp, allowing five runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two.
The Tigers jumped on D'Amato in the bottom of the first inning, scoring three runs on three hits and a pair of walks. Casey Stone led off with an infield single to shortstop, and the wind carried Patrick Boyd's infield pop-up into shallow center field for a single. Khalil Greene bounced into a force play, but Jeff Baker walked to load the bases and Jarrod Schmidt walked to force in the first run of the game. Henri Stanley struck out for the second out of the inning, but Mike Calitri grounded a single through the left side of the infield and into left field to drive in two runs and give Clemson a 3-0 lead.
Baker belted a one-out solo home run to left field, his second of the season, in the bottom of the third to give the Tigers and Mottl a 4-0 lead. Schmidt follwed with a ground-rule double to left-center, and Calitri drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second. Back-up catcher Steve Pyzik then hit an RBI single to left field to make it 5-0.
The Wolfpack's only scoring threat against Mottl came in the top of the fifth. Mottl, who had walked only eight batters all season, walked the bases full with two outs. Brian Wright skied a pop-up on the infield, and the wind played tricks with the ball. Calitri came in from first base and caught the ball as he fell over backwards, landing on his back but hanging on to the ball for the final out of the inning.
Clemson was back in business again in the sixth when Stone led off with single and scored all the way from first base on Patrick Boyd's hit-and-run double to right field. Boyd then stole third and scored on Khalil Greene's single to center field to make it 7-0.
Jeff Baker struck out, but Jarrod Schmitt belted a long two-run home run to left field to make it 9-0, but not after first standing at home plate several seconds to admire his drive before embarking on his trot around the bases.
