Clemson Stops NC State Baseball 5-3

Friday, May 24

St. Petersburg, Fla.

12:00 PM

NC State

33-26

Clemson (ACC Tournament)

46-13

Clemson

NC State

5/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 24, 2002

Box Score?|? Quotes

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Jeff Baker had four hits and two RBIs, and Tyler Lumsden worked seven strong innings to lead Clemson past NC State 5-3 in a third-round elimination game at the 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament at Florida Power Park.

The loss ended the Wolfpack's season. NC State finished with a 33-26 record. Clemson, which advanced into the tournament semifinals on Saturday, improved to 46-13. Lumsden (3-1) allowed three runs, two of them earned, on eight hits. He walked three and struck out nine. He got stronger as the game went along, finally giving way to reliever Jeff Hahn, who notched his second save of the season, with one on and none out in the seventh inning. Wolfpack starter Daniel Caldwell (7-8) took the loss. He allowed four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.

Joe Gaetti got the Wolfpack off to a quick start with a one-out single to center in the bottom of the third. Gaetti went to third on Justin Riley's single to right-center, and scored on Colt Morton's line single up the middle. Clemson immediately tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth on Michael Johnson's sacrifice fly.

The Tigers got to Caldwell in the top of the fifth. David Slevin led off with a walk and went to second on Russell Triplett's groundout to first base. After Collin Mahoney struck out, Roberto Valiente singled to drive in Slevin with the go-ahead run. Kyle Frank beat out a bunt single, and Khalil Greene walked to load the bases. Baker then delivered a two-run single to left, giving Clemson a 4-1 lead and sending Caldwell to the showers in favor of lefthander Daryl Minugh.

The Wolfpack chipped away and picked up a run in the bottom of the fifth. Marc Maynor led off with a bunt single and went to third on Brian Wright's single to right field. That extended Wright's hitting streak to 15 games. Justin Riley picked up the RBI with a single to left.

The Tigers threatened constantly in the late innings. Slevin drew a one-out walk in the top of the sixth, Triplett singled to right, and Mahoney walked to load the bases with one out and the top of the order coming up. That brought Brian Ross out of the bullpen in place of Minugh, and Ross got Valiente looking at strike three, and then retired Frank on a pop-up to second base to get out of the inning and strand all three baserunners.

The Pack picked up an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth when Adam Hargrave reached on a two-base throwing error by Baker and scored when Gaetti doubled down the line in left field, whittling the Clemson lead to a single run at 4-3.

Ross wriggled out of a jam of his own making in the top of the seventh. Greene and Baker led off with singles, and Johnson ripped an RBI double off the wall in right. That left runners on second and third with none out, but Ross got Jarrod Schmidt looking, set down Slevin on an infield pop-up, and got Triplett to ground out and end the inning. The insurance run gave the Tigers a two-run cushion at 5-3 through the middle of the seventh.

Baker led off the top of the ninth with a single to left, and Johnson walked, putting runners on first and second with none out. Ryan Combs came out of the bullpen for NC State, and Schmidt greeted him with a sacrifice attempt up the third-base line. Combs, who made the key defensive play in the Pack's win over Virginia in the second round, pounced on the bunt and never hesitated, nailing Baker at third base for the first out of the inning. Slevin grounded into a force play for the second out, and Triplett looked at strike three for the final out.

NOTES: Wright, who went 1-for-5 in his final college game, finished the season batting .418, which is the second highest single-season batting average in school history, behind Chris Cammack's .429 total in 1969. Wright finished his career with a .373 average, which ranks second only to Brian Ward's .380 average. Wright finished first in school history with 78 career doubles, second in total bases with 557, third in hits with 341 and runs batted in with 222, fourth with 913 at-bats and 225 runs scored, and tied for fourth with 42 home runs.

Wright also finished his career with a consecutive-games-played streak of 205, which ranks third in school history. He played 236 total games in his four-year career.

During his 15-game hitting streak, Wright batted .460 (29-for-63) with eight doubles, eight home runs and 17 RBIs.