Clemson Make It Two Straight Over NC State, 4-2

Saturday, March 25

Clemson, S.C.

7:00 PM

NC State

21-7, 0

Clemson

15-6, 0

NC State

Clemson

3/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 25, 2006

Final Stats

CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson parlayed three consecutive extra-base hits into a four-run fourth inning Saturday and then held on for a 4-2 victory over NC State in the second game of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference baseball series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson extended its winning streak to four games and improved to 15-6 overall, 2-3 in the conference. NC State lost for the third time in a row and dropped to 21-7 overall and 5-3 in the ACC.

Clemson starter Jason Berken (3-2) picked up the win. He pitched seven strong innings, allowing just two runs, one earned, on five hits. He walked three and struck out five. Daniel Moskos got his second save with two innings of high-wire relief work. He gave up one hit and walked two. Wolfpack lefthander Eric Surkamp (2-1) took the loss after being charged with four runs, all earned, on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and tied his career high with seven strikeouts.

Surkamp and Berken cruised through the first three innings, allowing just two baserunners apiece, but the Tigers broke up the pitchers duel with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Brad Chalk pulled a fly ball down the right-field line and off the palm of Brian Aragon's glove for a gift triple and scored on Taylor Harbin's double just out of the reach of a diving Matt Camp in center field. Tyler Colvin followed with a legitimate triple into the gap in right-center. Surkamp struck out Andy D'Alessio for the first out, but Ben Hall singled to left-center to drive in Colvin. Hall went to second on a wild pitch and scored on D.J. Mitchell's bloop single to left-center, giving Clemson a 4-0 lead.

Camp led off the top of the eighth for the Wolfpack and walked on five pitches. Bobby Hubbard hit a potential double-play grounder to shortstop, but Stan Widman let the ball roll up his left arm for an error, and Aaron Bates walked to load the bases with none out. That was the end of the night for Berken. Clemson coach Jack Leggett called on Moskos, and Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent countered by having Ryan Pond pinch-hit for Aaron Cone. Pond worked Moskos for a walk to force in a run, and Ramon Corona hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a second run, but Moskos got out of the inning with Clemson leading 4-2 by rolling a double play.

The Wolfpack rallied again in the top of the ninth, but the inning died a bizarre death. Matt Mangini led off and reached on an error by third baseman Herman Demmink, his second of the game. Caleb Mangum flied out and Jonathan Diaz was out trying to bunt for a hit, with Mangini taking second on the play. Camp walked, and Jon Still pinch-hit for Hubbard and stroked what appeared to be an RBI-single up the middle. But Chalk fired the ball back to second base, where Camp had strayed too far past the bag, and Harbibn applied the tag on Camp for the game's final out.

NC State and Clemson will play the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WKNC (88.1 FM) and on-line at gopack.com.