What a game, more Clemson notes
By: Will Vandervort
That’s the best way I can sum up last night’s thrilling come-from-behind, 6-5, victory by the Clemson Tigers to win the Clemson Regional and advance to Saturday’s Super Regional against Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.
Trailing much of the night, it looked bleak for the Tigers (44-20) especially after throwing the ball around the infield and allowing Oklahoma State to get two unearned runs to take a 5-1 lead in the top of the seventh. But like this entire year, this Clemson team did not yield to self-doubt and pity and instead came back in what will truly be one of the greatest wins in Clemson history.
“The other day I was telling these guys about some of the great wins we have had here and how people still remember and talk about those teams now,” Clemson coach Jack Leggett said. “I told them about the 1999 regional and how we lost that first game to Arkansas, but we came back and won the regional.
“People still talk about that and what they did tonight; people will talk about when they remember this team.”
What Clemson did was win three straight games to fight off elimination and come from a 4-run deficit in the seventh and eighth innings to advance to yet another super regional — the Tigers fourth in the last five years and their eighth in the last 11 years.
What was even more remarkable, Clemson scored all six of its runs Monday night with two outs.
“It was a huge, huge thing for us,” Leggett said. “We had to break the ice. The first run was huge just to get to 3-1, then when we got down in the seventh inning and didn’t play very well on defense, it was huge to get back to 5-3 real quick. We got some huge hits from all these guys, and the guys who were in the lineups from top to bottom got some big hits with two strikes, big hits with two outs, and big hits with men on base tonight.
“It was a little frustrating at the beginning, but we came alive towards the end.”
Want some more news from the thrilling win Monday? Here are some quick notes.
Clemson is now 11-0 under Leggett in home NCAA tournament games that could clinch a regional or super regional championship.
In Jack Leggett’s 11 home NCAA regional or super regional titles, Clemson had suffered a loss earlier in the tournament just once. That was in the 2002 Super Regional when the Tigers lost the opener of the three-game series, then won the last two games.
Clemson is now 25-2 in home NCAA Tournament games in the 21st century. The only losses have been to Arkansas in a Super Regional game in 2002 and then Saturday in this tournament to Oklahoma State.
Leggett is now 56-31 in NCAA tournament play, including 36-6 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. With the 56 NCAA tournament wins he is Clemson’s winningest coach in post season play. Bill Wilhelm had 42 NCAA tournament wins.
This is the first NCAA regional or super region clinching victory for the Tigers at Kingsmore Stadium since the 2006 Super Regional when Tyler Colvin hit a walk-off grand slam to send the Tigers to the College World Series with a win over Oral Roberts. The score of that game was also 6-5.
Kyle Parker had the biggest hit of the game with a two-run single with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Clemson trailed 5-4 before that hit, which put the Tigers in the lead 6-5, the eventual final score. Parker had been just 1-9 at the plate in the NCAA tournament prior to that hit and was 5 for his last 30 at the plate.
Clemson trailed 5-4 entering the bottom of the eighth inning this evening. Clemson had been just 1-13 when trailing after seven innings entering tonight’s game. The lone win before Monday came last Friday night in Game 2 of the Clemson Regional when Jeff Schaus’ hit in the bottom of the ninth scored two runs in the 5-4 victory over Tennessee Tech.
Chris Epps was the most valuable player of the Clemson Regional. He entered the regional with just two home runs all year, then hit two in this regional, including one tonight that brought Clemson to within two runs at 5-3.
Clemson advances to the Super Regional and will face Arizona State. This will be just the second meeting on the baseball diamond between the two schools. Arizona State defeated Clemson at the 1977 College World Series, 10-7. That was the first game of the 1977 College World Series for both teams.
2009 Clemson Regional All-Tournament Team
First Base: Ben Paulsen, Clemson
Second Base: Mike Freeman, Clemson
Third Base: Tyrone Hambly, Oklahoma State
Shortstop: Tom Belza, Oklahoma State
Outfield: Wilson Boyd, Clemson
Outfield: Alex Henry, Tennessee Tech
Outfield: Michael Dabbs, Oklahoma State
Catcher: Vin DiFazio, Alabama
DH: Chris Epps, Clemson
Pitcher: Chris Dwyer, Clemson
Pitcher Tyler Lyons, Oklahoma State
Most Valuable Player: Chris Epps, Clemson
Wow!
That’s the best way I can sum up last night’s thrilling come-from-behind, 6-5, victory by the Clemson Tigers to win the Clemson Regional and advance to Saturday’s Super Regional against Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.
Trailing much of the night, it looked bleak for the Tigers (44-20) especially after throwing the ball around the infield and allowing Oklahoma State to get two unearned runs to take a 5-1 lead in the top of the seventh. But like this entire year, this Clemson team did not yield to self-doubt and pity and instead came back in what will truly be one of the greatest wins in Clemson history.
“The other day I was telling these guys about some of the great wins we have had here and how people still remember and talk about those teams now,” Clemson coach Jack Leggett said. “I told them about the 1999 regional and how we lost that first game to Arkansas, but we came back and won the regional.
“People still talk about that and what they did tonight; people will talk about when they remember this team.”
What Clemson did was win three straight games to fight off elimination and come from a 4-run deficit in the seventh and eighth innings to advance to yet another super regional — the Tigers fourth in the last five years and their eighth in the last 11 years.
What was even more remarkable, Clemson scored all six of its runs Monday night with two outs.
“It was a huge, huge thing for us,” Leggett said. “We had to break the ice. The first run was huge just to get to 3-1, then when we got down in the seventh inning and didn’t play very well on defense, it was huge to get back to 5-3 real quick. We got some huge hits from all these guys, and the guys who were in the lineups from top to bottom got some big hits with two strikes, big hits with two outs, and big hits with men on base tonight.
“It was a little frustrating at the beginning, but we came alive towards the end.”
Want some more news from the thrilling win Monday? Here are some quick notes.
Clemson is now 11-0 under Leggett in home NCAA tournament games that could clinch a regional or super regional championship.
In Jack Leggett’s 11 home NCAA regional or super regional titles, Clemson had suffered a loss earlier in the tournament just once. That was in the 2002 Super Regional when the Tigers lost the opener of the three-game series, then won the last two games.
Clemson is now 25-2 in home NCAA Tournament games in the 21st century. The only losses have been to Arkansas in a Super Regional game in 2002 and then Saturday in this tournament to Oklahoma State.
Leggett is now 56-31 in NCAA tournament play, including 36-6 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. With the 56 NCAA tournament wins he is Clemson’s winningest coach in post season play. Bill Wilhelm had 42 NCAA tournament wins.
This is the first NCAA regional or super region clinching victory for the Tigers at Kingsmore Stadium since the 2006 Super Regional when Tyler Colvin hit a walk-off grand slam to send the Tigers to the College World Series with a win over Oral Roberts. The score of that game was also 6-5.
Kyle Parker had the biggest hit of the game with a two-run single with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Clemson trailed 5-4 before that hit, which put the Tigers in the lead 6-5, the eventual final score. Parker had been just 1-9 at the plate in the NCAA tournament prior to that hit and was 5 for his last 30 at the plate.
Clemson trailed 5-4 entering the bottom of the eighth inning this evening. Clemson had been just 1-13 when trailing after seven innings entering tonight’s game. The lone win before Monday came last Friday night in Game 2 of the Clemson Regional when Jeff Schaus’ hit in the bottom of the ninth scored two runs in the 5-4 victory over Tennessee Tech.
Chris Epps was the most valuable player of the Clemson Regional. He entered the regional with just two home runs all year, then hit two in this regional, including one tonight that brought Clemson to within two runs at 5-3.
Clemson advances to the Super Regional and will face Arizona State. This will be just the second meeting on the baseball diamond between the two schools. Arizona State defeated Clemson at the 1977 College World Series, 10-7. That was the first game of the 1977 College World Series for both teams.
2009 Clemson Regional All-Tournament Team
First Base: Ben Paulsen, Clemson
Second Base: Mike Freeman, Clemson
Third Base: Tyrone Hambly, Oklahoma State
Shortstop: Tom Belza, Oklahoma State
Outfield: Wilson Boyd, Clemson
Outfield: Alex Henry, Tennessee Tech
Outfield: Michael Dabbs, Oklahoma State
Catcher: Vin DiFazio, Alabama
DH: Chris Epps, Clemson
Pitcher: Chris Dwyer, Clemson
Pitcher Tyler Lyons, Oklahoma State
Most Valuable Player: Chris Epps, Clemson
posted by Roy Philpott @ 1:54 AM
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