The Tigers jumped out to a 6-0 lead with five runs in the second inning and another run in the third. Maryland answered back with three runs in the fifth inning to cut Clemson’s lead in half. But behind four two-out runs in the sixth inning and two runs in the seventh inning, the Tigers cruised to a nine-run victory.

Jonathan Meyer (2-0) pitched 4.1 superb innings in relief to earn the win. He allowed just two hits, no runs, and one walk with five strikeouts. Starter Dominic Leone struck out six batters in 4.2 innings pitched, but he did not factor in the decision. The two Tiger hurlers combined for 11 strikeouts against only two walks.

AUDIO: Jack Leggett

David Carroll (5-2), the first of four Terrapin pitchers, suffered the loss. He gave up seven hits, six runs (five earned), and two walks with one strikeout in 3.0 innings pitched.

The Tigers took the game’s first lead in the second inning. Miller led off with a groundball single through the left side and Chris Epps walked on five pitches. After Spencer Kieboom’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a base, Will Lamb bounced a single up the middle to score Miller and Epps. After Lamb stole second, he moved to third on a passed ball as Jason Stolz walked. John Hinson singled through the right side to plate Lamb, then Phil Pohl hit a potential inning-ending, double-play grounder to short. Hinson was retired at second, but second-baseman Ryan Holland’s throw to first, which would have been in time for a double play, was errant, allowing Stolz to score. Jeff Schaus followed with a two-out single through the right side to bring home Pohl and give the Tigers a 5-0 lead.

Miller led off the third inning with a double off the centerfield wall on the 11th pitch of his at-bat and advanced to third on Epps’ groundout to first. Kieboom followed with a double to right-center to score Miller.

In the fifth inning, Tim Kiene hit a one-out single through the right side and went to second on Austin Kilbourne’s single to left field. After both runners moved up a base on a passed ball, Korey Wacker slapped a single through the left side to score Kiene. Charlie White walked to load the bases and Alfredo Rodriguez struck out for out #2. But Ryan Holland belted a single up the middle to score Kilbourne and Wacker, cutting Clemson’s lead to 6-3.

Clemson put together a two-out rally to add four runs to its lead in the sixth inning. Pohl grounded a 1-2 pitch through the left side for a two-out single and Schaus walked. Richie Shaffer then grounded another single through the left side to score Pohl. Miller followed with a triple to right field that scored Schaus and Shaffer, while Miller also scored on the play when Rodriguez’s relay throw sailed into the Maryland dugout.

In the seventh inning, Kieboom led off with a walk and went to third on Lamb’s double through the right side. Two batters later, Hinson hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Kieboom, then pinch-hitter Dominic Attanasio laced a two-out triple to right-center to plate Lamb.

Miller had a game-high three hits for Clemson, who totaled 13 hits, including three doubles and three triples. Hinson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Lamb went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs, and two runs.

Kiene and Kilbourne had two hits apiece to pace Maryland, who had eight hits in the contest. Holland had a team-high two RBIs as well.

Clemson and Maryland will play game-two of the three-game series on Saturday at 7:00 PM.

Box Score

Jake Williams hit a three run homer in the 7th to put USC on top

Pinch hitter Jake Williams drilled a one strike pitch from reliever Joseph Moorefield  for a three run homer in the  bottom of the 7th  to spark USC to a 5-4 win over Clemson Tuesday night at Fluor Field in Greenville.  With the victory, the Gamecocks win the series two games to one.

AUDIO: Ray Tanner

AUDIO: Jack Leggett

Westmoreland allowed 1 run

The Gamecocks trailed 1-0 going into the 7th.  Alex Frederick relieved David Haselden for the Tigers and walked leadoff batter Christian Walker.  He was sacrificed to second and went to third on a line drive single to right by Adrian Morales.  Peter Mooney got the run home with a high hopping single off first baseman Richie Shaffer’s glove.

Jack Leggett then went to his bullpen again and brought in lefthander Moorefield, the winning pitcher for Clemson Sunday night.  Ray Tanner countered with the righthanded hitting Williams and he deposited the first pitch he saw over the left centerfield fence.  It was the first home run for Williams as a Gamecock.  He sat out last season after transferring from Wofford. 

The Gamecocks added to their lead in the 8th on an RBI single by Christian Walker to make it a 5-1 game going to the ninth.

Koumas gets first USC win

But the Tigers would not go down quietly.  Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with no one out and Forest Koumas was pulled for Michael Roth.  John Hinson greeted Roth with an RBI single to make it a 5-2 game.  Matt Price relieved Roth and got Spencer Kieboom to roll into a 4-6-3 double play.  A run scored on the play and it was 5-3.  Will Lamb then legged out an RBI triple and the Tigers had the tieing run on third with two outs. But Price got pinch hitter Jon McGibbon looking at a third strike to close out the game and pick up his fourth save of the season. 

AUDIO: Jackie Bradley, Jake Williams, Matt Price, Forest Koumas

AUDIO: Richie Shaffer, David Haselden

The Tigers got on the board first with one swing of the bat by Richie Shaffer.  He drilled an Adam Westmoreland pitch over the center field wall to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the fourth.  It was his 2nd homer of the season.  That would be all the scoring until the Gamecock rally in the 8th.

Westmoreland started for USC and went 5.1 innings allowing 4 hits and the one run.  Haselden started for Clemson and pitched six innings of three hit ball.  Forest Koumas picked up his first career victory for the Gamecocks.  He pitched 2.1 innings allowing three runs on three hits.  Alex Frederick takes the loss for Clemson.

Williams earned the Tom Price Award as USC’s MVP for the series.  Kieboom won the Bob Bradley Award as Clemson’s MVP. 

USC improves to 9-1 and will play Davidson at home Wednesday night.  Clemson falls to 7-3 and will play Wednesday night at Western Carolina.

Box Score

The Terriers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, but Clemson tied the score with a run in the bottom of the fourth and took the lead for good with two runs in the fifth inning. Then, Kevin Pohle and Jonathan Meyer worked out of several jams in the latter stages of the game to keep the lead in Clemson’s favor.

AUDIO: Jack Leggett

AUDIO: Brad Miller

Pohle (1-1), a freshman from Saint Louis, MO, earned his first career victory. In 2.2 innings pitched in relief, he allowed three hits and no runs. Meyer pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts, then Joseph Moorefield retired the only two batters he faced to close out the game. Starter Justin Sarratt, who missed most of 2010 due to injury, pitched 4.0 effective innings, yielding just three hits, one unearned run, and one walk with two strikeouts. The quartet helped Clemson extend its active streak of not allowing an earned run to 24 innings over three games.

Gus White (0-1), the first of five Terrier hurlers, suffered the loss. He yielded two hits, three runs (one earned), and five walks with one strikeout. The pitching staff, which stranded 11 Tigers on base, combined to allow just six hits, but it issued seven walks and three hit-by-pitches.

The Terriers took the game’s first lead in the top of the fourth inning. Mac Doyle reached on a throwing error and Konstantine Diamaduros walked. The runners moved up a base on Josh McKinney’s sacrifice bunt, then Doyle scored on Landon Bennett’s groundout to third. The unearned run ended Clemson’s 18 inning scoreless innings pitched streak dating back to Saturday’s game against Charleston Southern.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Spencer Kieboom was hit-by-pitch and advanced to second on Will Lamb’s groundout. Freshman Jon McGibbon, who was making his first career start, flared a two-out single to center to score Kieboom.

The Tigers took their first lead in the fifth inning thanks in part to three Wofford errors. Leadoff batter Chris Epps laced a flyball to deep right field that was dropped by Bennett near the fence, as Epps moved all the way to third base on the error. Brad Miller lined a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Epps. After Richie Shaffer reached with two outs on an error and John Hinson blooped a single to left-center, Shaffer scored from third base on an errant throw to first on a failed pickoff attempt.

In the sixth inning, pinch-hitter Phil Pohl led off with a single to center and advanced to second on Jason Stolz’s sacrifice bunt. After Epps was hit-by-pitch and both runners moved up a base on a passed ball, Miller walked to load the bases with one out. For the third time in his third official at-bat of the game, Jeff Schaus hit the ball hard with nothing to show for it, as his sharp grounder up the middle was fielded by a diving Stephen Cantrell, who started a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.

In the seventh inning, pinch-hitter Josh Hyman and Alex Lee drew one-out walks. Two batters later, Clark Wise reached on a two-out, bunt single to load the bases. But Meyer struck Doyle out looking to end the inning and keep the Tigers ahead 3-1.

Clemson added to its lead in the eighth inning. Pinch-hitter Dominic Attanasio led off with a single to left field and advanced to second on Stolz’s second sacrifice bunt of the game. Epps reached on an infield single to move Attanasio to third, then Epps stole second. Miller ripped a single to left field to score Attanasio. Miller was then picked off first, but he stayed in a rundown long enough to allow Epps to score from third base.

Miller went 1-for-1 with two RBIs and three walks, while Epps scored two runs. Kieboom added two walks, a hit-by-pitch, and threw out two basestealers at second base.

James Foster and Wise paced Wofford’s eight-hit attack with two hits apiece, while Bennett had the Terriers’ lone RBI.

The win was Clemson’s 13th in a row in the series against Wofford. It was also the 100th all-time meeting between Clemson and Wofford in the series that began in 1898.

Clemson will face #4 South Carolina three times at three different sites this weekend. The first matchup will be on Friday at 7:00 PM at Carolina Stadium in Columbia.

Box Score

Three Tiger pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts, including nine by starter Kevin Brady, to lead #5 Clemson to an 8-0 win over Michigan State in front of 4,287 fans in the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers, who went 3-0 in the second-annual round-robin tournament, improved to 5-1 on the season, while the Spartans fell to 5-1.

Brady (2-0), a sophomore from Gaithersburg, MD, pitched a career-long 7.0 innings in a starting role to earn the victory. He allowed just four hits, no runs, and no walks with nine strikeouts. Will Lamb pitched 1.2 perfect innings with four strikeouts, then Alex Frederick struck out the only batter he faced to close out the game. The trio of hurlers allowed just four baserunners and combined to face only two batters over the minimum. Only two Spartans reached second base, both on doubles, and no Spartan advanced past second base in the game.

Andrew Waszak (1-1), the first of four Michigan State hurlers, suffered the loss. He yielded six hits, four runs, and three walks with one strikeout in 5.0 innings pitched.

AUDIO: Jack Leggett interview

AUDIO: Kevin Brady interview

The Tigers took the game’s first lead in the second inning. Richie Shaffer led off with a walk. Two batters later, Spencer Kieboom bounced a one-out single through the right side to advance Shaffer to third. Lamb then hit a high flyout to shallow left-center. Shaffer held at third as the throw to the infield was cut off by first-baseman Jeff Holm. Kieboom tagged up and was headed for second base, but he put on the brakes and fell down. After getting up, Kieboom raced back to first base as Holm gave chase in an attempt to tag Kieboom. Meanwhile, Shaffer took off for home and just beat the throw at the plate from Holm.

In the third inning, Jason Stolz led off with a double down the right-field line, moved to third on a balk, and scored on Chris Epps’ single through the right side on a 1-2 pitch. After Epps stole second and third and Jeff Schaus was hit-by-pitch, Shaffer hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field to plate Epps, giving Clemson a 3-0 lead.

Clemson added to its lead in the fourth inning. Lamb reached on a one-out, bunt single. Two batters later, Stolz hit a high flyball with two outs to shallow right field as Lamb was running on the pitch. The ball fell in safely for a single and Lamb scored from first on the play.

In the eighth inning, Shaffer hit an opposite-field, solo home run over the right-field foul pole, his first long ball of the season, to give the Tigers a 5-0 lead.

The Tigers added three insurance run in the ninth inning. Pinch-hitter Phil Pohl led off with a double to left-center and pinch-runner Steve Wilkerson advanced to third on Addison Johnson’s infield single. Stolz followed with a single through the left side to plate Wilkerson. Johnson and Stolz both moved up a base on a steal, then two batters later, Miller lined a triple down the right-field line to score Johnson and Stolz.

Clemson, who outhit the Spartans 12-4, was led at the plate by Stolz, who went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs, two RBIs, and one of Clemson’s four steals in the game. Epps and Kieboom added two hits apiece as well.

Jordan Keur had a team-high two hits to pace Michigan State.

Clemson will return to action when it hosts Wofford on Wednesday at 4:00 PM at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Box Score

Scott Weismann goes five innings to earn win in Clemson opener

Clemson, ranked as high as #4 in the nation, opened the 2011 season with 16 hits and 10 walks en route to a 14-3 victory over Eastern Michigan in front of 6,138 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday afternoon. It was the season-opener for both teams and the first meeting between the two since 1976.

The Tigers took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but a three-run homer by Robert Wendzicki in the second inning cut Clemson’s lead to 4-3. But the Tigers scored three runs in the third, fourth, and seventh innings to pull away for the win.

AUDIO: Jack Leggett interview

The Tigers took advantage of 10 walks issued by Eastern Michigan pitchers, while every Tiger starter had at least one hit. Freshmen Dominic Attanasio and Jon McGibbon also came off the bench and went 2-for-2 in their first career games as a Tiger.

Scott Weismann (1-0), the first of four Tiger pitchers, earned the win in 5.0 innings pitched. He yielded five hits, three runs, and one walk with four strikeouts. David Haselden, Justin Sarratt, and Joseph Moorefield combined to pitch the final 4.0 innings without allowing a run.

AUDIO: Scott Weismann interview

Kendall Lewis (0-1), the first of five Eagle hurlers, suffered the loss, as he gave up four hits, seven runs, and five walks in 2.2 innings pitched.

Epps has leadoff homer

Chris Epps started the season off for the Tigers with a solo home run to left-center in the first inning, his first long ball of the year. It marked the third time in Head Coach Jack Leggett’s 18th season that a Tiger led off the season with a home run and the first time since 1999. Will Lamb followed with a single through the right side and Jeff Schaus walked. After Richie Shaffer walked to load the bases, Brad Miller drew another walk to plate Lamb. John Hinson’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Schaus and Phil Pohl was hit-by-pitch to load the bases again. Spencer Kieboom lined out to center to bring home Shaffer on the sacrifice fly, giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead.

AUDIO: Chris Epps interview

The Eagles responded with three runs in the second inning. Ben Magsig led off with a walk and Zack Leonard singled through the left side. Wendzicki then blasted a three-run homer to left-center, his first long ball of the year.

In the third, Miller led off with an infield single and John Hinson walked. After Pohl’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a base, Kieboom hit another sacrifice fly, this time to right field, to score Miller. Hinson later scored on a wild pitch. After Jason Stolz and Epps drew two-out walks, Lamb laced a single to left field to plate Stolz, upping the Tigers’ lead to 7-3.

In the fourth, Shaffer, Miller, and Hinson led off with walks, then Pohl lofted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Shaffer. Kieboom followed with a single through the right side to score Miller and Stolz grounded out to third to plate Hinson.

Clemson extended its lead with a run in the sixth inning. Hinson led off with a triple down the right-field line and scored on Pohl’s single through the left side.

In the seventh inning, Attanasio and McGibbon, both pinch-hitters, lined singles in their first career plate appearances, then Miller belted a single through the left side to plate Attanasio. After Hinson walked to load the bases and Pohl struck out, Kieboom was hit-by-pitch to score McGibbon. Pinch-hitter Steve Wilkerson followed with a sacrifice fly, Clemson’s fifth of the game, to left field to score Miller.

AUDIO: Spencer Kieboom interview

Miller went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBIs, two walks, and a steal to pace Clemson’s 16-hit attack. The Tigers also walked 10 times and drew two hit-by-pitches, meaning they reached base 28 times in eight innings at the plate.

Kieboom went 1-for-2 with two sacrifice flies and a career-high four RBIs, while Hinson added three runs and three walks.

Leonard had two of the Eagles’ seven hits, while Wendzicki had all three RBIs on his three-run home run.

Clemson and Eastern Michigan will play game-two of the three-game series on Saturday at 1:00 PM.

BOX SCORE 

Scott Weismann will turn a five run lead over to the bullpen today

It is still unclear who will be on the mound for Clemson when the Tigers resume their game with Oklahoma this afternoon.   Clemson will have a 6-1 lead with Oklahoma batting in the top of the sixth when play resumes at 4:30.

Scott Weismann started on the mound last night and pitched five innings.  He allowed three hits and the one earned run in that span.  It seems highly unlikely that he would return to the mound today. 

Clemson baseball media relations director Brian Hennessy issued the following response when asked about the Tigers potential pitching plans:

“We only announce starting pitchers before a game, ” Hennessy told SCRN via email.  “Weismann is pitching for us right now until someone (if anyone) relieves him at some point.”

There is some word trickling out of Omaha that Jack Leggett could turn to Will Lamb to finish the game.  The sophomore lefty is 4-4 with a 4.93 ERA this season.

Jack Leggett and the Tigers have overcome a lot to advance in Omaha

Here is Clemson’s game capsule for tonight’s College World Series matchup against Oklahoma.  Both teams are 1-0 in the CWS.  The winner tonight will be of until Friday and will only have to win one more game to advance to the national championship series next week.  The loser will have to play the winner of USC-Arizona State in an elimination game on Thursday night.

Clemson (44-23) vs. Oklahoma (50-16)

9:00 EST @ Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE

Starting pitchers:

Clemson:  RHP Scott Weismann (8-2, 5.09 ERA)

Oklahoma:  RHP Bobby Shore (10-4, 3.86 ERA)

Tigers coach Jack Leggett on his team’s mindset in Omaha

Leggett on his team

Follow the action live here.

This and that….

• Clemson beat Arizona State 6-3 in its CWS opener on Monday.  Oklahoma defeated USC 4-3 in its opener.
• This is just the second meeting between these two schools.  The Sooner won the first and only meeting 7-6 on May 22, 1992.  That game was played in the Mideast Regional in Starkville, MS.  Jack Leggett was an assistant coach with the Tigers.
• Today (June 22^nd) marks the latest date Clemson has ever played a baseball game.
• Kyle Parker (26^th pick to the Colorado Rockies) is the only first round pick playing in the College World Series.
• Clemson has played in 67 games this season and has had the lead in 61 of those games.
• This is Clemson’s 12^th appearance in the College World Series.  They have not won the title.
• Oklahoma has been to Omaha ten times and has won two national titles (1951, 1994).

Tigers hope to strike pose in Omaha, too

Story by Pat Daniel:

Jack Leggett

The Crimson Tide enjoyed a 1-0 lead for less than 5 minutes as the Clemson bats were still red hot today after last night’s performance. John Hinson hit a 2-run HR in the top of the 2nd, and the Tigers tallied 2 runs apiece in each of the next 2 innings, jumping out to a commanding 6-1 lead. Every Tiger starter had at least 1 hit for the game, and was led by first-baseman Richie Shaffer’s 2 HR and 3 RBI. The Tigers added two more insurance runs in the 7th when Shaffer hit his 2nd homer, giving them an 8-1 lead.

Jack Leggett press conference:

 

jack leggett 6-14

This was more than enough as Dominic Leone finished the game with stats of 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 strikeouts, and 1 walk on 75 pitches, 50 of which were strikes.

The Tiger bullpen was strong until the 9th, when things got dicey. Kevin Brady allowed a 2 run homer  to Brett Booth, and Tomas Cruz walked in another run. The third error of the game on SS Brad Miller brought in two more runs bringing the score to 8-6. Finally, Jake Smith popped up to left to end the game, and a dog pile ensued at the mound in front of a crowd of 5,250.

Clemson press conference:

(Jack Leggett, Richie Shaffer, John Hinson, Dominic Leone)

clemson press conference 6-14

John Hinson

Alabama expected great pitching today from starter Nathan Kilcrease, but he could not find his rhythm, lasting 5 innings while allowing 6 ER on 11 hits with 2 walks and 1 strikeout. He threw 100 pitches, 57 of which were strikes. The Crimson Tide bullpen allowed two more runs, and combined allowed the Tigers to have 16 hits for the game.  Alabama stranded 10 base-runners, unable to find timely hits until the end.

Alabama finishes their season at 42-25, with head coach Mitch Gispard tying the Alabama record for wins by a first year coach.

Clemson improves their record to 43-23 and moves on to face Arizona State in the opening round of the College World Series.

A sellout crowd at Doug Kingsmore stadium witnessed Clemson hand the first game of the Super Regional to the Crimson Tide, courtesy of two costly errors and failing to capitalize on scoring opportunities.  The Tigers gave a valiant effort at a comeback, but fell short, losing 5-4.  The raucous crowd of 6,346 heard more cheers from the Alabama faithful in the end, as the Tide move within one win of punching their ticket to the sixth College World Series in school history, and first since 1999. 

Clemson post game press conference:

(Jack Leggett, Mike Freeman, Casey Harman)

Jack Leggett_Clemson players

Alabama opened up the scoring with a solo home-run by Jake Smith to lead off the second inning.  They proceeded to break the game open with a four-run third inning, capitalizing on two throwing errors by the Tigers.  All four runs in the inning were unearned, and came with two outs.  These would be the final runs of the ball game for Alabama. 

 The Tigers of Clemson mounted a comeback starting in the bottom half of the third inning as Mike Freeman, Jeff Schaus, and Brad Miller each drove in a run to make the score 5-3 after three. 

 Both starting pitchers calmed their nerves from here, as the game became a combination of stranded base runners and timely pitching.  The Tigers seemed to figure out Alabama’s starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson, but just could not get a timely hit.  Clemson stranded 10 base runners, and Alabama stranded seven of their own. 

 Clemson added one more run in the home half of the sixth inning in large part to pinch-hitter Chris Epps narrowly missing an in-the-park home run.  Wilson Boyd scored on the play from first, and Epps wound up being left stranded at third. 

 The Crimson Tide escaped what could have been a huge 7th inning for the Tigers, as starter Jimmy Nelson came unraveled, throwing a wild pitch and then walking the batter to load the bases.  But once again, the Tigers failed to capitalize. 

 Alabama opened each of the first six innings with a leadoff hit, but did not record a single hit in the final three innings.  Clemson threatened in the eighth with two men aboard, but Mike Freeman hit into an inning-ending double play.  From there the game ended rather routinely with the one exception being a rare collegiate ejection during the ninth inning.   Clemson left fielder Jeff Schaus argued a called third strike to open the ninth, and after being warned by the home plate umpire, was tossed from the ball game.  Kyle Parker then also struck out looking, followed by Brad miller grounding out to end the contest. 

 Jimmy Nelson recorded the win for Alabama, improving his record to 9-3 on the season.  He threw 115 pitches, 61 of which were strikes.  He also allowed 4 ER, struck out 4, and walked 5 batters.  Jake Smith closed out the game by pitching the final two innings, allowing 1 hit, no runs, and recording 2 strikeouts.  This was his 6^th save on the year. 

Casey Harman fell to 7-3 on the season with tonight’s loss, scattering 10 hits, 5 runs (1 earned), and striking out 9 while not issuing a walk.  He threw 122 pitches, 83 of which were strikes. 

 Clemson will start right handed pitcher Scott Weismann in game two Sunday evening.  He is 7-2 on the year in 16 appearances with a 5.13 ERA.  Alabama will start left hander Adam Morgan Sunday.  He is 7-4 with a 5.52 ERA on the season.  Coach Jack Leggett and an NCAA representative stated after the game that Jeff Schaus will not be suspended for game two of the Super Regional.  Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 pm and will be broadcast live on ESPN2. 

Alabama post game press conference:

(Mitch Gaspard, Jimmy Nelson, Jake Smith)

Bama coach_players

Clemson-Alabama box

Jack Leggett

Clemson is hosting a Super Regional for the fourth time.  Each of the three previous times, the Tigers won the Super Regional and advanced to the College World Series.  Clemson has a sparkling record at home in NCAA tournament play with a 39-8 record including a mark of 36-6 under Jack Leggett.

Jack Leggett press conference

jack leggett presser

The Tigers will start lefthander Casey Harman Saturday.  He is 7-2 with a 3.95 ERA and is coming off a strong performance in last week’s regional at Auburn.  Harman beat the home team last Saturday with a complete game, five hit performance allowing just two runs.  Scott Weismann is the likely starter for game two for Clemson.

Clemson third baseman John Hinson

john hinson 6-11

Alabama has set its starting pitchers for all three games.  Righthander Jimmy Nelson will start Saturday night.  He’s 8-2 with a 3.92 ERA.  Sunday’s starter will be righthander Nathan Kilcrease.  He’s 8-2 with a 2.42 ERA.  And if a third game is necessary Monday,  lefthander Adam Morgan will get the start.  He’s 7-4 with a 5.52 ERA.