Clemson Wins Series over Eagles
5/12/2013 1:58:49 AM | Baseball
CLEMSON, S.C. - The Clemson Tigers got another strong outing from their starting pitcher this time by Matthew Crownover and took the non-conference series with a 7-0 win Saturday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The freshman Crownover (7-1) held Georgia Southern (25-25) scoreless over seven innings and helped Clemson (36-15) to their sixth-straight win. The lefthander allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out eight.
The Tigers scored a run in the first three innings before pulling away late with a four-run seventh inning. Steven Duggar tallied three of Clemson's 12 hits and also scored a run. Kevin Boulware, Shane Kennedy and Tyler Krieger finished with two hits each.
Jason Richman (4-4) took the loss for the Eagles after allowing two runs over two innings. The bullpen of Sam Howard and Evan Challenger combined to throw seven innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. Challenger struck out two batters and did not allow a hit over 1.1 innings.
GSU's first two base runners reached base with a walk and an infield single, Crownover was able to get out of the jam without allowing a run. The pitcher threw out the lead runner at third base on a fielder's choice before recording a strikeout and a ground out to end the frame.
The Eagles also left lead off batters stranded in the second, third and sixth innings. Zac Lenns reached base to start the second inning but was left standing on second base after a pop up and a ground out. Ben Morgan drew a lead off walk in the sixth inning and stole second base before a pair of strikeouts, and a fly out ended the frame.
The Tigers struck for a run in the bottom half of the first inning and scored on a double play. The first three batters all reached base with singles before Garrett Boulware grounded into a double play, scoring Maleeke Gibson from third base.
Gibson returned the favor in the second inning, driving in a run with a sacrifice fly. The Tigers scored for the third-consecutive inning in the third inning to extend their lead to 3-0. Boulware led off the frame with a single and later scored from third base on a wild pitch.
The same two teams will conclude the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m. The game can be heard on the Georgia Southern Radio Network and online at gseagles.com/watch-listen.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and its new "Eagles GATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.
Notes: T.D. Davis' strikeout in the first inning was the 438th of the season, passing the 1995 team's total of 437 strikeouts and setting a new school record... The 4.2 innings thrown by Sam Howard set a new personal career high for a relief appearance.
