University of North Carolina Athletics
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Clemson
Clemson Tops No. 9 Tar Heels, 9-1
March 19, 2005 | Baseball
March 19, 2005
CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson pitcher Kris Harvey hit a pair of solo home runs and allowed just one hit over seven innings to lead the Tigers (7-8, 1-1 ACC) to a 9-1 victory over ninth-ranked North Carolina (15-4, 2-1 ACC) Saturday in the second game of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Tar Heels, who will aim for their first series win against Clemson since 2000 in Sunday's rubber game.
Harvey (3-1) allowed a first inning single to Carolina designated hitter Matt Ellington, and the Tar Heels did not record another base hit until second baseman Greg Mangum singled to right center off the Clemson bullpen in the eighth. Harvey struck out five and walked five and was 2-for-4 at the plate with the two homers and three runs scored.
Carolina starter Daniel Bard took the loss to fall to 3-2 on the season. He went 5.1 innings and allowed season highs of seven run (three earned) and six hits. He walked three and did not record a strikeout. Three of Bard's six career losses have come against Clemson.
The Tar Heels were shutout until pinch hitter Bryan Steed doubled down the right field line to drive in left fielder Mike Daniel in the ninth of Clemson reliever Jeff Hahn.
The Tigers took a one-run lead in the first on a Travis Storrer sacrifice fly to center, which scored Herman Demmink, who led off the inning with an infield single. The Tigers then added a run in the second when Harvey led off the inning with his first homer, a shot to left center for a 2-0 Clemson lead. The home run was the first allowed by Bard this season.
The Tigers appeared to have scored a second run in the second, as Demmink lofted a fly out to Carolina shortstop Josh Horton in shallow left center, and shortstop Stan Widmann tagged up at third on the play but was called out for leaving early, allowing the Tar Heels to get out of the inning with just one run scored.
After Bard kept the Tigers off the board in the third and fourth, second baseman Taylor Harbin pushed the Tiger lead to 3-0 in the fifth with a solo homer, the second off Bard.
Clemson put the game away in the sixth, as two Tar Heel errors contributed to five unearned runs for the Tigers and an 8-0 lead. Demmink drove in two with a single through the right side, and Harbin followed his homer with an RBI double to left for the run-scoring hits in the inning. Harvey hit is second solo home run in seventh for the final Clemson run.
In addition to Harvey, Demmink was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, and Harbin was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Carolina relievers Rob Wooten and Andrew Carignan worked the final 2.2 innings after Bard was pulled. Wooten allowed two runs on two hits and two walks for the first earned runs he has allowed this season. Carignan worked a scoreless eighth.
The loss was the first by more than one run for the Tar Heels this season and is the worst for Carolina since a 10-2 loss to NC State on May 21, 2004.
The series wraps up at 2 p.m. Sunday with junior lefty Adam Kalkhof set to take the mound for the Tar Heels.
