April 20, 2006

Box Score

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Case Cassedy's two-out, two-run double capped a four-run seventh inning rally and propelled Furman to a 5-4 win over nationally sixth-ranked Clemson in baseball action Wednesday evening at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Cassedy's big hit helped Furman (24-11) erase a 4-1 deficit, and relievers David Mitchell and Nick Hollstegge continued the Paladins' strong bullpen work by combining to shut down the Tigers over the final three innings to nail down the win -- the third for Furman in the last five meetings with Clemson (27-12) and 15th in the last 19 games for the Paladins. It also represented the fifth victory for Furman over a Top 20 team since 2005 and ninth win over a nationally-ranked opponent under head coach Ron Smith.

The come-from-behind win was the second straight for Furman, which erased a 7-1 deficit last Saturday en route to a 9-7 victory over Georgia Southern. Furman's current 24-11 record is the best mark after 35 games in school baseball history, which dates back to 1896.

Jay Jackson opened the decisive seventh with a triple to center and scored on a Will Stembridge single up the middle. A pair of two-out infield singles by Ben Terry and Andrew Greene plated Stembridge, and Cassedy followed with a double down the right field line off Tiger reliever Steve Richard to drive home Terry and Greene for a 5-4 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh Paladin reliever David Mitchell worked out a bases loaded, two-out situation by inducing Travis Storrer into an inning ending groundout.

Stan Widmann and Marquez Smith opened the Clemson eighth with back-to-back singles off Mitchell, but Nick Hollstegge came on to quell the rally by striking out Adrian Casanova and Ben Hall and retiring Tyler Colvin on a line out to end the inning.

Hollstegge finished off the Tigers with a perfect ninth that included a pair of strikeouts to record his fifth save in his last five appearances and eighth save of the campaign. The Paladin junior righthander hasn't allowed a hit his last five appearances, which now spans 6 1/3 innings.

Furman's strong bullpen work made a winner of Patrick Arnett (2-5), who recorded the final out of the sixth inning.

The Paladins, who entered the contest as the Southern Conference's top hitting team (.340), outhit the Tigers 10-9. Cassedy, Terry, and Stembridge led the attack with two hits each. Clemson got two hits each from Brad Chalk and Tyler Harbin, who also cracked a sixth inning home run to give Clemson a 4-1 lead.

Travis Storrer belted a three-run home run in the third off Paladin starting pitcher Jay Jackson to stake the Tigers to a 3-0 advantage. Jackson allowed four runs on four hits and three walks in four innings of work.

Tiger starter P.J. Zocchi went six innings and allowed only one run on four hits while recording six strikeouts.

The loss went to Steve Richard (0-1), who was tagged for four runs on five hits in just 2/3 of an inning.

Furman returns to action this weekend when it opens a three-game Southern Conference series at Appalachian State beginning with a 3:00 p.m. Friday contest.