#7 Virginia Stuns # 2 Clemson In The First Round Of The ACC Tournament, 7-3
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May 16, 2001
FORT MILL, S.C. – The University of Virginia baseball team upset the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the 2001 ACC Baseball Tournament at Knights Stadium by the score of 7-3. Virginia, the #7 seed, defeated Clemson, the #2 seed behind the strong pitching of Dan Street and timely hitting by the Cavalier offense. The win snapped UVa’s string of six consecutive losses to Clemson dating back to last season.
Virginia jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning when Hunter Wyant (2-5, 3 RBI, run) drove in David Stone (1-3, 2 runs) with an RBI-single to left field. Jon Benick (3-5, 3 RBI, run) gave the Cavaliers a four-run lead and scored the eventual game-winning run when he hit his 18th home run of the season by sending a three-run shot over the left field fence to make it a 4-0 UVa lead.
Clemson cut Virginia’s lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Casey Stone hit a two-run double to left-center field before scoring a run himself on an RBI-sacrifice fly to left field by Khalil Greene to make it a one-run game at 4-3. But that would be all the scoring the Tigers would muster as the Cavaliers scored the next three runs of the contest.
UVa extended its lead to 6-3 in the top of the eighth inning when Wyant hit a two-run, RBI-single to shallow center field to drive in Doug Vroman (2-5, run) and Stone. The Cavaliers extended their lead to 7-3 in the top of the ninth inning when Robert Word (1-5, RBI, run) hit a solo home run to left field.
UVa’s Street (4-4) went the distance by pitching a complete game (9.0 innings) and allowed only three runs (two earned) while scattering six hits to go along with four strikeouts. Clemson’s Matt Henrie lasted just 4.1 innings and gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts. The Tigers’ Nick Glaser surrendered three runs on four hits.
With the victory, Virginia’s record improves to 25-29 overall, 1-0 in the ACC Tournament, while the loss drops Clemson’s record to 37-19 on the year, 0-1 in the ACC Tournament.
UVa’s victory keeps the Cavaliers in the winners bracket of the tournament and Virginia will now play the winner of the #3 Wake Forest vs. #6 North Carolina contest on Thursday, May 17th at 8:30 p.m. The games will be played at Knights Stadium.
– UVa –