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No. 6 Virginia Baseball Blanks No. 13 Clemson, 3-0
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April 21, 2007
CLEMSON, S.C. – Matt Packer (Germantown, Tenn.), Michael Schwimer (Alexandria, Va.) and Casey Lambert (Harrisonburg, Va.) combined on a four-hit shutout to lead the No. 6 Virginia baseball team to a 3-0 victory Saturday night against No. 13 Clemson in front of a raucous crowd of 5,056 at Dave Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Virginia has now won eight-consecutive games against Clemson.
Virginia becomes to first ACC team to shut out Clemson in regular-season play since North Carolina on April 17, 2004, in Chapel Hill, and the first ACC squad to blank the Tigers at Dave Kingsmore Stadium since N.C. State on April 6, 2002. The shutout is Virginia’s seventh of the season, which tops the previous single-season record set in 1996.
Lambert earned his ninth save of the season and 41st for his career, tying him for the ACC record with North Carolina’s Thad Chrisman (1992-95).
Packer had a strong start for Virginia, going 5 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and three walks. He also struck out one batter. Schwimer tossed 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win and move to 3-0 on the year.
Clemson right-hander David Kopp was tremendous, tossing seven shutout innings and giving up just two hits and two walks with five strikeouts. He retired 18 of the first 19 batters he faced. Stephen Clyne (4-0) took the loss. He entered the game with a 0.37 ERA, but the Cavaliers touched him up for three runs (two earned) and four hits in two innings.
The game was a pitchers’ duel throughout, and neither team pushed a runner to second base until Clemson’s Taylor Harbin doubled in the sixth inning.
Virginia (34-8, 13-6 ACC) cracked the scoreboard in the eighth inning. Patrick Wingfield (Winchester, Va.) reached on a two-base throwing error by third baseman Marquez Smith to lead off the inning. One out later, Tim Henry (Fairfield, Conn.) hit a pinch-hit single to center to score Wingfield.
The Cavaliers added two insurance runs in the ninth inning. David Adams (Margate, Fla.) hit a one-out single and Beau Seabury (Mount Vernon, Wash.) then ripped a double to the fence in left-center field to bring Adams around from first. One out later, Tyler Cannon (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) hit a double to right-center to plate Seabury and give the Cavaliers a 3-0 edge.
Virginia used some spectacular defense to take two early runs away from Clemson (25-13, 10-7). In the second inning, Smith launched a drive to center field, but Mike Mitchell (Chesapeake, Va.) leaped at the wall and snagged the ball to take the home run away from Smith. In Smith’s next at bat in the fourth inning, Brandon Guyer (Herndon, Va.) jumped and crashed into the fence to take away another home run from Smith.
Guyer saw his career-best 26-game hitting streak come to end after going 0-for-3 with a walk.
Virginia goes for the series sweep at 1 p.m. Sunday.