April 13, 2007

Box Score

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest saw its five-game winning streak come to an end, as the Demon Deacon bats were stymied in a 6-2 loss to Clemson Friday afternoon at Hooks Stadium.

The loss drops Wake Forest to 20-17 overall and 7-9 in the ACC. Clemson, which has now won six straight, improves to 24-9 overall and 9-4 in the conference.

The final two games of the weekend series have been pushed up due to the threat of inclement weather. Saturday's game will now start at 11 a.m., and Sunday's will begin at noon.

On Friday, Clemson used a three-run sixth inning to break open a close game, increasing its lead at the time to 4-0.

Wake was only able to cut the lead to 4-1 and 5-2 with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings respectively.

Michael Murray hit his second home run of the season, a solo shot in the sixth, to lead the Deacon hitters.

Wake Forest starter Brad Kledzik (3-3) pitched six innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits. He struck out three and walked two. Kledzik allowed just one run through the first five innings but eventually cracked in the sixth.

Kledzik pitched himself out of a jam in the first inning. A leadoff single by Brad Chalk and then a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch put a runner at third with one out. Kledzik got Marquez Smith to foul out to first and then got Andy D'Alessio to ground out to short to end the inning.

Clemson got its first run off Kledzik in the third inning. Addison Johnson and Chalk led off with back-to-back singles, putting runners at the corners. After Kledzik picked Chalk off with a third-to-first move, Taylor Harbin lined a single just past the glove of shortstop Dustin Hood to score Johnson.

Wake Forest threatened with two on with no outs in the third but couldn't push a run across. Tyler Smith led off with a single, and Brett Linnenkohl was then hit by a pitch. However, Clemson starter Daniel Moskos retired the next three batters in order, two on strikeouts.

The Tigers loaded the bases with one out the following inning, but Kledzik and the Deacs got out of the jam. Kledzik induced an infield fly to third and then a flyout to the warning track in right to end the threat.

Kledzik and the Deacons couldn't dodge anymore bullets, as the Tigers pushed three runs across in the sixth. Ben Paulsen led off the frame by doubling off the wall in center. Paulsen moved up on a groundout and then scored on J.D. Burgess' fielder's choice. One out later, Chalk doubled to left center to drive in Burgess. Harbin followed with a single to right to plate Chalk and give Clemson a 4-0 lead.

Murray got one of the runs back for Wake Forest in the bottom half of the sixth. Murray hit the first pitch he saw from Moskos to right center for his second home run of the season.

Clemson responded with a run off reliever Phil Negus in the seventh. Doug Hogan reached on a fielding error and came around to score on Wilson Boyd's two-out single.

Wake Forest cut Clemson's lead to 5-2 with a run off reliever Matt Zoltak in its half of the seventh. Reliever Matt Zoltak hit Linnenkohl with two outs, and Andy Goff followed with a four-pitch walk. Allan Dykstra drove the run in with a single through the right side, just past the second baseman.

Again, the Tigers responded with another run off Negus the following inning. Johnson tripled to lead off the frame and scored on Harbin's sacrifice fly.

The Deacs put one on in the eighth but did not threaten otherwise over the final two frames.

Linnenkohl had the only multi-hit day for Wake Forest, going 2-for-3 with a run. Goff saw his six-game hitting streak come to an end with an 0-for-3 day. Dykstra extended his hitting streak to six games with his RBI single in the seventh.

Negus pitched two innings of relief, giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits. Alex Wiesner pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Moskos (3-2), who entered the year as a Preseason All-American closer, shut down the Deacons in his second start of the season. The lefty allowed one run on six hits in six innings of work. He struck out seven and walked just one.

Rural Hall, N.C., native D.J. Mitchell held the Demon Deacons hitless over the final two innings.

At the plate, Boyd and Chalk each went 3-for-4, and Harbin drove in three runs. Clemson's 3-4-5 hitters finished a combined 0-for-13.

Wake Forest and Clemson will meet in the second game of the weekend series at 11 a.m. on Saturday. LHP Garrett Bullock (3-1, 5.17) will take the mound for the Deacons, while RHP David Kopp (4-2, 3.22) will start for the Tigers.