May 5, 2008

FSU Sweeps Series With 4-2 Victory Over Clemson

Clemson, S.C. - Third-ranked Florida State (40-7, 22-5 ACC) claimed just its second road sweep over Clemson (24-23-1, 10-16-1), and fourth all-time since joining the ACC, with a 4-2 victory Monday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Seminoles improved to 16-3 in games decided by two runs or less, while the sweep avenged last year's series loss at home to the Tigers. With the win, the Seminoles also captured their second straight Atlantic Division title.

Freshman Geoff Parker (5-1) turned in an outstanding effort on the mound in the series finale working 7.2 innings allowing two runs on eight hits. He kept the Tigers off the scoreboard for the first seven innings before Clemson cut into the Seminole lead with a pair in the eighth. Parker registered six innings in which he faced just four batters. He induced a pair of groundball double plays in the fourth and fifth innings including a four pitch inning in the fourth.

Jack Rye went 2-for-5 in game three with a pair of RBIs and a runs scored. He notched his fourth home run in the third, while Dennis Guinn collected his 14th round tripper with a solo shot in the seventh.

Buster Posey finished the game with three hits registering a hit in his first three plate appearances. Tyler Holt extended his streak of reaching base to all 47 games as he drew a one out walk in the fourth. The freshman centerfielder also added two sacrifices bringing his season total to 10. Tony Delmonico and Mike McGee each collected two hits in Monday's victory.

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Duke Sweeps Longwood 6-4, 10-3 In Monday Doubleheader

DURHAM, N.C. - Nate Freiman homered and drove in a pair of runs in game one and followed with three walks and a pair of runs in game two to lead Duke to a doubleheader sweep over Longwood by scores of 6-4 and 10-3 Monday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field.

Freiman went 2-for-4 with a double and his ninth home run of the season in the opener and reached base in four of his five plate appearances in game two. His two-run blast in game one broke open a 1-0 game and allowed Duke to maintain a lead for the rest of the game. With the performance, Freiman extended his hitting streak to 14 games and bumped his team-leading batting average up to .388.

Sophomore left hander Christopher Manno (6-0) picked up the game one victory after holding the Lancers to one hit over three shutout innings before being pulled in the fourth as part of a predetermined split. Manno struck out five batters in the first third of the game and used just 37 pitches during his three-inning tenure. The outing lowered his ERA to 2.61 on the season and improved his strikeout total to 71 on the year, making him the first Blue Devil to top 70 punchouts in a season since Greg Burke struck out 94 batters in 2005.

Sophomore reliever Michael Ness also made a big contribution on the mound in game one, tossing three-plus no-hit innings to earn his third save of the season. Ness entered the game with a second-and-third situation in the top of the sixth and got the Blue Devils (33-14-1, 8-14-1 ACC) out of the jam with their slim two-run lead still intact. He then proceeded to retire nine straight to close out the game and lead the Blue Devils to their 24th non-conference win of the season.

Game two featured a combined effort from sophomores Jonathan Foreman and Will Currier (5-5), who teamed up to hold Longwood (21-23) to three runs on 11 hits through the first eight innings. Each Blue Devil contributed four innings, with Foreman scattering five hits and two runs and Currier allowing just one run on six hits. Currier was awarded the win after entering the game in the fifth and holding the Lancers scoreless until giving up an RBI single in the eighth inning. Senior Ron Causey closed out the ninth with yet another scoreless inning of relief. Of his seven relief appearances on the season, Causey has held the opposition without a run in six of those. He owns the second-lowest ERA on the team at 1.12.

Duke also received offensive contributions from freshman shortstop Jake Lemmerman, sophomore second baseman Gabriel Saade and third baseman Ryan McCurdy. Lemmerman went 5-for-9 on the day, opening the twinbill with a 2-for-4 outing in game one to precede a 3-for-5 performance in game two. He added an RBI and a run in the second game, giving him 30 RBI and 32 runs scored on the year to become the fourth Blue Devil to reach the 30-30 plateau this season. The performance also raised his batting average to .280.