Miami Advances To College World Series With Win Over Clemson
June 2, 2001
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CORAL GABLES – The top-ranked Miami Hurricanes clinched their 19th College World Series berth Saturday night with a 14-6 defeat of the 12th-ranked Clemson Tigers in an NCAA Super Regional game at Mark Light Stadium.
Miami’s upcoming appearance in the College World Series is the Hurricanes’ 19th overall, all coming since 1974. Miami has made more CWS appearances in that 28-season span of any program in the nation. It also will mark the Hurricanes’ seventh CWS berth in eight seasons under head coach Jim Morris.
Miami will meet the winner of the Tennessee-East Carolina series when the College World Series begins on Friday.
Playing in front of a sellout crowd of 5,236 fans, Miami (49-12) broke open a close game with an eight-run explosion in the seventh inning, sealing Clemson’s fate and putting an exclamation point on a two-game sweep of the best-of-three series.
The Hurricanes pounded seven Clemson pitchers for 15 hits with centerfielder Charlton Jimerson (3-for-5, 3 runs batted in) and designated hitter Danny Matienzo (3-for-5, 4 RBI) leading the way. Both players belted home runs for Miami, which also was a menace on the base paths with 10 stolen bases in the game.
Clemson was led by a 3-for-4 hitting night by designated hitter/pitcher Jarrod Schmidt. Schmidt, the Tigers’ starting pitcher, had two RBI and a solo home run at the plate. On the mound, Schmidt went 4.2 innings and allowed five hits, four runs (three earned), walked three and struck out one.
Reliever T.J. Prunty (2-1) picked up the victory for Miami while Paul Harrelson (1-2) took the loss for Clemson. Miami starter Brian Walker went 4.2 innings for the Hurricanes, allowing three runs (all earned) on seven hits, walking one and striking out three. Prunty worked two-thirds of the sixth for Miami, pitching out of a bases-loaded jam after entering with one out and the game tied.
Prunty retired Clemson’s Chad Coder on a strikeout before coaxing leftfielder Casey Stone to pop out to end the inning.
Miami and Clemson had battled evenly through six innings, deadlocked at 4-4 entering what would be an explosive seventh frame. The Hurricanes plated eight runs on five hits, two walks and an error in the frame. The big blow of the inning was a three-run home run by Jimerson, who knocked an opposite-field blast to the top of a three-story parking garage just beyond the rightfield fence. Matienzo also contributed to the rally with a two-run single to center.
