Radziewski Dazzles in 7-0 Shutout of Clemson
 0 CLEMSON 39-20 • 18-12 ACC |
Durham, N.C. • Durham Bulls Athletic Park |
7 MIAMI 36-23 • 14-16 ACC |
| Pitching Stats | |||
| W | B. Radziewski (9-2) | ||
|
L | C. Schmidt (3-4) | |
| Batting Stats | |||
| 2B | |||
| Fieger, Thompson | |||
|
Duggar | ||
| RBI | |||
| Barr, Fieger 2, Hernandez, Kennedy, Thompson | |||
May 25, 2013
DURHAM, N.C. – The Miami Hurricanes ended their run at the 2013 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship on a high note Saturday afternoon, capturing a 7-0 win over No. 18 Clemson in their Pool A finale at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Junior lefthander Bryan Radziewski, selected to the 2013 All-ACC First Team prior to the start of the Championship, delivered another dominant outing against the Tigers (39-20). After a double-digit strikeout performance in his regular season start versus Clemson, Radziewski yielded just four hits in eight shutout innings.
Dating back to Radziewski’s start against the Tigers on April 20, the Hurricanes have held Clemson scoreless over a stretch of 25 consecutive innings, including 13 by the junior ace.
“I was just able to locate my pitches and keep hitters off balance,” Radziewski said. “I think I had a good feel for all of my off-speed pitches, so whenever you have that, it should be a good game.”
After falling behind early in each of their first two Pool A games, the Hurricanes (36-23) tagged Clemson starter Clate Schmidt for three runs in the first two innings of Saturday’s finale. Aided by a two-run double from junior Brad Fieger and a sacrifice fly from junior Alex Hernandez, Miami chased Schmidt out of the game after the righthander had recorded just four outs.
“We knew that we needed to get ahead early,” Fieger said. “It helps our pitchers relax a little more, and I think we play a lot better when we’re ahead.”
With Chantz Mack (walk) on second and David Thompson (hit by pitch) on first, Fieger cracked a 1-1 pitch from Schmidt (3-4) past the outstretched glove of outfielder Mike Triller and to the base of the Blue Monster in left. Thompson, who reached base for the 25th consecutive game, raced home all the way from first to give Miami a 2-0 lead.
The Hurricanes loaded the bases in the second on a walk from Christopher Barr and singles from Brandon Lopez and Tyler Palmer, resulting in an early trip to the mound from Clemson skipper Jack Leggett. Tigers reliever Jonathan Meyer did well to limit the damage, allowing just one run on a sacrifice fly from Hernandez before inducing a flyout from Mack to end the threat.
With Radziewski (9-2) cruising through the early innings, Miami extended its lead to 4-0 on an RBI single from Thompson in the fifth. Mack, who earned 2012 All-ACC Championship honors a year ago, led off the inning with a single and recorded his team-leading 14th steal of the season to set up the scoring chance. Thompson converted on his opportunity, driving a Meyer pitch to leftfield for a single and plating the speedy Mack from second.
Miami tacked on another in the seventh on an RBI groundout from Barr. With runners on the corners after a Mack single and an error charged to third baseman Shane Kennedy on a groundball from Thompson, Clemson reliever Joseph Moorefield issued a walk to catcher Garrett Kennedy to load the bases. Barr used his wheels to beat out a potential double play ball, scoring Mack from third to make it 5-0 in favor of the Hurricanes.
With some help from two errors from the Tigers, junior Dale Carey used his blazing speed to score Miami’s sixth run of the game in the eighth. Carey, who singled to the gap in right-center, stole second, advanced to third on an overthrow from Clemson catcher Garrett Boulware and scored all the way from first after the ball was mishandled by Tigers centerfielder Thomas Brittle.
An RBI single from Kennedy in the top of the ninth capped Miami’s scoring. Thompson was once again the catalyst, rocketing a double to the gap in left-center, taking third on a wild pitch, and scoring on a high chopper from Kennedy.
Senior closer Eric Nedeljkovic entered in the ninth and finished off the Tigers on just 12 pitches. Despite playing without direction from head coach Jim Morris, who fell ill before the game and was unable to make it to the park, the Hurricanes took their third straight victory over the Tigers. Miami captured two of three from Clemson in the regular season series between the two teams in Coral Gables in late April.
“Our weakness has been scoring runs this year, but this is certainly a game that we’re happy to get, especially under the circumstances,” said assistant coach Gino DiMare, who assumed head coaching responsibilities for the game. “I’m very proud of the guys and the way that they played and focused today.”
With their run at the 2013 ACC Baseball Championship complete, the Hurricanes now await their postseason fate. ESPNU will host the 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Selection Show in a live, one-hour telecast at Noon (ET), Monday, May 27.
