Baseball/softball: NC State routs Clemson to even series

No. 9 NC State scored four runs in the second inning, seven runs in the third inning and nine runs in the fourth inning in its 20-9 victory over Clemson on Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Wolfpack, who evened the series at 1-1, improved to 32-13 overall and 13-8 in the ACC. The Tigers fell to 30-16 overall and 12-14 in ACC play.

Chris Okey belted his ninth homer of the year in the first inning to put Clemson up 1-0, but it was all NC State from there, as it scored four two-out runs in the second inning and seven runs in the third inning, including three runs with two outs. Every Wolfpack starter had a hit and scored a run by the end of the third inning. NC State added nine runs in the top of the fourth inning.

Clemson scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and Chris Williams laced his third home of the year in the seventh inning. Mike Triller added his first career homer in the ninth inning.

Wolfpack starter Brian Brown (7-1) earned the win by tossing 6  1/3 innings, allowing seven hits, five runs — three earned — and four walks with three strikeouts. Tiger starter Ryley Gilliam (2-2) suffered the loss, as he gave up six runs on five hits in two innings pitched.

The series will conclude at 1 p.m. Sunday on ESPN3. It will be the Tigers’ Senior Day.

Webber 8, USC Beaufort 5

Top-seeded and eighth-ranked USC Beaufort fell to Webber in the Sun Conference Tournament, victimized by a five-run fifth inning.

The Sand Sharks (42-11) scored one run in each of the first four innings to take a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth. In that frame, Webber (33-20) tallied four hits and was helped by two Sand Shark errors to take a 5-4 edge.

Webber went up 7-4 in the sixth, USC Beaufort drew within 7-5 in the seventh and Webber added another insurance run in the eighth.

Jamie Strock (9-4) took the loss, allowing five runs — two earned — in 4  1/3 innings.

Colin Richardson (6-2) picked up the win in five innings of relief for Webber, allowing two runs on five hits. Jose Serrano notched his seventh save with two scoreless frames.

John Cloyd led the Sand Sharks with two RBIs and Josh Reinhart tallied a team-high four hits.

Webber outhit USC Beaufort 12-11.

The Sand Sharks, who are 1-1 in the tournament, will face the loser of late Saturday’s game between Southeastern and Keiser at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Softball USC Beaufort 3, Southeastern 1; Webber 7, USC Beaufort 6 (12 inn.)

USC Beaufort’s softball team came up short in the Sun Conference Tournament. Webber International claimed the title with a 3-0 tournament mark, while the Sand Sharks finished the tournament at 4-2.

The Sand Sharks are 33-22 overall while Webber is 29-14.

In the Sand Sharks’ second game of the day, Webber broke the deadlock in the bottom of the 12th inning when Kara Seymour singled off Ashlie Layman, plating Kayla Montgomery with the winning run.

USC Beaufort was down 4-0 when it struck for five runs in the fourth. The rally was sparked by two hit-by-pitches, a wild pitch and a two-run single by Kayla Boyle.

The Sand Sharks added another run in the seventh, but Webber responded with two runs in the bottom half, tying the game at 6.

Naomi Catt and Abby Pac — who both pitched in the day’s first game — again got the early mound assignments for the Sand Sharks, but lasted a total of just three innings, allowing four runs between them. Layman (15-8), who took the loss, then took over and pitched 8  2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.

Montgomery (5-4) earned the win for Webber, tossing 8 1/3 innings in relief of starter Erika Bellinger, who allowed five runs on five hits. Montgomery allowed one run on four hits.

Boyle and Taylor Boyett led the Sand Sharks’ nine-hit attack with two hits apiece. Webber tallied 11 hits.

USC Beaufort won the opener behind strong outings from Catt and Pac (12-8), who picked up the win. Catt allowed one run on four hits in three innings, and Pac followed by holding Southeastern scoreless in four innings of three-hit ball.

Lindsie Scholwinski (28-8) went the distance for Southeastern, allowing three runs on four hits.

Southeastern scored in the first inning, then USC Beaufort tied it in the fifth on an RBI double by Missy Hughes.

The Sand Sharks went ahead with two runs in the seventh when Hughes reached base on a two-out error. Brodie McGregor and Boyett scored on the play.

Late Friday Baseball South Carolina 10, Kentucky 5

LT Tolbert and Alex Destino each homered and second-ranked South Carolina belted out 11 hits on the way to a victory over Kentucky at Cliff Hagan Stadium. The Gamecocks improved to 36-9 and 16-5 in the SEC with Kentucky dropping to 27-19 and 11-11 in league play.

Destino drove in four runs, with Tolbert and Jonah Bride each driving in a pair as well. Chris Cullen went 3-for-4 and Marcus Mooney went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. All nine Gamecocks in the starting lineup reached base at least once.

South Carolina sophomore right-hander Clarke Schmidt (9-1) earned the win. He allowed five runs on eight hits in 6  2/3 innings with a walk and seven strikeouts. Kentucky starting pitcher Zack Brown (2-9) suffered the loss. He allowed nine runs — seven earned — on 10 hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work.

Riley Mahan put Kentucky up 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning with a three-run homer, his fifth homer of the season. Evan White led off the frame with a single through the right side and Gunnar McNeill singled with a high chopper over third baseman Jonah Bride to give the Wildcats runners on the corners. After Schmidt struck out JaVon Shelby for the second out, Mahan came up with the key two-out hit as he knocked a 3-1 pitch over the right-field wall.

Carolina struck back with a run in the top of the third inning. With two outs and Destino on first base, Bride knocked a double to right field, allowing Destino to score and cut Kentucky’s lead to a pair of runs.

Tolbert and Destino’s homers gave the Gamecocks a 5-3 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Tolbert knocked a 0-1 pitch over the right field wall for his third homer of the year. With two outs and runners on the corners, Destino crushed the first pitch he saw over the center-field wall for his sixth home run of the season.

Zach Reks cut Carolina’s lead to a run in the fifth inning with a two-out solo homer to right-center, his third homer of the year.

The Gamecocks answered, though, with four runs in the top of the sixth to take a 9-4 lead. Mooney led off with a base hit followed by a single by Gene Cone to give the Gamecocks a pair of runners. Dom Thompson-Williams then set down a sacrifice bunt. On the play, Brown fielded the ball cleanly but threw wide at first, allowing Thompson-Williams to reach base and Mooney to score. Destino drove in his fourth run with an RBI groundout, followed by Bride’s second RBI double of the game. Madison Stokes drove in the fourth run of the frame with a sacrifice fly to right-center scoring pinch runner Danny Blair.

Kentucky scored its final run in the bottom of the sixth. South Carolina got a run in the ninth as Stokes walked, Cullen doubled and Stokes scored on Tolbert’s sac fly.

Clemson 10, NC State 5

Behind a six-run second inning, Clemson rallied for a victory over No. 9 NC State at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers, who took a 1-0 lead in the series, improved to 30-15 overall and 12-13 in the ACC. The Wolfpack dropped to 31-13 overall and 12-8 in ACC play.

Preston Palmeiro gave NC State an early lead on his three-run homer in the first inning, then the Tigers stormed back with six runs, including four with two outs, on five hits in the second inning. Seth Beer belted a two-out, two-run single in the fourth inning before Brett Kinneman’s solo homer in the sixth inning. But the Tigers scored two insurance runs, both on sacrifice flies, in the seventh inning to pull away.

Tiger starter Charlie Barnes (4-4) earned the win in six effective innings pitched. He gave up seven hits, four runs and two walks with six strikeouts. Alex Eubanks pitched the final three innings to record his second save of the season. Wolfpack starter Cory Wilder (3-2) suffered the loss, as he yielded five runs on three hits in 1  2/3 innings pitched.

USC Beaufort 8, Warner 7

USC Beaufort opened the Sun Conference tournament by holding off a ninth-inning rally by Warner.

John Gora (8-1) allowed three runs on 10 hits in 7  2/3 innings to pick up the win. He departed with the Sand Sharks leading 7-3. Warner rallied for four runs off Forrest Kirsch in the ninth inning, but Blake Drew picked up his ninth save as USCB held on.

Warner’s Tyler Perkins (5-5) took the loss, allowing eight runs — seven earned — on eight hits. He was also hurt by eight walks.

Brandon Joyce led the Sand Sharks’ offensive attack with four hits and four RBIs, two of which came on a double as part of the four-run sixth inning.

Nick Payne and John Cloyd added an RBI apiece. Max Balter chipped in two hits, while Matt Kianka and Kal Davis each scored two runs.

Warner outhit the Sand Sharks 15-8 in the losing effort.

Softball USC Beaufort 3, Warner 0; USC Beaufort 4, Ave Maria 3 (12 inn.)

The USC Beaufort softball team used strong pitching and a couple of clutch hits to pull out two victories and stay alive at the Sun Conference Tournament at Legends Way Ballfields.

Freshman Abby Pac tossed a three-hit shutout in a win over Warner, and Bailey Craven and Alexa Moore came up with the tying and winning hits in a win over Ave Maria, keeping the Sand Sharks alive for the tournament’s final day Saturday.

Pac was outstanding against Warner, allowing just three singles and two walks while striking out four.

The Sand Sharks broke up a scoreless tie in the fifth inning on Kayla Boyle’s RBI single and added two runs in the sixth when Taylor Boyett doubled home a run and came around to score on an error.

USCB was hitless against Ave Maria’s Emily Lemin until the fifth inning, when Missy Hughes broke up the no-hit bid with an RBI single to tie it at 1.

That’s where it remained until the 11th inning, when the Gyrenes scored a pair of runs and had the Sand Sharks down to their final out before Craven beat out an infield single and a wild throw allowed the tying run to score.

Pac put up a 1-2-3 inning in the 12th to set up the game-winning rally, as Marissa Becker led off with an infield single and scored from first on Moore’s double to right-center.

Pac earned her second win of the day with 7  2/3 innings of relief, allowing two runs and five hits while striking out four. Naomi Catt continued her strong tournament with a solid start, giving up one run and four hits over 4 1/3 innings.

This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 7:44 PM with the headline "Baseball/softball: NC State routs Clemson to even series."