Hokies drop ACC contest at No. 4 Clemson

Connor Coward sets career high in strikeouts but suffers first loss of year

April 7, 2017

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Virginia Tech (17-15)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	1
(4) Clemson (26-5)	0	1	1	1	1	0	2	6	X	12	16	0
Doug Kingsmore Stad. - 4,995 Box Score

CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 4-ranked Clemson Tigers scored single runs in each of the second through fifth frames to slowly build a lead and held the Virginia Tech offense in check to claim a 12-1 victory in the opening game of the ACC series Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Hokies’ Connor Coward tied his career-high with 6.1 innings pitched and struck out a career-high eight batters in a losing effort, his first of the season and is now 5-1. Tiger starter Charlie Barnes (4-2) went 7.2 innings and surrendered four hits while striking out 11 to earn the win.

Tech (17-15, 6-7 ACC) got its only run of the game on Joe Freiday, Jr.’s eighth home run of the season. The solo shot in the top of the third tied the game at 1-1.

Clemson (26-5, 11-2) responded with a solo home run off the bat of Logan Davidson in the home half of the third and added single insurance runs in the fourth – sac fly by Reed Rohlman – and fifth – RBI double by Robert Jolly. The Tigers, then, put the game away in the late innings.

Inside the box score

• Coward: career-high tying 6.1 innings pitched, pushing his career total at Tech over 100 (103.0), first set career high at Pittsburgh (March 25, 2017); career-high eight strikeouts, seventh time in career with at least five strikeouts in a game, fourth time this year, previous high was seven strikeouts versus Pittsburgh (April 17, 2016).
• Sam Fragale: His second at-bat of the game was the 400th of his Tech career; two hits, 11th multi-hit game this season, 27th of his career.
• Freiday, Jr.: home run, eighth of the season, 11th of his career.
• Jack Owens: single, his team-leading 55th hit of the season, was leading the country in hits entering the game.
• Ryan Tufts: 150th career game played for the Hokies, including 104 consecutive starts.

More Tech notes

• Hit one home run, its nation-leading 58th of the season – Wake Forest, who was second, ended the day with 56. The 58 home runs are the most hit by a Tech team since the 2011 squad hit 60. The most home runs hit by the Hokies in a single season as a member of the ACC was 81 back in 2010.
• Was hit by one pitch in the game to push season total to 58. The Hokies were tied for second in the nation entering the game in HBPs with Campbell and trailed only Louisiana Tech (61).

Up next

• The two teams return to Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Saturday for the second game of the ACC series with first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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