NCAA College World Series - Game 4 Recap - Clemson vs Arizona State

Clemson 6, Arizona State 3 - Tigers move to winners' bracket, Sun Devils move to losers' bracket

It took 379 days (including a 16 hour and 20 minute rain postponement), but revenge is Clemson’s. 

After 2009’s two-and-out loss against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Tempe Super Regional, Clemson came into the 2010 College World Series as a big underdog to the NCAA Tournament’s number one national seed, Arizona State. 

But on Monday, you could have switched the jerseys and nobody would have noticed.

Clemson jumped on the Sun Devils early with two runs in the second inning, but stranded the bases loaded twice en route to ringing up 60 pitches on Arizona State ace righthander Seth Blair through two innings.  

In the third inning, Sun Devils third baseman Raoul Torrez got his team on the board with a double and a run scored to cut Clemson’s lead in half, but Tigers ace lefty Casey Harman threw nothing but blanks at the Sun Devils for the rest of the third and into the sixth.  

Clemson added all the insurance it would need in the fifth inning. Following a leadoff walk by leftfielder Jeff Schaus and a bloop single by rightfielder Kyle Parker, third baseman John Hinson nailed a Blair pitch, smashing it past the Arizona State first baseman for an RBI single. After Blair got the hook, Clemson first baseman Richie Shaffer failed to squarely connect on ASU reliever Brady Rodgers’ second pitch, but the result suited the Tigers anyway. Shaffer's high fly ball was misplayed by ASU leftfielder Drew Maggi, who lost the pill in the Omaha sun to bring in another Clemson run to give the Tigers a 4-1 lead. Rodgers could not bounce back against Tigers centerfielder Wilson Boyd. who singled in Clemson’s fifth run and nudged the lead to four.  

After Clemson and Arizona State traded runs in the sixth to make it 6-2, Clemson’s Harman faced his first major trouble of the day, as two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Sun Devils with no outs in the bottom of the seventh.  

Enter Clemson righty reliever Alex Frederick.

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The fireman induced a fly-out to centerfield that was not deep enough to score the ASU runner from third. Next, Frederick coaxed a ground ball out that scored a run and put runners on second and third base, but at the expense of a big inning for the Devils. On an 0-2 count, Frederick then pulled a nasty slider out of his arsenal for a strikeout of Arizona State second baseman Zack MacPhee to end the Sun Devils rally in the seventh. ASU wanted to put up a crooked number but could only post a breadstick instead. 

In the eighth with a 6-3 lead, Frederick kept rolling with a grounder, walk, strikeout, and foul-out to move within three outs of the revenge-bearing upset victory.

Frederick 's first pitch in the ninth was lined to first base for an out. Three pitches later, ASU’s Raoul Torrez flied out deep to left field. After allowing a single, Frederick induced a fielder’s choice to complete the major statement made by Clemson in this one – these Tigers have more flintiness, fight and firepower than they did against the Devils a year ago. 

Frederick gave up one hit and one walk in a three-inning save with two key strikeouts. Harman picked up the win after going six innings with 3 earned runs on 7 hits with 5 strikeouts. With a quick turnaround due to the rain delay (this side of the CWS bracket must play Tuesday), Clemson not only defeated the tournament’s highest-seeded team Monday, but also kept their pitching staff fresh as well. The Tigers used only two arms, and by winning, they will be able to play in Tuesday's late game, not the early game. 

This Monday matinee was positive from an offensive standpoint for Clemson as well. All 14 hits were singles, but every starting Tiger got a hit against one of the best pitching staffs in the country.

Clemson will play the Oklahoma Sooners (4-1 against ACC teams in the 2010 NCAA Tournament so far) at 9 Eastern in the all-important winner’s bracket tilt on Tuesday. The winner will be in prime position to make the College World Series Final.  

By: Brandon Rink
DFN Sports Guest Writer