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Box Score
Clemson vs. Mississippi State Notes
Mississippi State 8, Clemson 6
June 8, 2007 at Starkville, MS
Mississippi State defeated Clemson 8-6 today, the exact same score
in Clemson's win in the NCAA Tournament at Clemson last year.
Clemson has lost the first game of the Super Regional. The Tigers
have come back to gain a berth in the CWS once previously after
losing the first game of a Super Regional. Clemson lost to Arkansas
in the opening game of the 2002 Super Regional at Clemson, then won
the next two games to earn a spot in Omaha.
Clemson is now 3-4 in opening round Super Regional games.
This was Mississippi State's first NCAA Tournament win over Clemson.
The Tigers had a 4-0 lead in NCAA Tournament games prior to today.
Clemson now faces an elimination game on Saturday. Clemson is 12-13
in NCAA Tournament elimination games under Jack Leggett. Clemson
last won an NCAA Tournament game in which it faced elimination in
2004 when the Tigers won a pair of elimination games at Georgia.
Clemson's best performance in elimination games took place in 1999
when the Tigers lost the first game of a regional in Arkansas, then
won four straight to move on to the Super Regional. Clemson then
lost the first game of the Super Regional at Texas A&M, and won the
second game of the series to give the Tigers five straight wins in
elimination games. Clemson then lost the Super Regional championship
game 5-4 on a walk-off home run in the ninth.
Clemson had three hitters hit home runs on the same day they were
drafted. Taylor Harbin (8th round, Arizona), Doug Hogan (16th round,
Cleveland) and Andy D'Alessio (19th round, San Francisco), were all
drafted and all hit round trippers this afternoon.
D'Alessio tied Jeff Baker's career home run record with his 17th
home run of the year and 59th of his Clemson career. It was
D'Alessio's eighth career home run in NCAA Tournament play, just one
short of Michael Johnson's Clemson career record of nine in NCAA
Tournament play. D'Alessio replaced Johnson at first base in the
Clemson lineup in 2004.
D'Alessio now has 17 home runs for the season, but 14 in the last 28
games. He had just three in the first 35 games this year. Clemson
had won six of its last seven games when D'Alessio hits a home run
prior to today's game.
D'Alessio was 2 for 4 today with three RBIs. He is now 8-16 at the
plate in the NCAA Tournament He is now 28-75 in his Clemson career
in the NCAA Tournament.
Clemson Head Coach Jack Leggett is probably not a fan of having the
Major League draft during the NCAA Tournament. For the second time
in his career he had a pitcher who was a top four draft choice,
struggle in the NCAA Tournament one day after being drafted.
On June 4, 1996, Kris Benson was the number-one pick of the MLB draft
by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The next day, in a College World Series
game in Omaha, Nebraska, Benson allowed a career high 13 hits and a
career high nine earned runs in a 14-5 loss to Miami (FL). Benson
had given up only six home runs all year entering the game, then gave
up three to the Hurricanes.
On June 7, 2007, Daniel Moskos was the fourth pick of the Major
League draft, again by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Moskos allowed a
career high nine hits and a career high six runs (five earned, also a
career high) in an 8-6 loss at Mississippi State. Moskos had given
up just three home runs all year, then allowed two against
Mississippi State.
Taylor Harbin hit his sixth career NCAA Tournament home run today,
his second this year. He hit four in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
Harbin is now 8-17 at the plate in the NCAA Tournament.
Doug Hogan extended his hitting streak to 14 games, a career high,
with a 2 for 3 performance, including a home run, his 12th of the
season.
Clemson hit three home runs today, yet lost the game. Clemson had
won four straight games when it hit at least three home runs. The
last time Clemson lost a game in which it hit three home runs was the
first game of a doubleheader against Boston College on May 6.
Clemson lost that game by the same score as today's outcome, 8-6.
