* Clemson got its customary superb pitching performance from Matthew Crownover Friday and rode as 10th-inning grand slam from Chris Okey to a 4-0 victory over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Tigers and allowed them to even their overall record at 10-10. Clemson (3-4 ACC) had lost six of its last seven games.
Crownover didn't get the win, but he did scatter five hits and strike out seven in 8 1/3 innings. The Tigers got a bit of good fortune on the final batter Crownover faced. Alex Perez hit an apparent double to center field to lead off the ninth inning of the scoreless game. But Clemson appealed that Perez hadn't touched first base and he was called out. The scoring? 8-6-5-1-2-3.
Three walks had loaded the bases in front of Okey before he hit his game-deciding blast.
Clemson reports it was the Tigers' first extra-inning shutout in a scheduled nine-inning game since 1972.
Clemson played errorless defense, something it has had trouble doing during its recent struggles.
* South Carolina, meanwhile, lost consecutive games for the first time this season with a 3-2 defeat at Missouri. The Tigers' pitching staff ranks near the top in the SEC in ERA and that was not good for a Gamecocks offense struggling to score.
USC got just five hits.
Defensively, an error led to the winning run for the Tigers in the seventh inning. USC pitcher Wil Crowe couldn't pitch around the mistake although he allowed just six hits and two walks while striking out six in eight innings.
* Wofford ran its winning streak to seven games with a 5-2 victory over VMI to open Southern Conference play. No. 8 hitter Max McDougald had three RBIs and No. 9 Derek Hirsch drove in two for the Terriers
* College of Charleston had a rousing opening to its Colonial Athletic Association play with a 19-8 rout of Towson. Eight Cougars had two or more hits in a 21-hit attack. The Cougars and Tigers will play a doubleheader Saturday after moving Sunday's game up because of weather concerns.
* Furman pushed its winning streak to three games with 6-4 win at Samford in its SoCon opener. The Paladins trailed 4-1 before scoring five runs over the final three innings. Jordan Simpson had three hits, including his team-leading sixth home run of the season, for Furman.
* The Citadel won its eighth straight game, scoring 12 times in the first three innings in a 13-6 win over Maryland Baltimore County. The Bulldogs have a bye from conference play in the nine-team SoCon this weekend. The Citadel has moved its Sunday game to part of a Saturday doubleheader because of weather issues, too.
* Presbyterian took a lead into the bottom of the ninth at Central Florida, but the 12th-ranked Knights scored twice without a hit to escape with a 6-5 victory to open their three-game nonconference series. UCF got three walks and a hit batsman and had another runner reach on a bunt with the Blue Hose couldn't get an out. The tying run scored on a foul flyout and the winning run scored on a bases-loaded walk.
* Coastal Carolina extended its winning streak to six games with as 12-4 win at UNC Asheville in Big South play. The Chanticleers collected 15 hits.
* Mike DeLee struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings of two-hit, shutout ball to allow Newberry to rally past Tusculum, 9-6. The Wolves fell behind 2-0 and 6-2 before their comeback.
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