Clemson's losing streak hits 10 games in 6-2 defeat

By Staff and Wire Reports - Staff and Wire Reports

CLEMSON -- Barrett Shaft went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs as Western Carolina beat Clemson 6-2 on Tuesday night.

The Tigers (18-18) have now lost 10 in a row, setting a new school record.

The Catamounts (17-18) had 12 hits, while Clemson had just five hits.

• SOUTH CAROLINA 14, SC UPSTATE 4 -- In Columbia, Justin Smoak tied school records with three home runs and nine RBIs to lead South Carolina.

Smoak had three-run homers in the third, fourth and seventh innings to give him 13 home runs this season and upping his school record to 52 for his career.

• BASKETBALL -- At 7:30 p.m. on April 24, ACC fans will be able to say good-bye to players from the ACC conference.

Clemson's Cliff Hammonds and Duke's DeMarcus Nelson, along with Clemson seniors Sam Perry, James Mays and Matt Moore, will join the team playing against the Fort Mill all-stars (former Yellow Jackets players) at Fort Mill High School.

Other seniors scheduled to play are Gavin Grant and Chad Williams from N.C. State and UNC senior Surry Wood.

The game will benefit the USSSA/AAU Youth Basketball and Fort Mill High School Booster Club.

There will be a slam-dunk contest and a 3-point contest open at halftime. Both of these are open to local fans. There will be an autograph session after the game. Tickets are on sale at Fort Mill High and at Thunder Athletics. They cost $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

• COLLEGE BASKETBALL -- Memphis freshman Derrick Rose announced he was jumping to the NBA, the same day coach John Calipari agreed in principle to a contract extension with the school.

Rose capped his spectacular first season by leading Memphis to the national championship game, where they lost to Kansas in overtime.

The 6-foot-3 guard from Chicago averaged 20.8 points in six NCAA tournament games and will likely be taken with one of the top picks in the draft.

• Keno Davis can't guarantee he'll have the same success in his first season at Providence as he had this year at Drake, where his team won 28 games, was ranked in the Top 25 and earned a NCAA tournament bid.

But Davis, hired Tuesday as Providence's new head coach, promised that the Friars won't be outworked on the court.

Davis, the son of former longtime Iowa coach Tom Davis, was lured from Drake two weeks after being selected as The Associated Press national coach of the year. This season, Keno Davis' first as a head coach, he took Drake to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1971.

• GOLF -- Tiger Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair cartilage damage, his second operation in five years on the same knee. He is expected to miss at least a month while he recovers.

The surgery, announced on his Web site, came two days after Woods finished three shots behind Trevor Immelman in the Masters. He most likely will miss The Players Championship, but should return in time to play the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on June 12.