By Will Vandervort.

Clemson’s season opener against West Virginia on Friday looked eerily similar to last year.

The Tigers wasted a couple of early opportunities to score and then watched as the bullpen let a great pitching performance by ace Matthew Crownover go by the waste side. West Virginia scored on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh inning to break a scoreless game and then Taylor Munden sacrificed Ray Guerrini in with a flyball to right field.

That was all the Mountaineers needed in a 2-0 victory at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. It was Clemson’s third season-opening loss in the last four years. The Tigers had won seven straight season-openers prior to 2012.

West Virginia’s Blake Smith got the win after he came on for freshman starter B.J. Myers, who pitched five innings and allowed four hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Smith gave up two hits and had five strikeouts.

Alex Bostic suffered the loss when his wild pitch in the top of the seventh inning allowed K.C. Huth to come home with what turned out to be the game-winning run. The centerfielder reached base on a fielder’s choice with two outs then Justin Fox singled through the ride side to move Huth to third base.

Crownover’s day came to an end after the sixth inning as he got one batter to strike out swinging, the second to ground out to second and the final out to pop up to second base.

The junior allowed just three hits and no walks while throwing 75 pitches and striking out eight batters.

West Virginia got a base hit by Justin Fox to lead off the inning then Taylor Munden singled through the hole on the left side with two outs to Fox in scoring position, but Crownover got Shaun Wood swinging for his fifth strikeout to end the threat.

Fox got a one-out single in up the middle in the top of the fifth inning, but again Crownover struck out the next two batters to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.

Clemson, however, failed to give its ace any run support. The Tigers loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, but freshman pitcher B.J. Myers got out of the inning by striking out Andrew Cox.

In the second inning, Clemson advanced Mike Triller to second base on a Tyler Slaton single to right field. But Chase Pinder fouled out down the third baseline, again leaving a runner in scoring position.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, Steven Duggar got a base hit down the third base side to put Pinder on second base and in scoring position. But Chris Okey popped up to the catcher to end yet another Clemson threat with no runs crossing home plate.

Weston Wilson got a one-out base hit in the bottom of the sixth inning and then stole second with two outs. However, Eli White grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.