The Clemson Tigers produced a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Georgia State Panthers on Friday night, capped off by Billy Amick’s first career home run in the form of a grand slam in the ninth inning. Clemson, who trailed by as many as six runs earlier in the game, refused to quit and kept fighting until the end.
Coach Erick Bakich was overjoyed with the team’s resilience, saying, “Thrilling victory! So proud and happy for our guys! To not quit and keep fighting to learn that great lesson that they are never out of the fight.”
Coach Erick Bakich
The Panthers got off to a strong start with back-to-back solo home runs from Dylan Strickland and Luke Boynton, followed by Matt Ruiz’s two-run homer to give them an early lead. The Tigers managed to get a run back in the third inning on a fielder’s choice, but the Panthers extended their lead with two more runs in the fourth inning.
Clemson’s Cooper Ingle belted a two-run homer in the fourth inning, and Luke Boynton added another in the fifth to put the Panthers up 8-2. However, the Tigers refused to go down without a fight and started chipping away at the lead with two runs in the eighth inning.
In the ninth inning, Clemson staged a remarkable comeback with three singles and a walk, setting the stage for Amick’s heroics. With two outs and the bases loaded, Amick hit a 446-foot homer to left-center on a 1-0 breaking ball, securing the Tigers’ victory in a dramatic walk-off grand slam. This was only the third walk-off grand slam in Clemson’s history and the first walk-off home run since 2021.
Billy Amick, the hero of the night, was also ecstatic about his first career home run and the team’s comeback, saying, “Very excited! Just glad we got the win!”
Billy Amick
Cam Cannarella and Cooper Ingle also had standout performances for the Tigers, with Cannarella hitting a career-high five hits and extending his hitting streak to 14 games, while Ingle belted a two-run homer in the eighth inning and also had a career-high five hits. Nick Hoffmann was the winning pitcher for the Tigers, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts, while Zach Ottinger took the loss for the Panthers.
The Tigers will look to build on this momentum as they face the Panthers in a doubleheader on Saturday. Fans can catch all the action live on ACC Network Extra.
