In a riveting matchup at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Tuesday evening, the Clemson Tigers locked horns with the 17th-ranked Coastal Carolina team and emerged victorious in a commanding 16-6 triumph. It is noteworthy that the contest was cut short to seven innings due to the 10-run rule, which is a testament to the absolute dominance that the Tigers displayed throughout the course of the game.
The Tigers’ batters were in fine fettle, racking up runs in six of the seven innings, and amassing a total of 15 hits. Interestingly, this performance marked their highest score in a series with Coastal Carolina since their 19-1 win on March 26, 2002 – a period when Erik Bakich, the current first-year head coach, was serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Clemson.
The Chanticleers did manage to score a solitary unearned run in the first inning, but the Tigers responded almost immediately with a flurry of three runs in the bottom half of the inning. The early lead was established through Will Taylor’s impressive two-run triple, followed by Caden Grice’s RBI groundout.
However, the Coastal Carolina team managed to bounce back in the second inning when Chad Born hit a solo homer. But the Tigers did not let that dampen their spirits, and Billy Amick replied with a powerful homer of his own in the bottom of the second inning. Further, Cooper Ingle added a run-scoring single later in the same inning, while Grice’s run-scoring double in the fourth inning extended their lead to 6-3.
In the fifth inning, Coastal Carolina attempted to stage a comeback with two runs, but the Tigers thwarted their efforts by responding with two impressive hits – Cam Cannarella’s two-run single and Grice’s two-out, two-run single. This helped the Tigers widen the gap, bringing the score to 10-5 in their favor.
Coastal Carolina did manage to score another run in the sixth inning, but the Tigers were not to be outdone, and they scored three runs on only one hit in the bottom of the sixth inning. The seventh inning saw the Tigers add three more runs, courtesy of Riley Bertram’s two-run double and Amick’s run-scoring single, which eventually helped seal the deal.
Bertram and Amick led the charge for the Tigers with three hits each, while Cannarella, Grice, and Benjamin Blackwell also made notable contributions with two hits apiece. Impressively, all ten Tigers who made a plate appearance scored at least one run, highlighting their team’s balanced offensive performance.
The Tigers’ pitching was equally impressive, with reliever Nick Hoffmann earning the win in 2.0 innings pitched in relief, while Chanticleer starter Levi Huesman suffered the loss. With the win, the Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the season series against Coastal Carolina, and the two teams are set to conclude the series on May 10th at Coastal Carolina.
Next up, the Tigers will travel to Tallahassee for a three-game series against Florida State, beginning on Thursday at 8 p.m. on ACC Network. The dominant display against Coastal Carolina should give the Tigers the much-needed confidence and momentum as they continue to navigate through a challenging season.
