The No. 4 Clemson baseball team defeated the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, winning 17-7 at Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The game ended in the seventh inning due to a run-rule, which activates after a 10-run lead.
It was an offensive masterclass from the Tigers (34-9, 15-6 ACC), who saw every player earn a hit and score a run. After a late Lousiville comeback the game before, who were able to steal the win away from the Tigers, head coach Erik Bakich’s team came in with a fire in their bellies, using an early start to fuel their series-clinching win.
Four Clemson players hit a home run in the win, including catcher Jimmy Obertop, who capped off the final Clemson bomb in the seventh inning to activate the run rule and grow Clemson’s lead to ten runs.
Controversially, Obertop would be thrown out of the game afterward, with the umpires deciding that the way the catcher threw his bat after hitting the ball was excessive.
Clemson used the frustration from Saturday’s loss to start hot early, getting four runs in the first inning to jump out to a strong lead. They would add three more in the second and five more in the third inning. Jacob Hinderleider would steal the show in the early frames, bringing home six runners with a double and a home run in the first four innings.
While the Cardinals (25-18, 10-11 ACC) would try to mount a tough comeback with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Tigers would put the nail in the coffin at the beginning of the next frame. An RBI each from Cam Cannarella and Blake Wright would put Clemson back on the board before Obertop’s two-run shot that went 450 feet to center field. It would be his 15th of the year.
Meanwhile, for Wright, it is the 13th game that the senior has recorded a hit.
Bakich’s squad snagged 18 hits, the most of the year so far. Leading the team in hits was leadoff right fielder Alden Mathes, who recorded four hits and found home plate three times in the win. He would increase his batting average to .344, which is the highest on the team.
All but two Tigers would bring in a run in the victory, controlling the tempo for most of the contest.
On the mound, starter Billy Barlow would pitch 2.1 innings, allowing one run and four hits while striking out one Lousiville batter. In relief, Drew Titsworth would record the win for Clemson, allowing no hits in the seven batters he faced across 1.2 innings. Louisville’s Will Koger would receive the loss on the other end.
It’s the first series win for the Tigers in Louisville since March 2018, getting back in the win column with hopes of building momentum into next weekend’s series. With no mid-week game this week, the team will host Georgia Tech next weekend at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
