In a thrilling come-from-behind victory, the Clemson Baseball team secured their first win of the 2025 season, holding off the Oklahoma State Cowboys 6-5 on Friday at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Despite struggles from two of Clemson’s All-Americans—Aidan Knaak, who lasted just 4 innings and allowed four runs on five hits, and Cam Cannarella, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts—other Tigers rose to the occasion to power the Tigers to a hard-fought victory.
In their first game as Tigers, sophomore transfer Luke Gaffney went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while graduate transfer Dominic Listi finished 1-for-2 with an RBI. Sophomore Jarren Purify also contributed, going 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Game highlights
The reigning Freshman of the Year kicked off his 2025 campaign strong, delivering back-to-back 1-2-3 innings and striking out the side in each. The game’s first run came in the bottom of the second, when Clemson’s Jarren Purify drove in an RBI to give the Tigers an early lead.
The Cowboys took control in the third inning, putting up three runs on three hits against Knaak. After securing two quick outs, Knaak surrendered a home run to left field from Avery. He then issued a walk to Smith, who later advanced to third and scored on a double by Schubart down the right field line. An error by McCladdie in right allowed an additional run to score. The Tigers couldn’t respond in the bottom of the third, and Oklahoma left the frame with a 3-1 lead.
Knaak struggled to regain his footing in the fourth inning, giving up another home run, this time to LaSelle, extending the Cowboys’ lead to 4-1. Brock Thompson added to the pressure with a double to left field, advancing to third on a lineout to right. However, Thompson was left stranded. The Tigers’ offense was unable to answer in the bottom of the inning, going down quickly.
A pitching change by the Tigers gave McGovern the ball, who quickly silenced the Cowboys with three strikeouts — one reaching first on a passed ball — and a lineout caught by the diving Listi. The bottom of the fifth inning provided the Tigers with the spark they needed to stay in the game. Purify led off with a double to left field, advancing to third on a McCladdie single. Gaffney, who had walked earlier, moved to second, loading the bases for the Tigers. Listi then earned a walk, allowing Purify to score, followed by another walk to Paino, which brought Gaffney home. With two runs on the board, the Tigers had cut the deficit to 4-3 as they entered the sixth inning.
McGovern quickly recorded two outs to start the sixth, but then allowed a double down the left field line to Brock Thompson. Daugherty followed with another double, driving in Thompson and extending the Cowboys’ lead to 5-3. The Tigers appeared to be on the verge of a quick inning after back-to-back strikeouts from Ciufo and Purify. However, Cannarella was hit by a pitch, keeping the inning alive. He later came around to score on Gaffney’s double down the left field line, bringing the Tigers within striking distance at 5-4.
Dvorsky took the mound for the Tigers in the seventh inning, quickly recording three outs to preserve the 5-4 score. The script flipped in the bottom of the inning when the Tigers took their first lead since the early moments of the game. Listi sparked the rally with a single to left field, advancing to third on a fielding error. He scored on a fielder’s choice when Bissetta grounded out to shortstop, allowing Paino, who had walked earlier, to advance to third. Paino then crossed the plate on a wild pitch by Cowboys pitcher Blake. The Tigers left the seventh inning with a 6-5 lead.
The eighth inning came and went for both teams, as they each went down 1-2-3. Pitching changes were made for both sides, with Clemson bringing in Mahlstedt for Dvorsky and Oklahoma State replacing Blake with Youngerman. All three Clemson batters were struck out, sending the game into the final inning with the Tigers holding a 6-5 advantage.
Mahlstedt closed out the game with a flawless inning, recording two strikeouts and a ground out. He struck out Avery, who had hit the game’s first home run, to seal the victory and give the Tigers their first win of the season. Clemson’s Nathan Dvorsky was credited with the win.
Up next
The Tigers are right back at it tomorrow, taking on Arizona for game two of the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at 12 p.m.
