No. 8 Clemson wrapped up the Clemson Baseball Invitational with another solid win, defeating North Carolina A&T 4-2 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The victory extended the Tigers’ winning streak to four games and improved their record to 6-1, while the Aggies dropped to 2-3.
Pitcher Justin LeGuernic had a rough start, walking two batters and hitting another in the first inning. But he quickly settled in and dominated the next five innings, finishing with six strikeouts while allowing just one hit. His strong performance kept the Aggies off the board and gave Clemson the stability they needed on the mound.
The Tigers got on the scoreboard in the second inning when Jarren Purify hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Colin Priest. They had a chance to add more runs, but North Carolina A&T’s defense held firm. That didn’t stop Clemson from striking again in the third, as Tryston McCladdie launched a solo home run, sending the crowd into a frenzy and putting the Tigers up 2-0.
North Carolina A&T tried to respond in the fourth inning with a leadoff double from Tyler Smith, but LeGuernic stayed focused. He struck out two batters and forced a groundout to keep the Aggies from capitalizing. The game stayed quiet until the seventh, when Clemson made a pitching change.
Hudson Lee took over but ran into trouble, allowing two Aggies to reach base. Enrique Wood then delivered a clutch hit to center field, bringing in two runs and tying the game at 2-2.
Clemson didn’t waste any time reclaiming the lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Dominic Listi smashed a double to left-center, allowing Josh Paino to score. That put the Tigers back in front, and they weren’t finished yet. Purify came through again in the eighth with another sacrifice fly, sending Priest home for the second time and giving Clemson a 4-2 advantage.
Joe Allen took over pitching duties late in the game and shut things down. He struck out Smith in the seventh to stop the Aggies’ momentum, then retired the side in order in the ninth to seal the win. It was a strong finish to a hard-fought game.
After the victory, head coach Erik Bakich praised his team’s resilience. “Carrying over from last year, these guys are going to respond,” he said. He also highlighted McCladdie’s impressive performance over the weekend. “He’s been one of our most consistent players. The game rewards the hard workers—you don’t know when the reward is coming, you just know it’s coming.”
Erik Bakich
With the sweep complete, Clemson now looks ahead to its next matchup. The Tigers will stay at home and face Winthrop on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., with the game airing on the ACC Network. With momentum on their side, they’ll aim to keep their winning streak alive and continue their strong start to the season.
