The No. 4 Clemson Tigers kept rolling with an 8-2 win over Liberty on Wednesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, capping off a midweek sweep and extending their winning streak to 15 games. The Tigers, now 17-1, are off to one of the best starts in program history, while Liberty fell to 11-6.
Clemson’s pitching staff stole the show, with seven pitchers combining to allow just five hits and shut down Liberty’s offense. Chayce Kieck (2-0) earned the win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Liberty’s Caleb Lingenfelter (0-2) took the loss, giving up three runs on two hits in two innings.
The Tigers wasted no time getting on the board. Jarren Purify led off the first with a single, extending his hitting streak to 11 games, and just a few batters later, Josh Paino launched a three-run homer—his fourth of the year—to give Clemson an early 3-0 lead.
In the fourth, Tristan Bissetta added to the Tigers’ lead with an RBI double, making it 4-0. Liberty finally broke through in the fifth, scoring an unearned run after a Clemson error, but the Tigers didn’t let up. In the sixth, Luke Gaffney crushed a solo homer—his third of the season—before Dominic Listi tacked on an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-1.
Clemson added two more insurance runs in the eighth, putting the game out of reach. Liberty managed just one more run, but the Tigers’ bullpen stayed in control, slamming the door on any comeback hopes.
Defensively, Clemson was sharp, recording 27 putouts and five assists, though they did commit one error. The pitching staff delivered in key moments, holding Liberty to just 3-for-16 hitting with runners on base. The Tigers also threw strikes at a higher rate (59.5%) than Liberty (51.6%), keeping their opponents off balance all day.
At the plate, Clemson hit .259 (7-for-27) as a team but came through in clutch moments, batting .308 (4-for-13) with runners in scoring position and .600 (15-for-25) in advancement opportunities. Their leadoff hitters were especially effective, reaching base in five of their eight at-bats.
Liberty, on the other hand, struggled offensively, hitting just .161 (5-for-31) and going hitless with two outs (0-for-9). The Flames left eight runners on base and couldn’t capitalize on their few scoring chances.
With the sweep in the books, Clemson now turns its attention to ACC play. The Tigers will host Notre Dame for a three-game series starting Friday at 4 p.m. Riding a 15-game winning streak, Clemson will look to keep its hot start going and make a statement as conference play begins.
