Clemson Baseball and head coach Erik Bakich kept their win streak alive on Military Appreciation Night against the Runnin’ Bulldogs, winning 4-2 after coming off of a three-game sweep over conference opponent California.
After a rough start to the game — including a pair of errors and multiple missed ground balls — the defense locked in, and the offense loaded up.
Clemson would finally get their bats hot in the bottom of the third inning as MLB prospect Cam Cannarella contributed to their first points on the board, scoring a ground-out RBI.
After this, a new pitcher would come in for Gardner-Webb and was immediately taken advantage of as DH Collin Priest singled the ball up the middle, scoring Jarren Purify and giving his squad a 2-0 lead heading into the fourth.
The Tigers would suffer from a scoring drought the next two innings, which allowed the Runnin Bulldogs’ to get back in the game, scoring two runs to tie it up in the top of the fifth.
However, power-hitting catcher Jacob Jarrell would take it right back the following inning with a 361-foot bomb to left field, putting Clemson up 3-2.
With the help of shutout pitching from RHP Drew Titsworth — who finished with a career-high seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched — Jacob Jarrell continued to mesmerize the Doug Kingsmore crowd as he would step back up to the plate in the bottom of the eighth and hit another laser to deep left field, giving the Tigers a 4-2 lead late in the game.
“I think he settled in today… sometimes thats exactly what they need, they just need to be out there longer and pitch longer… for him to settle in and do what he did, that was big time. [It] maybe can be that jump off point where he can be extended like Mahlstedt and Garris.”
Erik Bakich
The junior catcher is having a stellar season, putting up 28 hits and 28 runs — including seven homers — in 106 at-bats. Recently, it’s been highly evident just how impactful his power-hitting can be, as he had another pair of home runs in a 9-7 win over No. 25 Georgia Tech over a week ago.
“If I barrel the ball, that’s going to help the team. Not only that, but it helps the crowd too like if you barrel the ball and it gets caught, it is what it is, but it’s a hard out and it gives the dugout energy so.”
Jacob Jarrell
Jarrell, Priest, and Titsworth held their own and succeeded, winning the game despite the Tigers’ inability to increase the offensive pace throughout the game, managing only four hits in 25 at-bats.
The Tigers will look to face off against the Stanford Cardinals in a three-game series on Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
