In a top-10 showdown at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, No. 2 Clemson baseball delivered a statement win with a 3-0 shutout over No. 9 Georgia on Tuesday night. The Tigers improved to 36-7 (13-5 ACC) while the Bulldogs dropped to 33-10 (10-8 SEC) and suffered their first shutout loss of the season. It was Clemson’s first shutout victory since March 4 against USC Upstate and marked Georgia’s fourth consecutive loss.
Freshman Talan Bell took the mound for Clemson and held the Bulldogs scoreless through 3⅔ innings. He recorded five strikeouts, forced three flyouts and three groundouts before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Clemson’s relievers kept Georgia off the board, and Lucas Mahlstedt closed out the game with his 15th save of the season, tying a single-season program record set by Nick Glaser in 2000.
The Tigers didn’t need many runs thanks to their pitching dominance, but they delivered when it mattered. In the bottom of the first, Dominic Listi was hit by a pitch, and two batters later, designated hitter Collin Priest hit a two-out RBI double to right field to score Listi from first and give Clemson the early lead.
Clemson extended its momentum in the second inning. Jarren Gaffney reached on a walk, advanced to second on a bunt by Tristan Ciufo, and came around to score on a triple to left-center from Listi, pushing the Tigers’ lead to 2-0. That early advantage held firm as Georgia’s offense remained quiet.
The Bulldogs’ biggest threat came in the fifth when Henry Hunter doubled and Ben McCarthy was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. But Clemson responded by retiring the next three hitters to escape the jam. Georgia also advanced a runner to second in the seventh after a walk and wild pitch, but once again, Clemson’s pitching staff shut down the threat.
Clemson added an insurance run in the seventh when Ciufo singled, and with two outs, Cam Cannarella connected for an RBI double to center, making it 3-0. It was Cannarella’s first hit of the game and a final blow to Georgia’s hopes.
Georgia’s offense was held in check the entire night, going hitless in several innings and unable to capitalize when runners reached base. The final three Bulldogs went down in order in the ninth, with two strikeouts and a groundout sealing the shutout win for Clemson.
