Clemson’s offense came up short in key moments during a 5-3 loss to No. 8 Coastal Carolina on Tuesday night at Springs Brooks Stadium. Despite collecting seven hits, the No. 6 Tigers went just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded six baserunners in the defeat, dropping to 37-13 on the season.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first, Clemson cut into the deficit with Tryston McCladdie’s solo home run in the third—his fifth of the season—and tied the game in the fifth when McCladdie singled and scored on Cam Cannarella’s RBI hit. But the Tigers were unable to add more, and Coastal answered with two two-out runs in the bottom half to retake the lead.
Coastal Carolina added a fifth run in the seventh, and although Luke Gaffney brought Clemson within two with an RBI single in the eighth, the Tigers couldn’t mount a late rally. They finished the game with multiple missed chances, including a critical failure to score after putting the tying run on base in the fifth.
Darin Horn earned the win for Coastal with 1.2 scoreless innings, while Michael Gillen took the loss for Clemson. Ryan Lynch pitched the ninth for the save.
Clemson’s inability to produce with runners in scoring position ultimately decided the game. As the Tigers head into a weekend ACC series against Duke, correcting offensive execution will be a priority.
