Clemson baseball used a six-run fourth inning and clutch hitting in the late innings to beat Duke 9-7 on Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The win puts the Tigers at 38-13 overall and 15-10 in the ACC, while Duke falls to 33-16 (14-11 ACC).
Duke started strong, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings. AJ Gracia homered to right center in the first, and Tyler Albright singled in a run. Clemson starter Aidan Knaak gave up four runs early but settled in, finishing with 5.1 innings pitched, three earned runs, eight strikeouts, and four walks on 108 pitches.
Clemson’s offense came alive in the fourth. Jack Crighton singled through the left side to drive in two, cutting Duke’s lead in half. Andrew Ciufo followed with an RBI single, and Cam Cannarella doubled down the third-base line to bring home two more. Josh Paino capped the rally with an RBI double, giving Clemson a 6-4 lead and ending Duke starter Owen Proksch’s night after 3.1 innings.
Duke tied the game in the sixth when Gracia singled in two more runs. Clemson answered in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly from Crighton. In the seventh, Jake Hyde homered for Duke, but Clemson added two insurance runs in the eighth, highlighted by a two-run homer from Ciufo that made it 9-5.
A pivotal moment occurred in the bottom of the eighth when Andrew Ciufo launched his two-run home run to extend Clemson’s lead. The Tigers celebrated near home plate, drawing the attention of the umpiring crew. Head coach Erik Bakich was summoned and informed that someone from the Clemson dugout needed to be ejected for excessive celebration. Bakich selected injured pitcher Ethan Darden to leave the dugout for the rest of the game.
Duke made it interesting in the ninth, scoring on Albright’s RBI single and loading the bases, but Lucas Mahlstedt got the final out to seal the win and earn his sixth save of the season.
Cannarella led Clemson at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Ciufo finished 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, and Crighton drove in three runs. For Duke, Gracia was 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs, while Hyde and Albright each had two hits.
Clemson ended up with nine hits and two errors, while Duke finished with 11 hits and played error-free. The Tigers left five on base, compared to Duke’s 10.
With this win, Clemson remains near the top of the ACC standings as the regular season winds down. The Tigers will try to carry this momentum into the rest of the series, while Duke looks to regroup.
