Clemson scored 11 runs in the first three innings and cruised to a 14-1 mercy-rule victory over La Salle Friday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The Tigers (12-1) needed just seven innings to put this one away. It was over before La Salle got comfortable. Clemson sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning alone, hanging a four-spot before the Explorers could blink.
Tryston McCladdie reached base in all five plate appearances. Five. The center fielder went 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, and two walks. He scored three times. When McCladdie is getting on base at that clip, good luck slowing this lineup down.
Tyler Lichtenberger had himself a day, too. The shortstop went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and three runs scored, drawing a walk on top of it. La Salle’s pitching staff had no answers for the top of this order.
This Clemson offense right now? It’s not just one or two guys. Jarren Purify added two hits, including a double. Luke Gaffney drove in two runs and scored twice. Jacob Jarrell doubled and knocked in a pair. Jay Dillard, who launched a 409-foot bomb on Wednesday against Michigan State, chipped in an RBI single.
Six different Tigers recorded at least one RBI. Eight walks drawn against four La Salle pitchers. This lineup grinds at-bats until something breaks.
Ty Dalley didn’t record a hit, but he drove in three runs on sacrifice flies. Three. You don’t need base hits to be productive. Since his first career homer powered Clemson past South Carolina in the Palmetto Series, Dalley keeps finding ways to produce in the middle of this lineup.
Dylan Harrison picked up his first win of the season. Four innings, one run, five strikeouts, zero walks. The only damage came from Chase Swain’s solo shot in the first, and Harrison shut the door after that.
Justin LeGuernic handled the rest. Three scoreless innings, three punchouts, one hit allowed. The last four innings? La Salle didn’t get a single hit.
La Salle starter Owen MacDonnell (2-1) lasted just 1.2 innings, giving up six hits and seven runs. The Explorers burned through four pitchers, and none of them slowed Clemson down.
The 4,812 fans at Doug Kingsmore got their money’s worth early. This was the kind of game where Clemson’s preview billing as heavy favorites played out exactly as expected. The Tigers jumped on La Salle from pitch one and never let up.
Twelve wins in thirteen games. Zero errors on Friday. A lineup producing up and down the order. Let’s be real… this team is clicking, and they’ve got three more against La Salle, including a doubleheader on Saturday, to prove it wasn’t a fluke. It won’t be.
