Jason Fultz Jr. hit a three-run homer to deep left field in the eighth inning Sunday night, and No. 21 Clemson held on for a 6-4 win over Santa Clara at Stephen Schott Stadium. The Tigers improve to 21-12 and finish their California road trip 3-1.
Clemson trailed 3-2 going into the eighth. The offense had gone quiet since the fourth inning, managing one hit across three frames against a parade of Bronco relievers. Then Tyler Lichtenberger singled through the right side with two outs to put runners at first and second after Briggs Sullivan entered to pinch-run for Luke Gaffney, who’d been plunked to start the inning. Jay Dillard struck out swinging on three pitches.
Fultz Jr. wasn’t waiting around. He jumped on a 1-0 fastball from RJ Meyn and sent it well over the left-field fence for his first homer of the year. Sullivan scored from second. Lichtenberger scored from first. 5-3 Clemson, and you could feel the air go out of Stephen Schott Stadium.
Jackson Moore singled through the right side, stole second, then got to third when Luetzow’s throw sailed into left field. Bryce Clavon poked an infield single up the middle to plate Moore. 6-3.
For five innings, none of that chaos looked necessary.
Dane Moehler started and was filthy, throwing two hitless innings with two strikeouts on just 16 pitches. Talan Bell picked up right where Moehler left off, giving Clemson three innings of one-hit ball with three punchouts. Through five frames, Santa Clara (13-17) had one hit and zero runs. Clemson’s pitching staff looked like it could cruise.
The Tigers scratched across a run in the first when Nate Savoie doubled to right-center, moved to third on a groundout, and came home on Jacob Jarrell’s two-out single through the left side. In the fourth, Lichtenberger doubled down the left-field line, advanced on Dillard’s sac bunt, and scored on Moore’s sacrifice fly. 2-0 through five, and Clemson was in full control.
The sixth wrecked all of that.
Eston Simpson replaced Bell and gave up hits to three of the four batters he faced. Ben Cleary singled to center, moved up on a groundout, and scored when Johnny Luetzow doubled down the right-field line. Will Anderson singled up the middle to score Luetzow. Tied at 2. Simpson recorded one out. Three hits, three earned runs. His line was ugly.
Ariston Veasey came on and got Mateo Garcia to pop up for the second out, but then walked Waylon Walsh and Payton Lambert to load the bases. Joe Allen inherited that mess and walked Luke Devine to force in the go-ahead run. 3-2 Santa Clara. Allen got Ferroggiaro to ground out to end it, though, and from there pitched 1.1 scoreless to earn the win. He’s 3-0.
Justin LeGuernic worked the final two innings for his third save. He gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth when Camden Sos doubled to left-center, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Payton Lambert’s sacrifice fly to right-center. LeGuernic punched out Ferroggiaro to end the inning, then retired the ninth in order. Ballgame.
Santa Clara’s three errors were backbreakers. Luetzow threw it away twice in the eighth, which is how Moore got to third and Clavon got on base for the insurance run. Anderson’s fielding error in the fifth gave Savoie a free base earlier in the game.
Lichtenberger finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Fultz Jr., 1-for-3 with the homer, three RBI, and two walks. The Tigers went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven, but the eighth made all of that a footnote.
Clemson wraps up a four-game California swing at 3-1 after taking two of three from Stanford, including a 9-3 win in the series opener and a 12-5 blowout in the finale. Not a bad week on the West Coast for a team that needed one.
