Notre Dame erased Clemson’s early lead thanks to a six-run outburst in the third inning and coasted to a 10-4 victory at Doug Kingsmore Stadium Friday. Clemson coach Erik Bakich wasn’t around to try to rally his troops as he was ejected in the bottom of the third inning.
At first, things were trending in the Tigers’ direction as Cooper Ingle (sacrifice fly) and Will Taylor (RBI single) combined to give Clemson (20-15, 4-9) a 2-0 lead after two innings. But Notre Dame (18-13, 8-8) fired back against freshman lefthander Ethan Darden (2-2).
Darden retired six of the first seven batters he faced before disaster struck in the third. Darden yielded three hits and a pair of walks prior to being lifted in favor of Reed Garris. Before Garris could finally get a lid on things, Notre Dame had put up six runs on five hits, three walks and a throwing error. Notre Dame added to its lead with a two-run homer in the fifth and a two-run double in the eighth.
Cam Cannarella picked up three hits to boost his average to .418.
The same two clubs are back at it, Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. Prior to the game, Clemson will honor longtime head coach Jack Leggett by retiring his no. 7 jersey. The Tigers won 1,332 games and made six College World Series appearances under Leggett.
