Clemson stayed hot, Wednesday, winning its sixth straight game with an 8-3 victory over Kansas State at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Wednesday.
Following his difficult outing against Kennesaw State (5 ER in 2.0 IP), Billy Barlow shined on the mound for the ninth-ranked Tigers. The sophomore right-hander scattered six hits and gave up just one run in 5.0 innings of work. Barlow found his swing-and-miss stuff, fanning five Wildcats after striking out just three over his first two starts.
With Barlow (2-1) keeping the Wildcats in check, Clemson built an insurmountable lead behind big flies from Nolan Nawrocki and Alden Mathes. Nawrocki got the scoring started with a three-run homer to left in the second inning. One inning later, Mathes pulled a letter-high changeup over the right-field wall to give the Tigers a 5-0 advantage. Mathes (2-for-3) also singled and scored on Nawrocki’s homer, raising his average to .394.
Cam Cannarella (0-for-5), who saw his 17-game hitting streak snapped in Sunday’s win over USC, was hitless for the second straight game, but did contribute an RBI groundout.
Clemson will continue in its seven-game homestand with a weekend series against UNC Greensboro. Friday’s first pitch from Doug Kingsmore Stadium between the Tigers and the Spartans is scheduled for 4 p.m.