There wasn’t a full moon hovering over Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Saturday night, but something was clearly amiss with the Clemson defense. The Tigers committed four errors in the first three innings, allowing NC State to plate three unearned runs, and that was plenty for the Wolfpack to pick up a 4-0 triumph over Clemson.
It’s the first time since March 25th, 2022, that the Tigers have been shutout, a span of 132 games. The win also secured the conference series for NC State, as the Tigers dropped an ACC weekend for the first time since they were swept by Wake Forest a season ago. Clemson’s streak of 15 series wins in a row also came to an end with the loss on Saturday.
Tiger starter Ethan Darden (5-1) was the epitome of a tough luck loser, as he received little defensive help and no support at the plate. Darden allowed seven hits, four runs (one earned), and no walks with five strikeouts in 9.0 innings pitched while throwing 105 pitches (80 strikes). It was Clemson’s first complete game since 2021, when Nick Hoffmann went the distance at Boston College in the second game of a doubleheader on March 27th.
Meanwhile, NC State’s pitching staff was splendid at keeping the Tigers at bay. Sophomore lefthander Dominic Fritton pitched 5.2 strong innings to record the win, allowing only three hits, no runs, and one walk with six strikeouts. Derrick Smith pitched two innings to record his third save of the year. All told, three Wolfpack hurlers combined to strand 11 Tigers on base, including the bases loaded in the sixth inning, and two men in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings.
The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
