DOUG KINGSMORE STADIUM, CLEMSON: Clemson built a reputation this season for come from behind victories. Twenty-five of them to be exact. Saturday against Florida however, the Tigers could not hold the lead, and then they were unable to rally as they fell to the Gators 10-7 in the first game of their Super Regional. Game two will be Sunday afternoon at 2:30 PM.
The Tigers led 4-2 going to the top of the fifth as starter Tristan Smith limited the potent Gator lineup to two runs on four hits. Meantime, the Tigers scored at least one run in each of their first three at-bats, including a leadoff home run by Jimmy Obertop in the third.
The Gators, however, came alive in the top if the fifth scoring seven runs off of three Clemson pitchers. Smith allowed a walk and a single to open the frame. That brought up Florida star Jac Caglianone who had hit 31 home runs coming into the game. There was a brief meeting on the mound, and on a 0-1 pitch, the left handed hitting Caglianone drove a ball into the stands in left field for a three run homer that put the Gators up 5-4.
Smith was lifted for Lucas Mahlstedt, but he was not able to stop the bleeding. He issued a pair of walks and an RBI single before he was replaced by Reed Garris. Garris got the first out of the inning on a pop out to first in foul ground, but a fielder’s choice to second scored a run without an out being recorded. A sacrifice bunt back to Garris scored another run, and a single to left by Michael Robertson plated the final run in the rally.
The Tigers now trailed 9-4, but they knew in their dugout they had overcome larger margins before. They went to work and chipped away with three runs over the next two innings. Tristan Bissetta homered to right in the bottom of the fifth for the first run.
In the sixth, the Tigers put runners on second and third with no one out. Brandon Neely, who did not allow an earned run in two appearances in the Oklahoma State Regional, came in to relieve Cade Fisher. Jacob Hinderleider then lofted a sacrifice fly to right to score Jarren Purify from third and move up Aiden Mathes from second. Blake Wright followed with a ground out to short to score Mathes, and the Tigers had pulled to within 9-7.
Unfortunately for Clemson, that was all they would get against Neely. After a leadoff single in ithe seventh, a ground ball double play to second with one out ended the inning. Neely struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth. After the Gators added an insurance run in the top of the ninth from a Luke Heyman homer, Neely worked around a two-out walk by striking out Obertop to end the game.
Neely struck out seven over his four innings of work. He allowed one hit and he walked one. He arned his four save. Fisher Johnson, who releived starter Liam Peterson in the second and scattered four hits and three runs over four innings, earned the win and is 5-0. Smith took the loss and is 2-1. Jacob McGovern pitched well for Clemson over the final four innings allowing three hits and home run to Heyman.
Clemson was 0-8 with runners in scoring position and 2-13 with runners on base. Clemson pitchers also walked eight Florida batters.
Clemson, now 44-15, will send their top pitcher Aiden Knaak to the mound Sunday to face Caglianone. In his last outing, Knaak alllowed six hits and two runs against Coastal Carolina. In Caglianone’s last outing, he allowed seven hits and four runs in a 5-2 loss to Oklahoma State.
Box Score
Erik Bakich and Aiden Mathes postgame
Kevin O’Sullivan, Brandon Neely and Jac Caglianone postgame
