DOUG KINGSMORE STADIUM, CLEMSON: Clemson made a name for themselves this season with their 25 come from behind wins. Sunday afternoon in game two of their Super Regional with Florida, it was the Tigers who saw victory snatched away. The Gators scored two runs in the bottom of the 13th inning for an 11-10 victory and a trip to their 14th College World Series.
The score alone does not tell the story of this one. There were ejections, a three run homer to tie the game, a Willie Mays like catch in center to save the game, an umpire checking a pitcher for a foreign substance, a home run to take the lead in the final inning and a bases loaded double to win it for the other team.
There was action galore from the opening inning, but the game boiled down to the top of the ninth and the bottom of the 13th. Clemson came up for their last hacks trailing 9-6. The Tigers got runners on first and second with one out to bring Cam Cannarella to the plate. He smashed a three run homer to center to tie the game 9-9. When the Gators went down in order, the game moved to the tenth.
Neither team could score in innings 10-12, then came the memorable 13th inning. Ty Olenchuk led off being hit by a pitch. Devin Parks went in as a pinch runner and was picked off by the catcher. Jarren Purify flied out for the second out. Then the sparks started to fly.
Alden Mathes cranked a home run and emphatically threw his bat to the ground. That brought the umpires together, and also brought Clemson head coach Erik Bakich and program development assistant Jack Leggett out of the dugout. Both were ejected along with assistant coach Griffin Mazur. Mathes was not ejected.
The Tigers took that one run lead to the bottom of the inning hoping to claim a 26th come from behind victory, but Ethan Darden (5-5) could not close the door. Back to back singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third, and Michael Robertson delivered the winning runs with a double into left centerfield.
The Gators stormed out of their dugout and piled on one another in left field while the Tigers slowly left the field stunned by what had just happened.
The game would have never reached the 13th were it not for the spectacular defensive play by Cannarella in the bottom of the tenth. The Gators had runners on second and third with two outs and Ashton Wilson at the plate looking for the game winning hit. Wilson had homered earlier, and this time he drove a ball into deep centerfield. Cannarella was playing in, and he turned his back to the infield and took off towards the wall, where he caught up with the ball just before slamming into the fence.
There were other big moments of a memorable five hour game at DKS. Florida starting pitcher Jac Caglianone hit a two run homer in the top of the first for an early Florida lead. Blake Wright also hit a two run homer for Clemson in the third as the Tigers took a 3-2 lead. Jimmy Obertop homered in the sixth to pull the Tigers to within 5-4 only for Brody Donay to hit a two run homer in the bottom of the inning for a 7-4 lead.
The Tigers came back with two runs in the eighth to make it a 7-6 game, but the Gators answered with a two run shot by Wilson to go back up three and set the stage for the ninth inning.
The Tigers also had a player ejected in the second inning. Jack Crighton was on second after a two-out double when Nolan Nawrocki grounded back to Caglianone. The Florida pitcher tagged Nawrocki about halfway down the line, and the two then made a second contact. The Clemson bench, which is down the first base line, pretty much emptied, and Crighton, who was coming off the field, also got into the middle of it and actually made contact with the homeplate umpire.
After extended conversations and a video review, Crighton was ejected for leaving his position on the field and coming into the area of the dustup.
Wright led a 13 hit Clemson attack with four hits. Aidan Knaak started for the Tigers and pitched into the fifth inning. He allowed five runs on four hits, struck out five and walked three. After Reed Garris was ineffective in two/thirds of an inning, Austin Gordon kept the Tigers in the game with five innings of relief. He allowed two runs on two hits and struck out ten. Clemson pitchers struck out 20 and walked 10.
The Tigers finish their season with a 44-16 record. They will open the 2025 season in Arlington, TX February 14th in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field.
Box Score
Blake Wright, Austin Gordon, Jimmy Obertop postgame
(Note: Clemson coach Erik Bakich was barred by an NCAA rule from talking to the media due to his ejection)
Kevin O’Sullivan, Colby Shelton, Michael Robertson postgame
