Clemson fought back from a 6-0 deficit after an inning and a half Sunday afternoon against Wake Forest by scoring seven unanswered runs, including the game winner on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth, for a 7-6 win that gave the Tigers a 2-1 series victory.
Wake Jumped on Clemson starter Justin LeGuernic for three runs in the top of the first, including a two-out two-run homer. Drew Titsworth replaced LeGuernic and got the final out, but then got into instant trouble in the second by loading the bases with no one out.
An RBI single and a sacrifice fly gave Wake a 5-0 lead. BJ Bailey relieved Titsworth and yielded a run scoring single before retiring the side with the Tigers down 6-0.
The Tigers started their comeback in the bottom of the inning with Dominic Listi delivered a two-out RBI double. The game stayed 6-1 until the bottom of the sixth when Listi struck again with a two-run single for a 6-3 game.
Clemson tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with three two-out runs. With two on, Cam Cannarella singled in one run, and a second scored on a throwing error. After Collin Priest walked, Luke Gaffney tied the game with a single through the left side.
The Deacons threatened in the top of the ninth getting runners to second and third with two outs off of Lucas Mahlstadt, who had come on to pitch in the top of the seventh. Mahlstadt avoided any damage, however, by getting a pinch-hitter to fly out to left.
Tryston McCladdie led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk. He stole second and went to third on a ground ball to short. Then with Anthony Ciufo at the plate, McCladdie scored the winning run on a wild pitch.
The Clemson bullpen definitely saved the day for the Tigers. Over the final 7.2 innings, Bailey, Hudson Lee, Nathan Dvorsky, TP Wentworth and Mahlstadt combined on a four-hitter. They struck out 10 and worked around seven walks and a hit batter. Mahlstadt (1-0) earned the win while lowering his ERA to 0.87.
LIsti led the offense with three hits and three RBIs and raised his batting average to .341 in the leadoff spot. Cannarella had two hits and his now batting ..326.
The Tigers are now 23-3 overall and 4-2 in the ACC. They will host Coastal Carolina on Tuesday and Presbyterian on Wednesday in the last games of a 16 game homestand. They play at Georgia Tech this weekend to open a four-game road trip that will include a weekend series at California.
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