Clemson’s weekend trip to Tallahassee, Fla., resulted in a good news-bad news scenario. The good news: The third-ranked Tigers halted their five-game ACC losing streak with a 6-3 victory in Game 2 of the series that was completed Sunday after getting suspended due to rain Saturday. The bad news: The Seminoles sent Clemson right back into a tailspin with an authoritative 20-9 (8 innings) shellacking in the series finale.
Cam Cannarella was the catalyst for Clemson’s come-from-behind victory in Game 2, tripling home the game-tying runs and scoring the go-ahead run on a throwing error at the tail end of the play.
Play was suspended shortly after Cannarella’s eighth-inning heroics with Clemson leading 4-3. The Tigers added two more runs once play resumed Sunday and Reed Garris slammed the door shut for his third save.
Game 3, however, belonged to the fifth-ranked Seminoles. Florida State’s lineup ran roughshod over Clemson pitching in the finale, scoring in seven of their eight trips to the plate and building a 10-0 lead by the third inning.
Clemson (37-12, 14-10) mounted a comeback, cutting the lead to 11-9 behind homers from Luke Gaffney and Josh Paino. But the Tigers’ staff kept serving up long balls, surrendering six home runs among the Seminoles’ 21 hits. FSU was 7 for 15 (.467) with runners in scoring position and 6 for 8 (.750) leading off innings. The Noles went deep three times in the home half of the eighth to trigger the 10-run rule.
The Tigers have another tough test awaiting them with a midweek trip to no. 19 Coastal Carolina on deck. First pitch from Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway is scheduled for 6 p.m., Tuesday.
Box Score (Game 2)
Box Score (Game 3)
