DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC PARK: North Carolina steamrolled over Clemson 14-4 to claim the Tar Heels’ ninth ACC Championship, Sunday.
The ACC Championship format rewards the top four seeds with a double-bye, meaning the fifth-seeded Tigers were playing in their fourth game this week, one more than third-seeded UNC. The additional innings required to make the final caught up with Clemson’s pitching staff and North Carolina teed off against the vulnerable group.
Veteran lefthander BJ Bailey got the start, but could only record four outs against the hot-hitting Heels. Righthander Nathan Dvorsky relieved Bailey in the second, but didn’t fare much better, taking his leave in the fifth with his club trailing 6-0. The game got out of hand from there as UNC put up eight runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach. In total, head coach Erik Bakich called on six pitchers to finish the game.
Clemson’s lineup, meanwhile, couldn’t solve North Carolina’s Ryan Lynch. The freshman righthander fanned seven and held the Tigers scoreless over four innings on a career-high 83 pitches.
The loss snaps Clemson’s winning streak at six games, but Cam Cannarella did extend his hitting streak to 19 with a two-run homer in the seventh. Dominic Listi and Jack Crighton also drove in runs. Cannarella and Listi were named to the All-ACC tournament team.
The Tigers may have fallen short in the ACC Championship, but their three victories in Durham, NC, served to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume. The latest projections from D1 Baseball have Clemson (44-16) hosting an NCAA Regional as the 11-seed. Clemson is 26-7 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this season.
Bakich expects his players to rebound and play well in next week’s Regional. “Big picture, we’re still in great shape, moving on to another tournament and excited about that one,” said Bakich. “Our guys will be in a great mindset and they’ll be playing with that chip on their shoulder and want to play well at home.”
The NCAA field will be announced on ESPN2 at noon, Monday.
Box Score
D1 Baseball Regional projections
Clemson postgame with Erik Bakich and Andrew Ciufo
