#15-Coastal Carolina 11 — #24-Clemson 9 (Game Summary)
- Tonight’s game at “Club DKS” was the 66th meeting between the two programs, with the Tigers holding a 51-14 lead prior to Tuesday’s game
- Coastal served notice it wanted to cut into that all-time advantage in the first inning by executing the CCU baseball playbook to perfection. After a strikeout of Dean Mihos to begin the game, Blake Barthol drew a one-out walk. He moved up a bag as Walker Mitchell was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. That set the stage for Coastal’s homerun leader, Rex Watson, to add to his total. Watson, who homered twice against James Madison on Sunday, smacked a 3-run HR to center field to give the Chanticleers a 3-0 lead heading to the home half of the first
- Watson’s production was critical for the Chanticleers, who are minus their leading hitter, Trace Mazon (.386). The transfer was hit by a pitch in Sunday’s finale against JMU, reportedly fracturing his hand. Mazon could miss up to four weeks
- Speaking of injuries, Clemson is dealing with a major one on its infield, as Jarren Purify was hit by a pitch on Sunday as well. The fractured finger will keep the Tigers’ second baseman on the bench for several weeks
- In the second, Coastal had a chance to increase the lead, but Clemson reliever Dylan Harrison had other ideas. Following a lead-off hit-by-pitch and sacrifice bunt, Harrison got back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat. That seemed to shift all of the momentum into Clemson’s dugout as the Tigers scored a run in the second and a run in the third before steamrolling their way into the lead in the fourth inning
- Clemson sent nine men to the plate and scored five times in the fourth to take a 7-3 lead over the Chanticleers. The big blows in the frame came off the bats of Nate Savoie, Jacob Jarrell, and Tyler Lichtenberger. Savoie drove in a run with a base hit into left center to tie the game at 3-3. Then, after Tryston McCladdie brought home the second run of the inning on a ground ball to short, Jarrell stepped to the plate and launched a 2-run HR down the left field line to give Clemson a 6-3 advantage. The final run of the inning was brought home courtesy of a base hit to right from Lichtenberger
- The Tigers maintained a comfortable cushion until a bizarre 7th inning. CCU got back in the game with a bases-loaded infield single, a two-out walk, a pop-up on the infield that Jack Crighton misplayed trying to side-step the first base umpire, and a caught stealing that resulted in a run touching home before the final out. In all, the Chanticleers scored five runs on four hits to make it a 9-8 Clemson lead at the stretch
- After the Tigers failed to score in the bottom of the 7th, CCU took the lead for good in the 8th with a pair of runs on a sacrifice bunt and fielding error. Then in the ninth, the Chanticleers got a critical insurance run without the benefit of a hit to lead 11-9. Darin Horn did the rest
- The RHP from Bluffton pitched the final three innings to record the win. The May River HS product allowed one hit while striking out six of the eleven Tigers he faced in relief. Meantime, Clemson ran nine different pitchers out to the mound with Danny Nelson suffering his second loss of the season
- As far as “Coastal Baseball 101” is concerned, the Chanticleers drew six walks, had four sacrifice bunts, and were hit by pitches six times. CCU also scored two unearned runs off of three Clemson errors
- The two teams will meet again on May 5th in Conway
