Wake Forest 15 — Clemson 4 (F/7 Innings) — Game Summary
- Clemson head coach Erik Bakich didn’t stay around very long for this one. Bakich was ejected in the second inning after arguing with home plate umpire Chris Ward following a pitch clock violation charged to Tyler Lichtenberger. After Lichtenberger struck out to end the top of the second inning, Ward ejected Bakich from the game before the bottom of the second inning started. According to an ACC Network Extra broadcast of the game, Bakich ran out of the dugout and confronted Ward a second time, pointing in his face.
- It was Bakich’s third career ejection at Clemson. He and special assistant Jack Leggett were ejected from the Tigers’ season-ending 2024 super regional loss to Florida. Bakich was also tossed from a 2023 game vs. Notre Dame
- Thereafter, it was all Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons, who already led 3-0 before Bakich was sent to the showers, unloaded on eight Clemson pitchers over the run-rule-shortened game
- Wake Forest scored four times in the third, after Clemson cut the lead to 3-1 with a run in the top of the frame
- The Deacs added another run in the fourth to make it 8-1, before the Tigers tried to make things interesting. Tryston McCladdie led off the fifth with a long home run to right field to spark a small rally. Four batters later, Bryce Clavon picked up an RBI single to right, and Luke Gaffney got a run home on a groundout to short. However, 8-4 was as close as the Tigers would get
- Wake Forest put the game out of reach with a 7-spot in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Javar Williams to make the final margin 15-4.
- Even though it was a matchup of two ACC teams, the game was played as a non-conference contest. Clemson falls to 19-11 on the season and has now lost seven of its last eight
- The Tigers travel to Stanford to begin a weekend series on Friday night at 9:05pm ET