Virginia 5 – Clemson 4 Game Summary
- Ninth-ranked Virginia rode four homers to a 5-4 series-clinching victory over Clemson in Charlottesville, Saturday.
- The Tigers opened the scoring in the top of the first when Jacob Jarrell’s broken-back liner plated Tryston McCladdie with the game’s first run.
- Virginia counterpunched with an inside-the-park home run from leadoff hitter Harrison Didawick in the bottom of the first. The Cavaliers took the lead on a solo homer in the third and extended it with another long ball in the fourth.
- Clemson reliever Dion Brown cruised through the fifth before laboring in the sixth, allowing two of the first three batters reach before yielding to lefty Brendon Bennett. Bennett promptly struck out the first batter he faced before surrendering an RBI single to UVA’s Kyle Johson that gave the Cavs a 4-1 lead.
- The clubs exchanged runs in the seventh to make it 5-2 in Virginia’s favor. Clemson scored on Nate Savoie’s double before the Cavs struck with Didawick’s second homer of the game, this one over the fence in left.
- The Tigers rallied with long balls from Luke Gaffney and Bryce Clavon in the eighth to cut the lead to one.
- Clemson’s Tyler Lichtenberger reached on a single to lead off the ninth but Virginia closer Tyler Kapa (S, 9) retired the next three Tigers to nail down the win and the series for the Cavs. Clemson stranded six runners in the final five innings and eight overall.
- The Tigers (25-16, 6-12) will return to Clemson for a home date against USC Upstate at 7 p.m., Tuesday.
