Clemson dropped its weekend series to UVA, 2-1. The Cavaliers took the Thursday and Saturday games, with the Tigers picking up Friday’s contest. Clemson drops to 25-16 on the season and continues to suck out loud in ACC play at 6-12.
Clemson scored the opening runs of the game with a Luke Gaffney two-run bomb in the second, to put the Tigers ahead. That lead, however, was short-lived as Clemson ace Aidan Knaak couldn’t close out an inning, giving up a two-out, three-run home run.
Jacob Jarrell pulled the Tigers even in the top of the sixth with a no-doubter to center field, but much like in the second, UVA answered back in the bottom half of the inning, and you know what, I’m going to pull this inning directly from the official box score because I think y’all need to see how dumb this looks:
Virginia 6th – TIROLY singled to shortstop. DIDAWICK reached on a fielder’s choice to shortstop; TIROLY out at second ss to 2b. JOHNSON hit by pitch; DIDAWICK advanced to second. S. HARRIS walked; JOHNSON advanced to second; DIDAWICK advanced to third. WEATHERSPOON doubled to right center, 3 RBI; S. HARRIS scored; JOHNSON scored; DIDAWICK scored. PERROTTA walked. HARRISON to p for KNAAK. HOLMES infield fly to c; PERROTTA advanced to second on a dropped fly by c; WEATHERSPOON advanced to third on the error. GRACIA intentionally walked. BECKER flied out to lf to left center. 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.
This is just bad baseball and needs to be called out as such. Knaak was pulled after he lost the strike zone yet again, and Clemson’s defense, not to be outdone, was also bad. They were lucky to get out of this inning without taking on more water, but in the end, UVA did enough damage to score the game-winning run in the sixth.
The Tigers tried to rally late but couldn’t string together enough success to get the job done. They had runners on first and third with one out in the 8th inning, and walked away with a single run after Jason Fultz struck out swinging to end and strand a runner.
It looked like the Tigers may extend the game in the top of the 9th, with Lichtenberge and Gaffney reaching on back-to-back one-out singles, but the Tigers couldn’t capitalize on the baserunners. A weak dribbler down the third baseline from Bryce Clavon ended the game with the fizzle.
Clemson evened the series on Friday with an outstanding outing from starting pitcher Michael Sharman. Sharman went 8 innings, striking out 7, walking one, and giving up 1 run on six hits.
The Tigers’ offense opened the scoring yet again, with a two-out solo shot from Nate Savoie in the top of the 3rd, starting things off on the right foot. Unlike in the opener, Clemson didn’t immediately give up the lead; instead, they enjoyed the spoils of their labor for an inning before UVA tied the game in the bottom of the 5th on a fielder’s choice that brought home a Cavalier from 3rd base.
After Clemson left two on base in the 6th inning, they bounced back in the 7th to score three runs on 5 hits, with Nate Savoie’s second home run of the game providing two of the three runs. A Bryce Clavon single to right field that brought home Jarrell accounted for the third run. Despite scoring three, the Tigers left another two runners on base at the end of the inning. Luckily, it didn’t matter.
UVA attempted to give the Tiger the game in the 8th inning, loading the bases with a single, a walk, and a hit by pitch, but all they could muster was a single run off a Tryston McCladdie walk. The other three batters with an opportunity to end the game struck out. That’s right, bases loaded, with no outs, and the Tigers could not put a ball in play.
Despite the offense putting me into a rage, Clemson closer Hayden Simmerson took the mound in the bottom of the 9th and cooled things down, putting the Cavaliers down in order on three consecutive fly outs to end the game and give Clemson a chance to win the series on Saturday.
For the third time in the series, the Tiger offense struck first, with a Jacob Jarrell single driving home Tryston McCladdie. Virginia answered immediately by going yard in their first at-bat of the game to even the score.
This was a bullpen game for Clemson, with Dane Moehler starting the game and giving up a run in his two innings of action. Danny Nelson took the mound in the 3rd inning and gave up a two-out solo shot to give UVA the lead. Virginia repeated the one hit, one run, inning in the fourth with another solo shot off Nelson.
The Clemson offense stirred in the top of the 5th, getting two runners on, but based on my limited understanding of the game, striking out isn’t a good way to score runs. The Tigers ended the inning with two hits, two strikeouts, and 0 runs for their efforts.
Virginia figured out a way to turn three hits into a run in the bottom of the 6th inning. I’ll give some credit to the Clemson pitching staff. They dug in and limited the damage in what could have been a game-ending inning with a couple of clutch strike-outs, including Ariston Veasey coming on and getting a strikeout to end the inning with two UVA players in scoring position.
The Tigers turned a number over on the scoreboard for the second time in the game to cut into the 4-1 UVA lead in the 7th inning on a Savoie RBI double that plated pinch runner Dylan Harrison, but couldn’t further cut into the lead, stranding Savoie at 2nd. Clemson’s momentum didn’t last, as UVA’s Harrison Didawick provided the home fans with their second souvenir of the game off his bat.
Clemson came into the 8th inning down 5-2, and promptly cut the lead by a run when Luke Gaffney opened the inning with a solo shot to left. After a UVA pitching change, Bryce Clavon welcomed him to the game with a solo shot to right field that cut the lead to 1 run, with one out in the inning, but the Tigers refused to capitalize on a Virginia error that allowed Jack Crighton to reach base, ending the inning with another crucial 2-out strikeout by Harrison.
One run separated the teams when Clemson took their at-bats in the top of the 9th, and things looked promising when Tyler Lichtenberger started off the inning with a single. Two line-outs to the left and a weak Luke Gaffney pop-up to the center promptly extinguished all hope.
Clemson drops the game and the series to the 9th-ranked Cavaliers. There were ample opportunities to change the outcomes of both losses, but this team can’t buy a hit with runners on base and can’t hold a lead for more than a 1/2 an inning.