Tigers drop to the losers bracket and will play Kentucky tomorrow at Noon EDT.
The Clemson Tigers faced off against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the winners side of the Clemson Regional bracket. West Virginia took an early 4-0 lead over Clemson, but the Tigers were able to fight back and take a 5-4 lead late in the seventh inning. A shaky outing from Lucas Mahlstedt led to the Mountaineers taking the lead in the ninth inning and winning 9-6. Chase Meyer picked up the win for West Virginia, while Lucas Mahlstedt was tagged with the loss and the blown save. West Virginia advances to the Clemson Regional Final.
West Virginia Silences the Crowd with Quick Start
The tensions were high to start this one as Aidan Knaak hit Skylar King with his 0-2 pitch, which led to King staring down Knaak as he took first base. King and the Mountaineers would get their revenge as Logan Suave knocked a base hit into left-center field and stole second base to put runners on second and third with no outs. An RBI groundout by Kyle West put West Virginia on the board with a 1-0 lead, but the Mountaineers had more left in the tank. A double down the right field line by Jace Reinhart scored Suave and an RBI single from Sam White gave West Virginia an early 3-0 lead, to quiet down a rowdy Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Clemson Bats Non-Existent Through Three Innings; Strand Opportunity in Fourth
Jack Kartsonas had the Tigers number through his first three innings of work, as the Mountaineers right hander was perfect. Kartsonas held Clemson to no runs, no hits, and no baserunners, while striking out three batters in three innings. Clemson finally got their first base runner of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning as Cam Cannarella led off with an infield single and advanced to second base on a throwing error. The Tigers could not take advantage of Cannarella being in scoring position as the rest of the lineup went down in order with two strikeouts and a foul out.
West Virginia Tacks On Another in the Fifth
The Mountaineers extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning, thanks to situational hitting from Logan Sauve. The inning started with singles from Brodie Kresser and Armani Guzman to put runners on second and first for Skylar King. The Mountaineers leadoff hitter couldn’t come through as his sky-high fly out into left field was unable to move the runners over. But, Logan Sauve, the son of former Clemson Tiger Jeff Sauve, sent an RBI single the other way to score Kresser and give West Virginia a 4-0 lead.
Cam Cannarella and Co. Come Through to Tie the Score
The Tigers bats finally came alive in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Cardiac Cats scored four runs to tie the game. The rally started with a base hit into center field for Andrew Ciufo to bring up the always dangerous Cam Cannarella. The Tigers superstar proceeded to belt his second home run of this regional to cut the Mountaineers deficit in half. But the Tigers weren’t done there. Dominic Listi did what he does best, as he reached first base on a one out hit by pitch, and Collin Priest reached on a walk to put runners on second and first for Jack Crighton. The Tigers first baseman sent the first pitch into the right-center field gap for a double, scoring Listi and putting Priest on third for Jacob Jarrell. The Tigers leader in home runs created some loud contact as his sacrifice fly scored Priest and tied the score at four apiece.
Cam Cannarella Gives Clemson the Lead in the Seventh
Clemson’s bats waited for the right moment to get hot in this game, as Clemson’s top MLB prospect came through once again to give the Tigers the lead. The inning started with Andrew Ciufo yet again, as the Tigers nine-hole hitter tripled into left-center field to bring up Cam Cannarella. The clutch gene came alive for Cannarella as he laced a double off the left field wall to give the Tigers their first lead of the night with a trip to the regional final on the line. Clemson had the chance to extend their lead but a double play from Collin Priest with the bases loaded ended the seventh.
West Virginia Ties it in the Eighth; Takes the Lead in the Ninth
The Mountaineers offense came alive in the top of the eighth inning as a two-out rally tied the score at five apiece. The rally started with a two-out single from Brodie Kresser to keep the inning alive and bring up the number nine hitter Armani Guzman. Before Guzman stepped to the plate, Erik Bakich decided to pull Reed Garris and bring in his closer Lucas Mahlstedt. But the Tigers closer was not able to shut the door as an RBI double from Guzman tied the score at five apiece.
In the top of the ninth inning, Mahlstedt allowed yet another run, as the Mountaineers started a two-out rally for the second inning in a row. The pinch hitter Grant Hussey walked to start the rally and bring up the designated hitter Sam White. The five hitter came through for West Virginia as his double into deep right-center field gave the Mountaineers a 6-5 lead late in the game. But they weren’t done yet. Back-to-back singles from Gavin Kelly and Ben Lumsden extended the West Virginia lead to two, putting the Tigers backs against the wall. It only got worse for Clemson as back-to-back hit by pitches from Joe Allen with the bases loaded brought home two more runs for the Mountaineers. Clemson was able to scratch a run across in the bottom of the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough as West Virginia held on to win 9-6.
Takeaways
- West Virginia Bats – The Mountaineers offense was the key in their win over Clemson tonight as they scored nine runs on 15 hits, while coming through in big moments. As a team West Virginia went 6-15 (.400) with two outs, 10-25 (.400) with runners on base, 6-15 (.400) with runners in scoring position, 2-3 (.667) with runners on third base and less than two outs. Without the strong situational hitting from the Mountaineers, they wouldn’t be headed to the regional final.
- Time for a Talk About the Closer Role? – Lucas Mahlstedt has allowed four runs in the past five games and seven runs in the past seven games, while blowing tonight’s game. After a strong start to the season, there may be better options in the bullpen for Erik Bakich but it doesn’t seem like the Clemson manager will be making that move anytime soon. If Clemson is to find their way out of this regional, they either need Mahlstedt to find his way again or for Bakich to make a change.
- Up Next – The Clemson Tigers will face off against the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, June 1, at 12:00 PM on ESPN+ in an elimination game.
