The Tigers committed countless errors and a ton of runs given.
The Clemson Tigers took on the Kentucky Wildcats in an elimination game. The winner would head to the Clemson Regional Final. Clemson took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. However, an explosive third inning gave Kentucky a 7-2 lead. The Wildcats held onto that lead and won 16-4.
Nate Harris picked up the win for the Wildcats, going six strong innings and holding the Tigers to just three runs. Talan Bell was charged with the loss after allowing six runs in just 2.1 innings of work. Kentucky heads to the Regional Final, while Clemson is eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky’s performance was impressive throughout the match, showcasing their strong pitching and batting skills.
Clemson Takes Early Lead
With the Tigers playing as the away side in this game, they were able to get out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. Surprisingly, Cam Cannarella recorded the first out of the game after going 4-5 in last night’s affair. A Jarren Purify walk and a Dominic Listi single put runners on the corners for Andrew Ciufo.
The New York native, usually batting ninth, stepped in as the cleanup hitter and worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases for Collin Priest. A wild pitch by starter Nate Harris scored Purify and put Clemson on the board. One pitch later, Priest’s RBI groundout to first base gave Clemson a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the first.
Kentucky Ties it Up
Kentucky continued to display their dominance, consistently applying pressure on the Tigers.
Clemson once again had trouble getting out of an inning with two outs. They allowed the Wildcats to tie the score with a two-out rally. Talan Bell recorded the first two outs of the inning relatively easily. However, back-to-back hit by pitches to Tyler Bell and James McCoy gave Kentucky some life.
An opposite field single by Carson Hansen led to chaos. Dominic Listi’s throw to the plate hit Tyler Bell as he headed home and caromed into the Clemson dugout, halting play. After a discussion between the umpires, Bell and McCoy were ruled safe at the plate, tying the score at two apiece.
Kentucky Takes Advantage of Sloppy Fielding from Clemson
With strong support from their fans, Kentucky capitalized on every opportunity presented by Clemson.
Kentucky’s strategy paid off, enhancing their chances to secure the championship.
The Wildcats took a big lead over the Tigers with a five-run third inning, due to questionable fielding from Clemson. The miscues started on an infield single to Andrew Ciufo, who threw the ball past Jack Crighton at first base, allowing Cole Hage to reach second.
A failed pickoff attempt by Talan Bell led to Hage getting to third. A walk to Tyler Bell put runners on the corners. A wild pitch brought home Hage, giving the Wildcats their first lead of the day. After a hit by pitch to James McCoy and an RBI single from Carson Hansen, Talan Bell’s day was over with Kentucky leading 4-2.
It would only get worse for Clemson as a passed ball by Jacob Jarrell and a two-run single from Ryan Schwartz put the Wildcats up 7-2, with Clemson’s season hanging in the balance.
Clemson Gets One Back; Kentucky Blows it Open
As the game progressed, Kentucky’s relentless offense showcased their skill and determination.
In the top of the fourth inning, Clemson was able to get a run back after the Wildcats explosive third inning. Jack Crighton led off with a first pitch single and then Kentucky had some woes of their own. Back-to-back wild pitches from Nate Harris allowed Crighton to move to third and a four pitch walk to TP Wentworth put runners on the corners with one out. Another wild pitch from Harris brought home Crighton, but that was all the Tigers could muster.
With each inning, Kentucky solidified their reputation as a formidable opponent in the tournament.
Kentucky’s impressive performance has set high expectations for their next matchup.
The Wildcats continued to pour it on in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Kentucky took a 10-run lead. The inning started with four hits in a row for the Wildcats, with two singles, two doubles, and two runs being scored. Kentucky didn’t stop there as a sacrifice fly by James McCoy and three straight singles brought in two more runs for the Wildcats, as the Tigers were on their third pitcher of the inning. An error from Dominic Listi allowed Patrick Herrera to score the sixth run of the inning and give the Wildcats a 13-3 lead.
The Wildcats added a few more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to keep the pressure on the Tigers. In the fifth, a double from Luke Lawrence and an error by Andrew Ciufo put runners on the corners with no outs. A double play ball from Tyler Bell brought a runner home and extended the Wildcats’ lead.
The fielding miscues continued in the sixth inning, as a walk and back-to-back errors put runners on second and third for Hudson Brown. The Wildcats’ designated hitter sent a double down the right field line to score both runs, making it a 16-3 ballgame.
The Wildcats added a few more runs in the fifth and sixth inning to keep the pressure on the Tigers. In the fifth, a double from Luke Lawrence and an error by Andrew Ciufo put runners on the corners with no outs. A double play ball from Tyler Bell would bring a runner home and extend the Wildcats lead. The fielding miscues continued in the sixth inning, as a walk and back-to-back errors put runners on second and third for Hudson Brown. The Wildcats designated hitter sent a double down the right field line to score both runs and make it a 16-3 ballgame.
Clemson put a dent (a very small one) into Kentucky’s lead in the top of the seventh, as they cut the lead down to 12. Cam Cannarella and Jarren Purify started off the inning with singles and a Dominic Listi hit by pitch loaded the bases for Andrew Ciufo. A double play from the Tigers shortstop brought home Cannarella to make it 16-4, but killed any rally that Clemson had in store.
Takeaways
- Fielding Miscues – This was one of the worst fielding performances in Clemson history, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Tigers had SEVEN errors in today’s game with Listi and Ciufo having two each. But luckily for this Clemson team, they were nowhere near the program record, 12, which happened against Georgia in 1946. The miscues in the field were not common for the Tigers this season as they boasted a .976 fielding percentage coming into this game. Clemson picked a terrible day to have one of the worst fielding performances I’ve ever seen.
- Successful Season? – When a team has high expectations coming into a season it is sometimes difficult to assess whether it was successful or not if they don’t reach the ultimate goal. For this year’s team, making Omaha for the first time since 2010 was certainly the goal. Although they fell short of that goal, hosting a regional for the third straight year under Erik Bakich, with Arkansas being the only other team to achieve this feat, is still something to be proud of. Instead of me deciding whether or not this season was a success, I’ll leave that up to you.
- Looking Forward to Next Year – With Cam Cannarella most likely departing for the MLB Draft in July, and players like Dominic Listi, Josh Paino, Andrew Ciufo, and more without eligibility left, Erik Bakich will have to retool his team through the transfer portal. Looking back on last year’s transfer portal haul, it was more underwhelming than expected. Collin Priest and Josh Paino struggled down the stretch, Luke Gaffney hardly played in the second half of the year, and Michael Gillen was hurt for practically the whole season. Bakich will have to get a strong mix of arms and bats if he plans on hosting his fourth straight regional at Clemson.
