Clemson baseball blows eight-run ninth-inning lead, falls in extra innings to Miami

Clemson baseball appeared well on its way to earning an important ACC win Friday night against Miami.

Instead, the seventh-ranked Tigers blew an 11-3 lead, allowing eight runs in the ninth inning before falling 12-11 in extra innings at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson third baseman Patrick Cromwell blasted a pair of home runs, but it was not enough as the Tigers fell to 25-9 (10-6). Miami improves to 14-19 (8-8) with the comeback victory.

Clemson led 11-3 entering the ninth inning before things unraveled.

Miami loaded the bases with one out when Freddy Zamora drove in a pair of runs with a single to cut the lead to 11-5.

Clemson reliever Ryan Miller then walked in a run with the bases loaded.

Isaac Quinones and Michael Burns hit back-to-back RBI singles to cut the lead to 11-8 before a sacrifce fly brought Miami within two.

The Hurricanes tied the game at 11 when Hunter Tackett drove in a pair of runs with a two-out double.

Zamora hit an RBI single in the 12th inning to give Miami a 12-11 lead.

The Tigers got the first two batters on base in the bottom of the 12th, but Cromwell was unable to lay down a sacrifice bunt before striking out and Kier Meredith lined into a double play to end the game.

Chris Williams also homered for Clemson, hitting a grand slam in the first inning to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead after the Hurricanes scored a pair of runs in the top of the first.

Miami cut the lead to 4-3 with a run in the top of the second inning before Cromwell hit a two-run homer to put the Tigers on top 6-3.

The score remained 6-3 until the eighth when the Tigers exploded for five runs. Cromwell hit at two-run homer to push the lead to 8-3, a run scored on an error and Drew Wharton drove in a pair of runs to give Clemson an 11-3 advantage.

It appeared as though that would be more than enough runs to earn the win, but the Tigers were unable to hold on.

Miller allowed four runs, three earned in 3 1/3 innings of relief.

Tigers reliever Bo Gobin allowed four runs without recording an out.

Carson Spiers suffered the loss for Clemson, allowing one run in two innings of work.

Frankie Bartow earned the win for the Hurricanes, pitching four scoreless innings of relief.

The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

This story was originally published April 13, 2018 at 11:24 PM with the headline "Clemson baseball blows eight-run ninth-inning lead, falls in extra innings to Miami."