Clemson bats fuel Tigers to win over Illinois in NCAA opener
Clemson baseball coach Monte Lee described the NCAA tournament as a “new season” for his club after the Tigers struggled down the stretch to close out the regular season.
Clemson is now 1-0 in its new season after blasting Illinois 8-4 in its NCAA tournament opener Friday evening at Swayze Field in Oxford, Mississippi.
Freshman pitcher Davis Sharpe was outstanding in relief as No. 3 seed Clemson (35-24) pounded out 12 hits to advance to the winners bracket with a victory over No. 2 seed Illinois (36-20). The Tigers will face No. 1 seed Ole Miss at 7 p.m. on Saturday. (The Rebels defeated No. 4 seed Jacksonville State 16-2 on Friday.)
Jacob Hennessy got the start for Clemson and struggled, allowing three runs in 2 1/3 innings. But Sharpe, who was a candidate to start a game later in the regional, was lights out. The righty allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings of relief in the biggest outing of his career.
The Clemson pitching staff got plenty of help from its offense as the Tigers scored early and often. Kyle Wilkie and Grayson Byrd led the way, combining for seven hits. Wilkie was 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs, while Byrd was 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs.
They said it
Clemson coach Monte Lee on Davis Sharpe’s performance: “In Game 1 of a regional you have to do things like that in tight ballgames to win the game. Somebody has to step up. You have to seize the moment, whether it’s on the mound, on defense or at the plate you have to seize the moment. And I felt like we were the better team today at seizing the moment.
3 numbers
8: Illinois entered with a team ERA of 3.66 and had allowed eight runs only one time this month prior to Friday.
.333: Opponents were hitting .217 against Illinois pitchers this season before Clemson batters combined to go 12-for-36.
5-2: Clemson went through a rough stretch the second half of the season but is now 5-2 in its last seven games.
Next
Clemson vs. Ole Miss on Saturday at 7 p.m. (ESPNU).
This story was originally published May 31, 2019 at 7:27 PM.
