Timely hits, long ball carry Clemson baseball to opening win in NCAA Tournament
The Clemson Tigers gave the fans what they had been waiting for since 2018 with a 12-5 victory over Lipscomb on Friday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The fourth national seed and the top seed in the NCAA Clemson Regional, the Tigers (44-17) used a three-run fifth-inning to come back from a one-run deficit and then blew the game open in the eighth against the fourth-seeded Bisons to advance into Saturday’s 6 p.m. winner’s game against either No. 2 Tennessee, which defeated Charlotte, 8-1.
Lipscomb (36-25) faces Charlotte in an elimination game at noon.
“Great game, much closer than the score ended up being,” Clemson head coach Erik Bakich said. “It was a nip-tuck game there for most of the game. We battled back from a deficit. Just speaks to the strength of their team.”
ACC champion Clemson scored nine of its runs on six two-out hits. Two-way star Caden Grice hit a two-run home run, fellow All-American Billy Amick crushed an eighth-inning grand slam and Riley Bertram had three RBIs to extend the Tigers’ winning streak to 17 games.
“Credit to our offense for sticking with it and just being really tough with two outs,” Bakich said.
There were still some dicey moments, though, even after Grice put Clemson up 2-0 in the first inning. The Bison scratched across runs in both the second and third innings to tie the game, After Clemson retook the lead in the third, Caleb Ketchup and Alex Vergara hit two solo home runs to take a 4-3 lead and chase Clemson starter Austin Gordon, who allowed four runs over 4.1 innings, from the game.
The bullpen held the Bisons to one run the rest of the way with reliever Nick Clayton (8-0) picking up the win. The offense touched up Lipscomb starter Logan Van Treek (8-5) for six runs (four earned) on seven hits over six innings.
The Tigers scored one run in the seventh to take a 7-5 lead and get some breathing room before another manufactured run and Amick’s 13th homer run of the season sent the home crowd into a frenzy in the eighth.
“That’s my first time ever being in the (NCAAs) at Doug Kingsmore,” Grice said. “It was an awesome feeling just seeing all those faces out there supporting the Tigers. We all fed off of it and we look forward to keep saying that.”
For Bakich, it was a homecoming of sorts. He was hired last summer to replace Monte Lee, who’s now an assistant for South Carolina in the Columbia Regional. Bakich spent the 2000 season when the Tigers hosted a regional and went to the College World Series on Hall of Fame coach Jack Leggett’s staff. This year, he’s off to a good start in repeating history, especially with a home-field advantage.
‘That’s what I think of when I think of Clemson baseball,” Bakich said about the crowd. “I think of an environment like we saw today.”
Clemson Regional schedule
Friday, June 2
Game 1 – (1) Clemson 12, (4) Lipscomb 5
Game 2 – (2) Tennessee 8, (3) Charlotte 1
Saturday, June 3
Game 3 – Lipscomb vs. Charlotte, Noon (TV: ESPN plus)
Game 4 – Clemson vs. Tennessee, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
Sunday, June 4
Game 5 – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 (TV TBA)
Game 6 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 (TV TBA)
Monday, June 5
Game 7 – (if necessary): Rematch Game 6 (TV TBA)
This story was originally published June 2, 2023 at 4:26 PM.
