Late Game Heroics Help Clemson Sweep Yale

In a couple of frigid and windy games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the #10 Tigers were able to pull of a pair of rallies to move on to 14-3. Clemson started off well Tuesday by jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning behind Seth Beer’s two run double and Chris Williams’s outfield single, which moved Beer to 3rd and would allow him to score on the following play as Andrew Cox grounded into a double play. The Tigers would add another run in the 2nd as Chase Pinder knocked a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Jordan Greene to score. Things looked good for the Tigers before Yale put together a monster 5th inning. After Yale’s Alec Hoeschel would score off of a Tiger throwing error, second baseman Alex Stiegler would launch a two run homer to cut the Tiger’s lead to 1. But Yale wasn’t done, as a few batters later right fielder Harrison White would knock a three run homer, giving Yale the lead. The ‘Dogs would hold on to this lead until the bottom of the 7th when Chris Williams and Andrew Cox hit back to back homers, to give Clemson a 8-6 lead. The Tigers would add two more runs in the bottom of the 8th as Jordan Greene and Patrick Cromwell each scored on separate throwing errors, and that would be all they needed as the Tigers held on to get the 10-6 win. Freshman Jacob Hennessy earned his first win as a Tiger.

Game two had a bit of a slower start for the Tigers, and once again they found themselves victims of a big Yale inning. In the top of the 4th, Yale would take advantage of four walks and two hits allowed by Tiger pitching, along with a catcher’s interference on Chris Williams to score five runs, giving Yale a 5-0 lead. Williams was able to make up for that error with a big two run homer to left field to cut into the Bulldogs’ lead. Clemson kept it rolling in the 6th as the Tigers were able to pick up four runs, including a two run homer from Weston Jackson, who was pinch hitting for Reed Rohlman. Yale was able to reclaim the lead off of a three run 8th inning. Chase Pinder scored Jordan Greene off of an outfield single to cut Yale’s lead to 8-7, before Seth Beer was able to score Patrick Cromwell on a sacrifice fly, tying the game up at 8-8. Chris Williams would add to his big series, knocking a double down the 3rd base line, scoring Weston Jackson and Chase Pinder, and breaking the tie and giving Clemson the 10-8 lead. Brooks Crawford was able to put hold off the Bulldogs in the 9th as they went three up three down, giving Clemson the win. Crawford earned the win, moving him to 4-0 on the season.

Yale falls to 3-7 overall on the year. Next, the Bulldogs will head over to Spartanburg for a four game series with the Wofford Terriers. The two teams will play Friday evening, followed by a double header Saturday, and then close the series Sunday at 1:00 PM. The Tigers will resume ACC play by hosting the #11 Virginia Cavaliers in a three game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this weekend. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM, and the game can be watched on ACC Network Extra. Saturday’s game is set for a 1:00 start, and will available on TV through various RSN affiliates.