Clemson baseball explodes in the 8th inning for anger win over Bryant

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No. 19 Clemson turned a tight game into a comfortable win in a matter of minutes on Friday night.

Six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning broke open a 3-3 tie and carried the Tigers to a 9-3 victory over Bryant in the opener of a three-game set at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Clemson moved to 5-0 on the season, while the Bulldogs dropped to 1-3.

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The game swung on a chaotic eighth. After loading the bases, true freshman Jason Fultz worked a walk to force in the go-ahead run, the first RBI of his career. Following a strikeout, Tryston McCladdie lined a two-run single into right to stretch the lead to 6-3. Clemson wasn’t finished. Luke Gaffney added an RBI walk with the bases loaded, Ty Dalley lifted a sacrifice fly, and Jack Crighton capped the inning with a run-scoring single.

Gaffney set the tone early at the plate, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two RBIs. Crighton also had three hits and drove in a run, while Jacob Jarrell went 2-for-3 with a homer, an RBI and two runs scored.

Bryant grabbed an early lead in the second when a ball off the bat of Charlie Saul skipped past centerfielder Bryce Clavon and rolled to the wall, allowing Saul to circle the bases. Clemson answered quickly. Gaffney launched a solo shot to left to tie it, and Jarrell followed Crighton’s single with a two-run homer to make it 3-1.

The Bulldogs evened the score in the seventh, capitalizing on a double and a fielding error that led to two unearned runs. Defensive miscues proved costly again for Clemson, which committed three errors. All three Bryant runs were unearned, and the Bulldogs managed just two hits all night.

On the mound, Aidan Knaak was sharp in his start, striking out eight over five innings while allowing just one unearned run on one hit. Justin LeGuernic followed and logged two-plus innings, surrendering only one hit. Joe Allen entered in the eighth after a leadoff walk and retired the next three hitters, striking out two to earn his second win. Nathan Dvorsky closed the door with a clean ninth.

Clemson’s pitching staff racked up 14 strikeouts, a season high, and has now allowed just two earned runs through five games.

The same two teams meet again on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. Michael Sharman is slated to start for the Tigers.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson baseball takes down Bryant after a massive 8th inning

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