Clemson's season ends in disastrous fashion to Kentucky

A standout NCAA regional weekend for Cam Cannarella ended with a second consecutive defeat.

Grayson Mann · Staff Writer · Sunday, June 01 2025

CLEMSON - Danny Cannon stepped up to the microphone for his routine rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

The fans, who usually responded emphatically, "Tigers! Let's get some runs!" recited the line with an overwhelming sense of finality. That feeling for Clemson (45-18) had built up all afternoon, as Kentucky (31-25) ended the Tigers' postseason run in a decisive blowout.

Defensive errors ruled the entire afternoon, and the Tigers' postseason fate in the process, falling to the Wildcats 16-4.

Kentucky will move on to Sunday night's action against West Virginia, and Clemson's season will end in its home ballpark once again.

Initially, the Tigers appeared to have the juice to walk along the long path to a super regional berth, quickly notching two runs at the top of the first.

Dominic Listi blasted a single down the right field line, with a wild pitch and a groundout RBI to first base, giving Clemson a two-run lead.

Then, things got wacky.

Kentucky logged a single RBI that has quite the story to it. Listi launched a throw from the outfield to reach Jacob Jarrell, only it reached the back of Tyler Bell, rolling over to the Clemson dugout. The chaos was enough to knot the score at two, erasing the Tigers' early start to open the game.

The Tigers' defensive errors continued into the third, with continuous miscues allowing Cole Hage a leisurely trip around the diamond, putting the Wildcats up 3-2. The afternoon got progressively worse for LHP Talan Bell, whose final inning concluded with surrendering a single up the middle that added to Kentucky's lead.

As RHP Nathan Dvorsky checked in, the trajectory of the game for the Tigers got worse. A pitch to the shoulder of Jacob Jarrell added more runs, and more hardship for the defense. Ryan Schwartz added insult to injury moments later, knocking a single to center field, putting Kentucky up 7-2 in the blink of an eye.

Dvorsky's day quickly ended before it really got started, leaving Jacob McGovern to step in after throwing 3.1 innings on Friday night. McGovern's first strikeout of the afternoon ended an inning of misery for the Tigers.

Clemson added one run off a wild pitch, but those positive moments were few and far between, and this ballclub's fate was sealed with another sizable inning of runs at the bottom of the fourth.

With Kentucky up seven runs and having the bases loaded, the Wildcats put the nail in Clemson's coffin, adding a two-RBI single that brought the lead to nine runs. The hits kept coming, as the inning concluded with a double-digit advantage in Kentucky's favor.

For the second time in three seasons, Clemson won't make it out of its own regional, or even make the regional final. The high for runs allowed in a home Clemson regional coming in was 2018 versus Vanderbilt (19).