Hawkins' clutch hit keeps Clemson perfect to take opener from Gamecocks |
COLUMBIA – Clemson baseball is off to its best start since 2002 thanks to a late clutch hit from redshirt junior
Bryar Hawkins to take game one of the rivalry series over South Carolina Friday at Founders Park.
After a frustrating night for the Tigers at the plate in those clutch situations, Hawkins stepped in with two out and knocked an RBI single through the middle to go up 3-2 in the ninth. South Carolina had intentionally walked the batter in from him two times previously before Hawkins delivered on his third try in the situation. "Honestly, after the first time, I wasn't too happy about it (South Carolina walking Cooper Ingle to get to Hawkins)," Hawkins said. "(South Carolina) had got me twice. All night -- you have to give their pitching staff credit. They were throwing the off-speed stuff to get me. Luckily in that last at-bat I was able to get one up and hit it back up the middle... "You have to give credit to our guys and just from the first game, we just don't give up and this team is really competitive." Dylan Brewer crossed the plate for the go-ahead run after reaching on an error by Gamecocks first baseman Josiah Sightler to lead off the inning. Clemson closer Ryan Ammons (3) hit the first batter he faced in the ninth but was able to strand him on second to clinch the win in front of over 8,000 fans. Alex Edmondson notched his second win of the season with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. The Tigers improved to 9-0 with the win, which is Clemson's best start since the 2002 College World Series campaign (13-0). "It feels good to be 9-0. It feels good to win here tonight," Tigers head coach Monte Lee said. "Again, I just want our club to get better as the season progresses and have a little luck along the way -- stay healthy. We're ecstatic to get the win tonight. We're ecstatic to get to 9-0. We're going to enjoy it, but we also have to stay grounded and understand where we're at and the things we need to do a better job of. "And there are a lot of things we could have done a better job of on the offensive side. However, our pitching continues to be a strength for us and we played great defensively. If you do those two things, you're going to be in a lot of games. I'm proud of our guys for what we've done to this point on that side of baseball." South Carolina’s Will Sanders and Clemson’s Mack Anglin dueled well into the action in the battle of staff aces, but neither factored into the decision. The Gamecocks (7-2) pushed across the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly from two-time rivalry series MVP Andrew Eyster, but by the fifth inning, South Carolina was 0-for-10 hitting with runners on and 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Clemson wasn’t having much more success against the hard-throwing Gamecocks righty, who topped his career-high in strikeouts by the top of the sixth frame. The Tigers' designated hitter Ingle evened up the score in the third inning by rocketing a pitch up the middle for an RBI single, but emblematic of the action most of the night, the Tigers loaded and then stranded the bases after that. The Gamecocks didn’t need a runner on to take back the lead in the sixth inning, Sightler sent Anglin’s 100th pitch of the night well over the right field wall for a solo shot. Clemson had a chance to tie or take the lead in the next frame with a one-out double from Tyler Corbitt, but after a Caden Grice swinging strikeout and a strike three called in on Hawkins’ hands – the count went up to 10 left on base by the Tigers on the night. "We had runners on base all night and had a lot of opportunities and (Sanders) found a way to make big pitches when he needed to," Tigers head coach Monte Lee said. "I give him a lot of credit when he needed to. This was a very tough environment to play in -- unbelievable crowd tonight. Very proud of our guys to just continue to compete. I thought our pitching was outstanding. Our calling card so far early in the season has been pitching." Anglin’s night was done after six strong innings, totaling nine strikeouts to two walks and four walks over 108 pitches. Sanders went one more inning for a final tally of 14 strikeouts, six hits allowed and the one earned run over 105 pitches. After two quick outs to start the eighth, Gamecocks righty reliever Wesley Sweatt saw his 1-0 delivery sent above the left field pole by Clemson catcher Jonathan French to even the score at 2. The series resumes at 4 p.m. in Columbia's Segra Park (ACCNX). Clemson is the designated home team and occupies the third-base dugout.
Two straight games with a ???????????? eighth-inning homer for @frenchjonathan_. ?? #Clemson is back at it with a 4 p.m. start today! ?? pic.twitter.com/tkO7dtq742
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) March 5, 2022
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
