Postseason drama at Doug Kingsmore: McGovern, Cannarella shine as Tigers move on

Cannarella celebrates his two-run homer in the eighth (Photo by Merrell Mann).

David Hood · Senior Writer · Friday, May 30 2025

CLEMSON – It wouldn’t be postseason baseball at Doug Kingsmore Stadium without a lot of late-inning drama.

TP Wentworth delivered a clutch run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth, and Jacob McGovern delivered yet another stellar performance on the mound as No. 1 Clemson defeated No. 4 USC Upstate 7-3 Friday night in the second game of the Clemson Regional.

Clemson, which improves to 45-16 on the season, advances to play West Virginia in a winner’s bracket game at 6 pm Saturday. Upstate (36-24) will face Kentucky in a loser’s bracket game Saturday at noon.

With the score tied at 3-3 entering the eighth, Dominic Listi led off with a single and stole second and then third with one out. Jack Crighton walked on the play that Listi walked, and Wentworth delivered the go-ahead single to right to make it 4-3. With Crighton at third, head coach Erik Bakich called for the safety squeeze, and Andrew Ciufo laid down the perfect bunt to score Crighton to make it 5-3.

That brought up postseason Superman Cam Cannarella, who smacked a two-run homer to center for the final runs. Cannarella was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and four driven in, and in the NCAA Tournament is hitting .371 (13-for-35) with four homers and 17 RBI.

The Spartans touched up starter Drew Titsworth for a run in the second when Johnny Sweeney, the brother of the head coach, smoked an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right for a quick 1-0 lead. The homer was Sweeney’s 18th of the season.

With Clemson lifeless at the plate the Spartans added another run in the fourth. Scott Newman punched a double off the wall in right-center and scored when Gage Griggs poked a single into centerfield for a 2-0 lead.

Two hit batters sandwiched around a single ended the night for Titsworth in the fifth, and he was relieved by lefty McGovern, who had the unenviable task of getting out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam. McGovern struck out the first two hitters and Listi made a sliding catch on a sinking liner for the third out, and the Tigers escaped the inning unscathed.

Titsworth was credited with four innings pitched and he gave up two runs (both earned). He struck out two, walked one, hit two batters and gave up six hits.

The offense took advantage of the reprieve in the bottom of the fifth. Wentworth singled to start the frame and he moved to second on Ciufo’s walk. That brought up Cannarella, who lined an 0-1 pitch down the line in left for a two-run double, tying the score at 2-2. Jarren Purify hit a long fly ball down the ball in right that moved Cannarella to third and he scored to make it 3-2 on Priest’s liner to center.

McGovern pitched lights out the rest of his time on the mound. He left with one out in the eighth and was credited with 3 1/3 innings pitched, giving up no runs, striking out six and walking one. In 7 2/3 innings of NCAA Tournament play, McGovern has allowed just one earned run. In 16 2/3 total postseason innings (9 1/3 in ACC Tournament) play, McGovern has allowed just the one run.

However, he wouldn’t get the win. Lucas Mahlstedt relieved McGovern with one out in the eighth, and Newman promptly nailed the first pitch he saw over the wall in center for his 19th homer of the season, tying the score at 3-3.

With the Tigers ahead 7-3, Mahlstedt held the Spartans off the board in the ninth.

Jacob McGovern & the Tigers outlasted the Spartans to go 1-0 in the Clemson Regional!

🎥 USC Upstate vs. #Clemson Highlights ➡️ 5/30/25 pic.twitter.com/Z9wPxwdYfV
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) May 31, 2025