Tigers pound out 21 hits, freshman shines in sweep of Bearcats

Will Taylor looks for a hit Sunday (Photo by Mikaela Carroll).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Feb 19 15:36:49 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Clemson scored seven runs in two different innings, and freshman Cam Cannarella had four hits, scored three times and drove in three runs en route to a 19-1 victory over Binghamton Sunday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The win gives the Tigers a season-opening sweep, outscoring the Bearcats 32-6 in the three games. The Tigers stole three more bases Sunday to give them 17 on the opening weekend. Clemson stole just 32 bases last season.

Cooper Ingle added a three-run homer, Benjamin Blackwell was 3-for-5 with four RBI and Chad Fairey recorded the first four-hit game of his career. The Tigers pounded out 21 hits and sent 16 different batters to the plate.

The Tigers scored first. Will Taylor, making his first start of the season, walked on a 3-2 pitch to lead off the bottom of the second. He moved to second on a single by Fairey, moved to third on a double-play grounder, and scored when Riley Bertram guided a single under the glove of the second baseman. The hit and RBI were the first of Bertram’s Clemson career.

Clemson sent 14 batters to plate in the bottom of the fourth to break the game open. Fairey doubled to right-center to lead of the frame and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Tyler Corbitt was hit by a pitch, Bertram laced a double to left to score Fairey.

Ingle then smoked a three-run homer over the wall in right, his first homer of the season, and a 5-0 Clemson lead. Blake Wright doubled and scored on a single by Cam Cannarella, and after Cannarella stole second, Benjamin Blackwell stroked an RBI single to left to make it 7-0.

Blackwell stole second and scored on Fairey’s single to center to make it 8-0 after four innings.

Starter Jay Dill’s day was done after four innings. He gave up four hits, no runs, walked two and struck out three over his 83 pitches. He was relieved by Casey Tallent to start the fifth. Dill was given credit for the win.

The Tigers added three in the fifth. Grice singled to right on a 1-2 pitch to lead off the inning and advanced on a throwing error by the third baseman on Wright’s grounder. That brought up Cannarella, the freshman, who continued his good work by roping a triple into the right-center gap to score both runners. Cannarella then scored on Blackwell’s groundout to make it 11-0.

The Bearcats scored a single run in the top of the sixth, but a seven-run bottom of the frame opened the floodgates. Blackwell laced a two-run double to get things started, and pinch-hitter Gavin Abrams later cleared the bases with a three-run triple into the rightfield corner. He later scored on a wild pitch and the Tigers led 18-1 after six innings.

The Tigers play the first midweek of the season Tuesday, hosting Charlotte at 4 pm. Clemson is back home next weekend, hosting UCF in a three-game series.