Davidson's blast highlights 7-run inning as Tigers defeat Bulldogs

Sharpe picked up his sixth win of the season (Photo by David Grooms)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat May 04 14:08:47 GMT-04:00 2019

PHOTO GALLERY: Clemson vs Gardner-Webb

CLEMSON – A little home cooking never hurts, especially when you’ve been on the road for the better part of a month.

Logan Davidson’s three-run homer highlighted a seven-run fifth inning as Clemson defeated Gardner-Webb 9-2 Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Clemson improves to 28-18 while Gardner-Webb falls to 19-23. The two-game series concludes Sunday when travels to Gardner-Webb for a 2 pm first pitch.

Head coach Monte Lee served his one-game suspension after an incident at Georgia Tech last weekend. Pitchers Holt Jones and Sam Weatherly each served the first game of a four-game suspension stemming from incidents in the same game.

Davis Sharpe started for the Tigers and picked up the win, pitching 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out six. Sharpe improves to 6-3 with the win.

Davidson got the Tigers started in the bottom of the first, lacing a one-out double down the left field line. He advanced to third on Grayson Byrd’s groundout and came around to score on Kyle Wilkie’s two-run homer down the left field line.

The scored stayed 2-0 until the big inning in the fifth.

Wilkie and Bryar Hawkins each singled to start the frame and Jordan Greene walked to load the bases. Wilkie scored on Justin Hawkins’ fielder’s choice grounder to third, and Sharpe followed with a bouncer through the left side that scored Greene for a 4-0 lead. Bryce Teodosio laid down a perfect bunt that scored Hawkins to make it 5-0, and Sam Hall followed with a sharp single to center that scored Sharpe and moved Teodosio to third.

That brought up Davidson, who cleared the bases with his homer down the left field line and the Tigers led 9-0. The homer was his 13th of the season.

Gardner-Webb added two runs in the sixth to chase Sharpe.

Clemson hosts Presbyterian Tuesday and The Citadel Wednesday this week, with both games starting at 6 pm, then return to ACC action with a three-game series at NC State next weekend.

PHOTO GALLERY: Clemson vs Gardner-Webb