In front of a packed crowd on Tuesday evening, five Clemson pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout of No. 10 Georgia, improving to 36-7 in the season.
Clemson’s pitching staff silenced a Georgia offense that was averaging 9.1 runs per game entering the night. Starter Talan Bell went 3.2 innings with five strikeouts, while Jacob McGovern picked up his third win of the year in 1.1 innings of work.
Reed Garris kept the Tigers in control with the two innings he pitched. The Bulldogs threatened in the seventh, putting two on with no outs. Coming in to relieve TP Wentworth (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER), Garris induced three consecutive groundouts to escape the jam and preserve Clemson’s 2-0 lead.
The Tigers wasted no time putting a run on the board in the opening frame. In consecutive innings, one Tiger knocked in a run and found himself standing on third. Collin Priest set the tone, ripping an RBI double and advancing to third on an error.
Dominic Listi followed suit in the second, bringing Luke Gaffney home with an RBI triple to double the Tigers’ lead.
Scoreless over the next five innings and in desperate need of insurance, Cam Cannarella delivered with two outs. Georgia brought in its seventh pitcher of the game to face Clemson’s star center fielder with a runner on, and Cannarella laced the first pitch he saw into the gap for an RBI double.
Lucas Mahlstedt sealed the win in the ninth, striking out two to earn his 15th save of the season, tying the program record and locking down Clemson’s shutout victory over a top-ranked Georgia squad.
The Tigers begin a challenging road trip on Thursday, starting with No. 25 NC State and followed by No. 4 Florida State. The first pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 7 p.m.
