Clemson baseball struck early and often for their series-sweeping win against No. 7 Louisville Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, 15-5. True freshman Caden Grice led the way going 4-4 with two RBIs on the day. Catcher Adam Hackenburg and shortstop James Parker both tallied three hits in the game with two RBIs a piece.
The day did not start off well for Mat Clark and the Tigers, as the redshirt junior gave up three solo home runs to the Cardinals in his six-batter first inning. The Tigers took their first chance to bat facing a deficit for the second time in the weekend series against the Cardinals.
The Cardinals’ lead would not last long, as four straight singles from the Tigers cut the lead to one run, bringing the score to 3-2. Then, with two outs and two on, redshirt sophomore first baseman Davis Sharpe launched a ball into the stands in left field, giving the Tigers a two run lead and bringing the score to 5-3. The Tigers added another two-out hit, but were unable to scratch across another run in the first inning.
The Tigers continued their dominance in the second and third innings, plating an additional three runs over the course of the two innings.
A huge bright spot for the Tigers during the Louisville series was Caden Grice, the former No. 5 recruit from the state of South Carolina according to Perfect Game. The Greer, South Carolina native totaled 12 RBIs over the three-game series, including a three home run performance on Friday night. Grice tallied an additional two RBIs on four hits during Sunday’s game.
Redshirt sophomore Geoffrey Gilbert threw for the second day in a row after throwing 1 ⅓ innings Saturday against the Cardinals. Gilbert picked up the win in Saturday’s contest. The Bishop England alum received a no decision for his three innings of work on Sunday.
In the eight innings the Tigers went to bat, they only failed to plate a run twice, in the fourth and sixth innings. All told, the Tigers plated 15 runs, falling one short of their season high of 16 runs against Boston College on March 26.
Seven Tigers honored during the pregame senior day festivities saw action during the game, including Elijah Henderson and Bo Majkowski who entered the game as replacements in the outfield after the Tigers’ lead was comfortably secured.
Eight Tigers recorded an RBI in the game, led by Davis Sharpe who tallied three, all from his first inning home run. Additionally, eight Tigers recorded a hit in the game, bringing the Tigers’ total to 18, a season high for Montee Lee’s club.
Rob Hughes picked up the win for the Tigers for his 1 ⅓ innings on the mound and Louisville starter Luke Smith was saddled with the loss. With the game ending with a 10-run deficit for the Cardinals, there was no save for the contest.
The Cardinals next contest pits them against No. 2 Vanderbilt before hosting the Duke Blue Devils next weekend. The Tigers next play host to USC Upstate seeking revenge for the Tigers’ first ever loss to the Spartans earlier this season. Then the Tigers take their six-game ACC win streak to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech.
