By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

Though Tyler Slaton started the season 1-for-15, Clemson head coach Jack Leggett was never down on the sophomore.

Instead he stayed with him rotating the left fielder in and out of the lineup with freshman Maleeke Gibson as he has went with whoever has had the hot hand. Right now, Slaton has perhaps the hottest hand, or at least the hottest bat on the team, as he has hit safely in six of his last 10 at-bats, including Tuesday’s 2-for-4 night in the Tigers’ 10-5 victory over Morehead State.

“To be honest with you, I’m just not thinking anymore,” Slaton said afterwards. “I’m going up there playing the game I have played for I don’t know how many years now. I’m just playing.”

Leggett has noticed he is playing and that he is playing well, which is why he moved the Cumming, GA native to the leadoff spot in the lineup prior to the game. The Clemson coach has already used Thomas Brittle and Jay Baum this season in the leadoff role and has had very limited success.

But Slaton took advantage of his opportunity right off the bat by smacking a base hit to right field to open the game for Clemson.

“He has two hits and a sacrifice fly and put two other hits on the ground that were hit hard to second base,” Leggett said. “If he can just keep putting balls in play and being aggressive like that and keep playing the defense he plays in the outfield, he will do a good job for us.”

Slaton picked up his second hit in the bottom of the third inning when he singled through the right side of the infield. He later scored to pull the Tigers within one run at the time, 3-2, as Garrett Boulware singled to left field.

“When I got to the field today and saw I was up in the one hole, to be honest with you, I was kind of shocked,” Slaton said. “When you are up in the one, you have to make the most of it. You have to get on base and let people hit you in.

“It was good to get on base. I wanted to get a hit and I was up there ready to take my hacks and do my job and do whatever it took to win and get the guy over. Whatever it was, I was going to do it.”

In the fourth inning, the sophomore flew out to left field to score Baum from third after the bases were loaded with no outs. It marked the third straight game Slaton has driven in at least one run.

“I can see him feeling a little more confident and taking better swings,” Leggett said. “He is hitting the ball more flat and keeping the ball out of the air and putting it in play. His engine turns all the time and he is giving us a little lift right now so we are going to ride him out.”

Slaton admitted when he started the season with his 1-for-15 slump, he was frustrated. But he understands that baseball is a fickle game and one day you can be in a slump and then the next you can be hitting for the cycle. The key is to get better and stay consistent in your approach.

“You have to take it with a grain of salt and keep working hard and it will all pay off in the end,” he said.

Leggett and assistant coaches Bradley LeCroy and Michael Johnson told Slaton to stay with it when he was slumping at the start of the season and not to let it get to him.

“They said to keep working hard that it will work out in the end,” he said. “I had to relax. When I get up there sometimes, I get real tense, but it has all worked out so far and hopefully I will keep doing what I’m doing.”

Notes from Tuesday’s win: Boulware also had two hits for the Tigers (12-7), who combined to get 12 overall.

The Clemson catcher also had a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning that put the Tigers up 8-3 at the time. He finished the day with four runs batted in.

Since being moved down in the lineup, Brittle continues his assault on opposing pitching, as the senior went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.  He has hit safely in eight of his last 16 at-bats and has driven in two runs.

Tyler Krieger also drove in two runs Tuesday night, while Steven Duggar had two hits and drove in a run as well.

Mike Kent came in at the start of the sixth inning and pitched three scoreless innings in earning his first win of the season.

The Tigers will host Morehead State Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Game 2 of the two-game series.