CLEMSON – A day after winning the series at South Carolina the Tigers came out flat and fell 5-4 to Winthrop.

Coach Leggett didn’t want to use the big series win over South Carolina as an excuse for his team coming out flat.

“No excuses.  We talked about it last night.  I thought we played our best game of the year yesterday and a good four innings today and our worst five innings of the season today,” said coach Leggett.

Clemson totaled eleven hits on the afternoon, but the late rally came up just short.  Eli White and Reed Rohlman both went 2-3 at the plate.

The Tigers got on the board first in the bottom of the second.  Chris Okey hit a solo homerun to put the Tigers on top 1-0.

Winthrop batted back to take the lead in the top of the third with two runs.

In the fifth Winthrop extended the lead on a three-run homerun from Roger Gonzalez to make it 5-1.

Clemson plated another fun in the fifth.  Andrew Cox singled and advanced to second on a passed ball.  Eli White singled to left to score Cox and make it 5-2.

In the bottom of the eighth Clemson rallied.  Reed Rohlman walked and moved to second on a Krieger single.  Steven Duggar singled to right scoring Rohlman.  Chris Okey flied out to right and Krieger tagged and advanced to third.  Duggar was caught stealing.  Pinder beat out an infield single with a dive while Krieger scored on the play.  Robert Jolly singled to right and Pinder slid in safe at third but came off the plate and was tagged out to end the threat.  Clemson trailed 5-4 after eight.

Two questionable calls at second base by the umpires certainly aided the win by Winthrop.  Both calls were  bad according to the replays.  One would have prevented Winthrop’s three run homerun and  another would have likely led to more runs for the Tigers.

Clemson fell to 7-4 on the season with the loss.  The Tigers head to NC State for a three game series this weekend.