By Trey McCurry.

COLUMBIA, SC — Here is a look back at Clemson’s (7-4) 5-4 loss to Winthrop (7-3) on Tuesday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

What happened?

The Tigers struck first with a run in the second inning as Chris Okey blasted a homer to the scoreboard in left center. The Eagles answered in the next half inning with two runs on four hits, including three well-placed infield singles. Winthrop extended their lead to 5-1 on a three-run homer in the fifth inning. Clemson answered with a single run in the bottom of the frame as Andrew Cox walked to lead off and moved to second on a passed ball before coming in to score on a Eli White double to cut the deficit to 5-2. The Tigers added two more runs in the eighth on RBI singles from Steven Duggar and Chase Pinder to cut the Eagle lead to 5-4 but eventually the Tigers were unable to complete the comeback.

Game-Changing Moment:

The game changed in the fifth inning. With Winthrop holding a 2-1 lead, the Tigers appeared to be out of the inning when an Eagle runner was caught stealing. Instead the runner was called safe and following a HBP, Winthrop hit a three-run homer in what proved to be the game-winning runs.

What went right?

White and Reed Rohlman continued their solid starts with two hits each in the Tigers 11-hit attack. Pat Krall was solid in relief, retiring all three batters he faced including two strikeouts. 

What went wrong?

Clemson could not hold on to an early 1-0 lead and seemed to take a few innings to really get the offense going.  The Tigers fared better over the last few innings but were unable to complete the comeback.