Instant Replay: Clemson 14 Western 2
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net April 15, 2015

By Trey McCurry.

CLEMSON, SC — Here is a look back at Clemson’s (19-18) 14-2 win over Western Carolina (15-17) on Tuesday evening at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

 

 

 

What happened?

The Tigers got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning. Reed Rohlman and Chris Okey started the inning with singles, moved up a base on a passed ball, and Chase Pinder hit a sac fly to make it 1-0. Tyler Slaton followed with a RBI single, scoring Okey, to make it 2-0. Following a double by Glenn Batson, Andrew Cox hit a RBI groundout to give Clemson a 3-0 lead. After adding a run on a Slaton bases-loaded HBP in the third, the Tigers really broke the game open with a seven-run fourth inning. Clemson scored the seven runs on only three hits and took advantage of three walks and three Catamount errors. Tyler Krieger and Okey each had two-run singles, Slaton and Batson followed with sac flies, and the final run game in to score on a wild pitch. The Tigers extended their lead to 14-0 with three more runs in the fifth inning on a Slaton RBI groundout, a Batson RBI single, and a sac fly from pinch-hitter Drew Wharton. Western Carolina got on the scoreboard with a one-out solo homer in the sixth, their first hit of the game. The Catamounts added another solo shot in the eighth to make the final 14-2 in favor of Clemson.

Game-Changing Moment:

The game changed in the fourth inning. Already holding a 4-0 lead, the Tigers blew the game open with a seven-run frame as they sent 13 batters to the plate. Two of Clemson’s three hits in the inning were two-run singles and they had productive outs with two sacrifice flies.

What went right?

Jake Long was solid on the night, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed only a single run in 6.0 innings. Charlie Barnes and Hunter Van Horn both pitched well in relief. Offensively, the Tigers were productive as they scored 14 runs on 11 hits and took advantage of nine walks on the night. 

What went wrong?

Two of Western Carolina’s three hits were solo homers for their only runs of the game. Clemson had two errors, but Long pitched around both to strand each runner.