Instant Replay: Clemson 14, East Tennessee State 3
By: trey-mccurry February 27, 2019

The Clemson Insider looks back at No. 14 Clemson’s 14-3 win over East Tennessee State on Tuesday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

 

What happened?
The Tigers (7-1) jumped to a quick lead as three of the first four batters reached to load the bases and Kyle Wilkie drew a walk to force a run in for a 1-0 lead. Clemson added to the lead in the second as Logan Davidson drove a run in on a sac fly and Grayson Byrd followed with a RBI single to make it 3-0. In the third, Bryar Hawkins hit a one-out RBI single to make it 4-0 while the Tigers added three runs in the fifth on a RBI double by Wilkie and a two-run double by Bryce Teodosio to make it 7-0. Clemson put the game away in the sixth as they scored seven runs on seven hits to extend their lead to 14-0. The Buccaneers (6-2) plated three runs in the seventh on two walks and a homer to make it 14-3, but the Tigers retired six of the next seven batters to secure the win.

Game-Changing Moment:
Although Clemson already had a comfortable lead heading into the sixth, they left no doubt with a big inning. Davidson started the scoring with a RBI double before Byrd and Davis Sharpe followed with consecutive RBI singles for the first three runs of the inning. The Tigers topped off the scoring with two big blasts, as pinch hitter James Parker hit a two-run shot for his first career homer and Teodosio followed with a two-run homer to cap the inning.

What went right?
The Clemson bats came alive with 15 total hits, including eight for extra bases. Teodosio had a game-high three hits while Byrd, Sharpe, and Bryar Hawkins each had two hits. Overall, 10 different players recorded a hit in the game and seven drove in at least one run. The Tigers scored in five of the first six innings while Keyshawn Askew kept the ETSU bats at bay, allowing a single hit in 5.0 innings to earn his second win. Owen Griffith had a perfect inning out of the bullpen, striking out all three batters he faced, while Connor O’Rear also recorded three strikeouts in his inning of work.

What went wrong?
Overall, Clemson played its best game of the season and very little went wrong for the Tigers. Jacob Hennessy had a bit of a rough outing, allowing three runs on the homer and two walks but did record two strikeouts.