Jimmy Obertop hit a solo home run over the scoreboard in right field and Jacob Hinderleider rocketed a two-run blast down the rightfield line, as No. 10 Clemson scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning to beat third-ranked Duke, 8-6, Sunday at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C.

Thanks to Saturday’s 8-7 win, the Tigers took two of three games from the Blue Devils over the weekend. The series win marked the first time in more than a decade Clemson beat a top 3 team on the road.

After getting just one hit in the first seven innings, the Tigers recorded six in the last three innings. Duke finished the game with 17 hits.

Despite his teammates getting just one hit in the first seven innings, freshman pitcher Aidan Knaak pitched brilliantly in a no-decision. Though the righty allowed nine hits in 6 1/3 innings of work, he kept the Blue Devils off balance enough to keep Clemson in front.

Knaak allowed just two runs and did that by recording a career-high nine strikeouts, while not allowing a walk. Rob Hughes (1-0) came on in the ninth inning and earned the win, while Matthew Marchal pitched the 10th to earn the save for the Tigers.

Clemson (17-2, 2-1 ACC) finally got things going offensively in the top of the eighth. After going six straight innings without a base hit, Aiden Mathes led off the eighth inning with a single to rightfield.

With two outs, Hinderleider brought him home with a ground-rule double and then Jarren Purify doubled to score Hinderleider for a 5-2 lead.

Like they did all afternoon, the Blue Devils rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning. AJ Garcia homered to leftfield off Clemson reliever Nick Clayton for a two-run shot, then Wallace Clark flied out to leftfield with one out, allowing Devin Obee to come home from third with the game-tying run.

Clemson’s Lucas Mahlstedt was charged with the fifth run.

It appeared Duke (15-5, 3-3 ACC) was going to win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning when Garcia rocketed a Hughes pitch down the right field line for a triple. However, Alex Stone, who came all the way from first base, was thrown out at home plate thanks to a perfectly thrown ball from Purify on a relay from right fielder Aidan Mathis.

Obertop, who got the putout to close the ninth, followed the 9-4-2 relay with an opposite field home run to right over the scoreboard in the top of the 10th inning. That gave the Tigers a 6-5 lead at the time.

After an infield single by Tristan Bissetta, Hinderleider launched a two-run home run down the right field line to extend the Clemson lead to 8-5. Duke added a run in the bottom of the 10th inning before Marchal closed the door for his first save of the season.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Wright took Tim Noone’s first offering to right field for a two-run shot. Wright’s home run came with one out and followed Will Taylor being hit by a pitch.

The Blue Devils answered the Clemson first with a run of their own in the bottom of the first. Ben Miller homered to leftfield with one out to make the score 2-1.

Duke tied the game in the fourth when Logan Bravo led off with a double and later scored thanks to a wild pitch that got him to third and then a pass ball that allowed him to come home with two outs.

Clemson scratched across its third run in the top of the sixth inning to take a 3-2 lead. Purify earned his second sacrifice of the afternoon when he flied out to centerfield, allowing Jimmy Obertop to come home with the go-ahead run.

UP NEXT

Clemson will host Winthrop on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m., at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson.

–photo courtesy Clemson Athletic Communications 

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