CLEMSON — Last weekend, Erik Bakich went on record saying he wanted more stability from his starting rotation.

The comments came after Ethan Darden and BJ Bailey were both touched up in each of the final two games against Stanford. Bailey giving up seven runs across four innings of work last Sunday was more of an anomaly. It was just the second time all season he’d given up more than one run in any one appearance.

However, Darden getting roughed up the day before to the tune of five runs (three earned) on six hits in just 1.2 innings had unfortunately become the norm. The veteran left-hander has seen his share of struggles since the beginning of ACC play, so this week, it was time for someone else to have a turn.

Enter Drew Titsworth, who made his first career start in the series-clinching 2-1 win over No. 17 Louisville. Up until that point, the hard-throwing right-hander had been used exclusively as a reliever, but as he mowed down Cardinal hitters on Saturday, it was Titsworth who looked like he’d been starting games for years.

“Drew Titsworth should get all the headlines,” Bakich said. “Making his first-career start and going six scoreless against a really good offensive team.”

Titsworth went six strong, easily passing his previous career-high of 4.1 innings that he set last month. The dangerous Louisville lineup mustered just three hits off of the sophomore hurler, who faced just three batters over the minimum, and his strike rate was unofficially 68%.

“Coach Belanger texted me (Friday night) and said, ‘Go have fun,'” Titsworth said. “That is exactly what I was trying to do.”

“It was definitely an experience I won’t forget. Everyone around me just gave me so much confidence going into it. It definitely made me a lot more comfortable.”

It was his four-plus inning outing against Gardner-Webb last month when Bakich started contemplating the idea of potentially sliding Titsworth into the starting rotation. With Darden’s continued struggles and his availability in question for the next week or two, it was time to give someone else an opportunity, and Titsworth got the ball. All he did was go out and deliver, and in the process, he helped bring some stability back to the rotation.

“The lightbulb went off, ‘Hey, we could potentially use him as a starter, if we can lengthen him out,'” Bakich said. “He has got good stuff. It is a unique look. Luckily, it worked, and he was great. He certainly looked the part out there.”

Third-ranked Clemson goes for the sweep on Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.