The struggles for Clemson Baseball continue as USC-Upstate handed the Tigers a 6-3 loss in the final midweek game of the regular season at Fifth Third Park in Spartanburg on Tuesday.
The win gives Upstate a split in the midweek series this season. Clemson took the first game late last month at Doug Kingsmore.
Upstate touched up starting pitcher Dylan Harrison for one run in the first, then four more in the second, sending the freshman to his third loss (2-3) of the season. Talan Bell, Landon Fowler, Nathan Dvorksy and Justin LeGuernic would combine to strike out 11 and limit the Spartans to just one run the rest of the way.
Jarren Purify finished 2-for-5, his third straight game with multiple hits. Tryston McCladdie went 1-for-3 and drove in two runs.
In what has become a common theme this season, the Tigers had plenty of opportunities but they stranded 11 base runners in the loss.
Clemson (30-23) got on the board quickly. With runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the first, McCladdie doubled into right, giving the Tigers the early 1-0 lead.
Upstate (26-27) responded in the bottom half of the frame, getting a two-out RBI single from Johnny Sweeney to tie the game.
The Spartans then put up a crooked number in the bottom of the second, sending nine batters to the plate and pushing across four more runs, to take a comfortable 5-1 lead. Alex Ritzer, Henry Zenor, Tyler Lang and Maloy Heaghney all had RBI hits in the frame. Bell would eventually replace Harrison with a runner on second with two outs, and he escaped without any further damage. The lefty would go on to throw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.
The Tigers put runners on first and second with two outs in the third, but McCladdie would ground out to second to strand both runners.
Nate Savoie singled with one out in the top of the fifth. Jacob Jarrell followed with a double off the wall in left, putting runners at second and third. Luke Gaffney then worked a walk, loading the bases. McCladdie then put a charge into one, but he hit it to the deepest part of the park in center, resulting in a sacrifice fly that pulled the Tigers to within 5-2. Jack Crighton then flew out, stranding two more base runners.
Fowler would take over for Bell to start the bottom of the fifth, sitting the Spartans down in order, including one strikeout.
Clemson again put runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the sixth, but Savoie popped one up on the infield, and the team once again stranded two runners. The eighth and ninth runners left on base to that point in the game.
After Fowler walked the first hitter in the bottom of the sixth, he got a strikeout for out number one. He then allowed a double into left, his first surrendered hit, putting runners at second and third. A sacrifice fly to center then made it 6-2.
Dvorsky relieved Fowler to begin the bottom of the seventh, with the veteran righty working around a one-out walk.
LeGuernic came on to start the bottom of the eighth and struck out the side.
Purify led off the top of the ninth with a double. A ground ball to second off the bat of Savoie moved Purify to third with one down. Jarrell then grounded to third for the second out, which allowed Purify to score. Luke Gaffney followed with a two-out double, but McCladdie would pop it up on the infield to end it.
Midweek Success
While Clemson has certainly had more than its share of trouble in ACC play, this marked just the third time all season the team has dropped a midweek game to a non-Power-4 team. Georgia Southern knocked off the Tigers back on March 10 in a neutral-site game in North Augusta, while Coastal Carolina pulled off a dramatic comeback win over the Tigers in late March. The only other midweek loss came to Wake Forest, in a non-conference game played in Charlotte.
Up Next
Clemson will conclude the regular season with a three-game road trip to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. The series begins on Thursday, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on ACCNX.