The Clemson Insider takes a look back at No. 12 Clemson’s 5-3 loss to Duke on Friday night at Jack Coombs Field.

What happened?

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the second on a RBI triple from Weston Wilson that was followed by a sac fly from Robert Jolly. The Blue Devils answered with two runs in the third to tie the game, but Clemson wasted little time in regaining the lead with a run in the fourth on a sac fly from Jordan Greene. Again Duke answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game and took their first lead with a run in the fifth. The Blue Devils would go on to add an insurance run in the seventh and take the first game of the series.

Game-Changing Moment:

The game had a couple of momentum swings, but the biggest moment for the Tigers came in the second inning. Despite already scoring two runs, Clemson loaded the bases with two outs and were looking to add to their lead. However, Duke starter Bailey Clark got Eli White to ground out to second to end the threat and leave the bases loaded.

What went right?

Seth Beer, Reed Rohlman and Wilson each had two hits to lead an eight-hit attack. Beer’s hits extended his hitting streak to 26 games, tied for the fourth longest in school history. Wilson, Jolly, and Greene each had a RBI while Green had a game-high two walks. Clate Schmidt gave the Tigers 6.0 serviceable innings despite taking his first loss of the season while Patrick Andrews threw 1.2 scoreless innings.

What went wrong?

The Tigers could not hold onto an early lead as they grounded into three critical double plays and stranded seven runners (five in scoring position). Three Tiger pitchers allowed a Duke team that was hitting .252 on the season to get 12 hits for a .333 average in the game.