By Trey McCurry.

DURHAM, NC — TCI takes a look back at Clemson’s (31-26) 3-1 setback to Florida State (38-19) in both team’s ACC Baseball Championship opener on Wednesday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

What happened?

The Seminoles struck first with a three-run third inning as they scored all three runs on two outs. The Tigers got on the board with a run in the eighth, but were unable to draw any closer as they missed several opportunities late in the game to push runs across.

Game-Changing Moment:

The game had two major momentum swings with the first coming for Florida State in the third inning as Reed Rohlman just missed catching a two-run triple off the wall in left that would have been the third out of the inning and kept the game scoreless. The other major swing was in the top of the seventh and eighth innings as Clemson had the bases loaded with one out in each frame but was only able to score a single run.

What went right?

Clemson starter Matthew Crownover pitched well enough to win, allowing three runs (three earned) on three hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings while only allowing three Seminoles past first base (although all three would come in to score). Taylor Vetzel did a nice job out of the bullpen and started a key double play in his only inning of work. Steven Duggar had a game-high two hits to pace a six-hit offensive attack while Chris Okey drove in the Tigers only run on a RBI groundout. 

What went wrong?

Clemson struggled to build any innings throughout the game, and even when they had multiple runners on base were unable to come through with a key hit to score multiple runs. The Tigers stranded 10 runners on base, including six in the final three innings and six in scoring position.