CHARLOTTE — Jacob Hinderleider did not look happy.
Clemson’s shortstop had just watched his opportunity to win a second straight ACC Championship come to an end at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. Down a run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Tristan Bissetta launched a bomb to leftfield with teammate Jimmy Obertop standing on first base.
For a few breathless seconds it seemed like the third-ranked Tigers had done it again. They again found a way to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. However, Edgardo Villegas made the play of the game, as he went up and robbed Bissetta of a sure go-ahead two-run homer.
Instead, the game was over. Miami had a hard fought 8-7 victory to advance to the ACC’s Semifinals on Saturday, while Clemson was left wondering, “What if?”
“It is disappointing. It is not the way we wanted it to go, but it is our job moving forward to put it behind us and do our best to come back and play better baseball,” Hinderleider said.
The Tigers (40-14) still have one more game to play in these ACC Baseball Championships. They play Louisville Friday at 3 p.m., in a game some might say is meaningless, as they conclude Pool Play.
However, it means everything to Clemson.
Coming into Thursday’s game, the Tigers were projected as the No. 6 overall seed according to D1 Baseball. However, after Thursday’s loss to a 27-29 Miami squad, they could lose a grip on their national seed, especially if they were to add on a loss to the Cardinals, too.
“There is a lot to still play for. Nothing is a guarantee,” Clemson head coach Erik Bakich said. “We have not locked up a national seed. I have been doing this long enough to know that.
“I think more importantly, it is about playing well. There is a whole different feeling of winning vs. losing and we just want to build momentum for ourselves.”
After starting the year 26-3, Clemson is 14-11 in its last 25 games. The loss to Miami was a microcosm of what the last 25 games have been like for them.
The pitchers gave up two-strike hits throughout the afternoon and an error came back to bite them by plating two of Miami’s five runs in the second inning. Clemson also was 5-for-25 with runners on base and just 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
“We did not play well today. We had plenty of chances and just did not finish their hitters off with two strikes,” Bakich said. “We did not get the job done when we had scoring opportunities. We just need to play well for us to feel good about things.
“We want to play well, and we want to build momentum going into the regionals.”
To do that Clemson needs to beat Louisville, or it may not be a national seed.
—photo courtesy of ACC Communications
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