CLEMSON – It took two swings within 10 minutes for the 21st-ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to sit down the No. 6 Clemson Tigers and deliver their first midweek loss of the season.

Coastal took down the Tigers, 8-2, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Tuesday.

Though Clemson’s defense held the Chanticleers to two runs over eight of the nine innings, a six-run third inning put the Tigers in a hole they could not claw out of this time. Though Clemson (23-4, 4-2 ACC) leveled Coastal Carolina with five total hits, the Tigers only came up with one run to The Chanticleers’ seven.

The game marks the third time in a week the Tigers have given up at least six runs in one inning.

After two scoreless innings, the Chanticleers (18-7) found their footing in the top of the third when center fielder Dean Mihos drew a walk, catcher Caden Bodine singled, and left fielder Sebastian Alexander launched a three-run homer to put Coastal on the board.

Clemson pitcher Noah Samol hit two more batters with pitchers before he was replaced with freshman right-hander Chayce Kieck. However, the change did not slow the third-inning offensive avalanche for the Chanticleers.

On the second pitch of his outing, designated hitter Blagen Pado connected with Kieck’s fastball in the center of the plate for another three-run shot. 

Following the third inning, Clemson regained composure on the mound and allowed no runs in the fourth, but were unable to cut into the deficit despite a leadoff single from first baseman Luke Gaffney and a two-out dart from right fielder Tristan Bissetta. These singles ended up making up almost half of the Tigers’ total hits.

Both Gaffney and Bissetta finished 1-of-2 on the day. Shortstop Andrew Ciufo finished with the exact statistic, but he also was responsible for the Tigers’ only run in the first seven innings.

In the fifth, Ciufo shot a leadoff solo shot deep into left field to cut the lead 6-1.

The Chanticleers, however, were not ready to let the Tigers back into the game. They struck again with a sacrifice RBI in the fifth and a double in the eighth, which brought in the team’s eighth run of the day. 

The Tigers rallied to put more runs on the board in the eighth inning with a single from Tryston McCladdie, a drawn walk from Cannarella, and stolen bases from the two. Gaffney knocked in McCladdie for the second and final run of the day.

McCladdie finished 1-for-4 while Cannarella was 1-1 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch.

Samol got his third start on the mound this year and in his Clemson career. The former Georgia Tech transfer allowed no hits through two innings, but gave up five runs on two hits, two walks, and three strikeouts in the third. He was replaced with Kieck after 2.2 innings of work.

Kieck allowed two runs on two hits in 1.1 innings of work.

The Tigers used four more pitchers, Jackson Cole, T.P Wentworth, Joe Allen and Luke Brown in the game. These four pitchers combined for only one run on one hit through four innings.

Up Next

Clemson will continue midweek action and try to get back in the win column tomorrow as they host Presbyterian for the second time this season. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.