Clemson (15-4, 1-2 ACC) was able to put its offensive woes to bed Sunday as the Tigers earned their first conference win of the season.
Behind the offensive prowess of Benjamin Blackwell, who Clemson manager Monte Lee placed in the leadoff spot for the weekend series, the Tigers pounded out 20 hits in a 20-5 victory over Miami.
During a recent four-game skid, Clemson was outscored 26-9 by its opponents. While the Tigers were finally able to bat the baseball around the yard during Sunday’s win, they got all the offense they needed out of the University of Dayton transfer.
After taking an 0-for in Saturday’s 4-1 loss, Blackwell drilled the first pitch he saw in the home half of the first into the Chapman Grandstands (395-feet). His second home run of the season was 103 mph off the bat.
Blackwell later punched a two-run single into right-field, which helped cap off a six-run third inning. He finished Sunday’s contest 4-for-6 with five RBIs.
Clemson also out got a solid outing out Sunday’s starter, Nick Clayton, who settled in after a shaky first inning, in which he issued two walks.
The sophomore right-hander out of York (S.C.) had his best start to date, as he pitched into the fifth inning for the first time this season. Clayton pitched in and out jams — only managing two clean innings — but pitched well enough to place his team in a position to win.
In his sixth career start, Clayton allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks in 4 2/3 innings pitched.
Clayton ran into trouble in the top of the fourth, as Miami was threatening with runners on the corners and one out. After a meeting with Clemson pitching coach Andrew See, Clayton surrendered an RBI groundout and got out of the jam.
He faced the same trouble in the next inning, as the Hurricanes again had runners on the corners. After giving up an RBI groundout and issuing the third walk of his outing, Ryan Lindley was summoned out of the bullpen to replace Clayton and put Miami’s rally to rest.
Lindley pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and was relieved for freshman Rocco Reid, who surrendered a three-run home run to Hurricanes’ third baseman Yohandy Morales.
Max Wagner (5) and Tyler Corbitt (2) each added two-run home runs of their own to left field in back-to-back-innings to help continue Clemson’s offensive explosion.
Wagner and Corbitt combined for 8 RBIs and had four apiece.
Those runs were necessary to provide some cushion, but the Tigers didn’t stop there. Clemson continued to pile on runs as it cruised to a much-needed victory in the later innings, behind a couple of errors, an RBI groundout, Dylan Brewer’s (2) two-run home run and Corbitt’s second home run of the game.
After a shaky outing from Reid, Ty Olenchuk and Ryan Ammons combined for two scoreless innings out of the pen to but the bow on Clemson’s blowout win.
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