Clemson’s baseball team averaged 7.6 runs in its series against North Carolina State over the weekend. Yet the Tigers’ struggle to the start of ACC play continued in large part because of one particular shortcoming within the pitching staff.
“The bottom line is we’ve got to close innings,” Clemson coach Monte Lee said matter of factly.
The Wolfpack brought the Tigers’ momentum of a 14-3 rout in Friday’s series opener to a screeching halt by rallying for wins in the final two games. N.C. State’s 9-7 win Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium gave Clemson (19-9, 2-6 ACC) its third consecutive series loss in league play.
“You score seven runs and put together a big inning, you should win the game. It’s really that simple,” Lee said following Sunday’s game. “Played good defensively and swung the bats well, but the bottom line is we didn’t pitch good enough. We’ve got to pitch better.”
After a strong start to the season on the mound, Clemson’s earned run average as a team has crept above 4 (4.17) in the last few weeks, which included the Tigers getting swept by Pittsburgh last weekend in a doubleheader in which they yielded 18 runs. Right-hander Mack Anglin set the tone for a strong pitching performance Friday with eight strikeouts and just three hits allowed in five shutout innings, but it was largely a struggle for the rest of the Tigers’ arms against N.C. State, particularly when things were more competitive.
Clemson and N.C. State were knotted at 2 through the first three innings Saturday before Nick Hoffman and reliever Geoffrey Gilbert combined to allow three runs over the next three frames in the Tigers’ 5-2 loss. On Sunday, Clemson’s offense helped Nick Clayton overcome a rough start (four earned runs in 3 ⅓ innings) by plating six runs in its first five at-bats to give the Tigers a two-run lead going to the sixth inning. But the Wolfpack immediately scored two runs off reliever Ryan Ammons in that frame and knocked Clemson’s bullpen around for five runs on eight hits over the final four innings.
N.C. State’s ability to come through in the clutch made all the difference Saturday and Sunday. The Wolfpack scored 10 of their runs with two outs in the final two games of the series, including five Sunday. Four Tiger relievers gave N.C. State plenty of help by combining to issue six walks in the series finale.
“We’ve got finish off hitters off and close out innings,” Lee said. “That’s why we gave up nine runs.”
Sunday’s loss dropped the Tigers to sixth in the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Only Boston College (2-10) has a worse record in league play so far. Things won’t get any easier for Clemson with a pair of ranked teams on the docket the rest of the week — No. 14 Georgia on Tuesday and No. 13 Notre Dame on the road this weekend.
With that in mind, Lee didn’t rule out the possibility of shaking up the rotation and the bullpen, saying he’ll evaluate his options and “see what we come up with” to address Clemson’s most glaring issue on the bump.
“If we (can close out innings), we’re going to win,” Lee said. “And if we don’t, we’re going to struggle. It’s really that simple.”
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