Clemson won its fifth straight conference game Wednesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, as the Tigers took care of business against the Buccaneers of East Tennessee State University.
Behind a carer day from Blake Wright and a stellar outing from its bullpen, Clemson moved past ETSU 12-2
Wright’s three-run third inning home run (7) would be the difference. With runners on the corners and one out, the sophomore infielder delivered a shot off the scoreboard in left-center field, giving Clemson a 4-1 lead in the home half of the third.
That wasn’t the only run that came via the home run for the Tigers. Max Wagner (2-for-5) opened up the scoring with his 13th home run of the season, which was an absolute bomb to deep right-center field.
That was all the offense the Tigers would need, as the bullpen did its job and then some, allowing just one run in 6 2/3 innings. Clemson would add another insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning, thanks to a Wright RBI single.
French (1-for-4) tacked on another insurance run with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth. Clemson would add six more runs in the inning thanks to an errant throw made by ETSU’s third baseman, a Benjamin Ingle (3-for-4) RBI double, a two-run double from none other than Wright and a bases-loaded walk.
Wright finished Wednesday’s contest 3-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs and a home run.
Casey Tallent’s first start of the season didn’t go exactly as planned. Tallent worked around some trouble in the first two innings but was unable to do the same in the top of the third frame. With runners on second and third and one out, the Tigers pulled Wednesday night’s starter.
Caden Grice entered the ballgame and immediately notched a strikeout. Grice did allow a run to pass as ETSU got on the board following a Jonathan French passed ball. The run was unearned and thus not charged to Tallent, who gave up three hits and struck out two batters in 2 1/3 innings pitched.
Despite a home run allowed by Nick Hoffman in the top of the sixth inning, Clemson’s bullpen had a relatively solid showing on Wednesday at Doug Kingsmore. Ricky Williams got into trouble in the top of the seventh inning, but Geoffrey Gilbert was able to induce a ground ball and strand two runners in the process.
Between Grice, Alex Edmonson, Hoffman, Willams, Gilbert and Nick Clayton, Clemson’s bullpen gave up just one run on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 6 2/3 innings pitched.
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