Top-seeded Clemson put pressure on third-seeded Coastal Carolina early and often en route to a 12-5 victory to win the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The Tigers (44-14 overall) won all three of their games at the regional and will host the winner of the Stillwater Regional in a best-of-three Super Regional next weekend. It’s the first time Clemson has advanced to a Super Regional since 2010.
After Coastal Carolina (36-25) eliminated High Point in the Clemson Regional earlier in the day, the nightcap featured plenty of opportunities for both teams early on. But it was Clemson that took advantage at the plate and in the field the most.
The Tigers built a 6-2 lead entering the eighth inning before Coastal Carolina quieted the crowd with back-to-back home runs off Reid Garris from Caden Bodine and Derek Bender to make it a one-run game at 6-5.
Coach Erik Bakich brought in Austin Gordon, pitching for the third straight day in relief at Clemson’s regional. Gordon struck out Blake Barthol to close out the top of the eighth and preserve the lead.
After leaving the bases loaded in both the fifth and sixth innings, and stranding two more runners in the seventh, Clemson wouldn’t be denied in the eighth. The Tigers batted 10 times and scored six runs to grab a 12-5 lead.
Cam Cannarella crushed a solo home run to lead off the eighth. It was Cannarella’s 10th homer and 56th RBI of the year.
Jimmy Obertop, who provided Clemson with its first home run of the regional with a one-out solo shot in the third inning, reached on a throwing error from reliever Hayden Johnson. After Andrew Bowers took over in relief, Tristan Bissetta doubled to right. Jack Crighton followed with an RBI single past a drawn-in infield to make it 8-5.
Jarren Purify was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out and force another pitching change. Afterwards, Alden Mathes split the gap in right center for a two-run double against Dominick Carbone to bring the score to 10-5.
Jacob Hinderleider capped the Tigers’ scoring with a two-run double off the third base bag to bring in Purify and Mathes for a 12-5 lead.
Gordon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to close out Coastal Carolina in the final game of legendary coach Gary Gilmore’s 28-year run as Chanticleers head coach.
Hinderleider was 3-for-5 with a walk and three RBIs. He finished the Clemson Regional 9-for-15 with two doubles.
Clemson got two hits or more atop the lineup from each of its first four hitters. Mathes went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Blake Wright (2-6) and Cannarella (2-5) added two hits, as well.
The Tigers totaled 14 hits in the game as every batter reached base.
Ethan Darden gave Clemson a much-needed 4 2/3 innings of solid work in his 11th start of the year. The left-hander ran into trouble early by allowing five of the first seven batters to reach base, but he rebounded to retire eight straight hitters before allowing a leadoff double to Zack Beach to open the fifth.
Darden left after holding Coastal Carolina to two runs on five hits.
One of the biggest plays in the game came with the Chanticleers threatening in the second inning. That’s when Clemson reached into its bag of tricks.
With the Tigers leading 2-1 and Coastal Carolina having already plated a run that inning, Darden and Wright executed a hidden ball trick when Wright casually left the mound and strode back to the bag at third. Wright then tagged out an unsuspecting Dean Mihos when Mihos left the bag and took his lead off third.
Darden ended the inning by getting Sebastian Alexander on a tapper back to the mound to swing the momentum in Clemson’s favor. The Tigers never surrendered the lead after going ahead 2-0 in the first inning courtesy of an RBI single from Wright and an RBI fielder’s choice from Obertop.
Garris (2-1) earned the win in relief. He threw three scoreless frames before allowing the back-to-back home runs in the eighth to Bodine and Bender.
Trevor Hinkel (1-3) started and suffered the loss for Coastal Carolina, one of seven pitchers used in the game after the Chanticleers used seven pitchers in their 6-5 win over High Point earlier in the day.
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