Tristan Bissetta – Syndication Server

Watch as Erik Bakich, Clemson players discuss 4-3 win over High Point

Here’s what Clemson coach Erik Bakich and players had to say after the Tigers’ 4-3 walk-off victory against High Point Friday night.

Top-seeded Clemson won a hard-fought opener against fourth-seeded High Point Friday night at the Clemson Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Tristan Bissetta’s walk-off single scored Blake Wright to give the Tigers (42-14 overall) a 4-3 victory and put them in the winners’ bracket with No. 3 seed Coastal Carolina (35-23). The Chanticleers defeated No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, 13-3, at the Clemson Regional earlier Friday.

The Tigers and Chanticleers are scheduled to play at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday. The two were scheduled to meet in the regular season at Coastal Carolina’s Spring Brooks Stadium on May 14, but the game was postponed due to weather.

The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the regional finals to play the Vanderbilt vs. High Point winner.

After Friday’s victory, Bissetta joined teammate Tristan Smith and head coach Erik Bakich to answer questions from reporters. Here’s what Bakich, Bissetta and Smith had to say.

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Tigers walk off High Point in Clemson Regional

Tristan Bissetta hit a walk-off RBI single to give the Tigers a 4-3 win over High Point in the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Tournament Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Tristan Bissetta hit a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning off Adam Grintz, and top-seeded Clemson defeated fourth-seeded High Point, 4-3, in the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers (42-14 overall) advanced to the winners’ bracket and will face No. 3 seed Coastal Carolina at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday. The Chanticleers defeated No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, 13-3, earlier in the day Friday.

After Blake Wright led off the ninth with a double down the right field line, Panthers (34-26) coach Joey Hammond signaled for an intentional walk to Cam Cannarella.

Jimmy Obertop struck out before Bissetta came through with the winning hit. He lined a sharp single just past the glove of a diving Brayden Simpson at second to score Wright for the Tigers’ 25th come-from-behind victory this season. The ball left Bissetta’s bat at 109 mph, according to data provided by TrackMan.

Clemson out-hit High Point 10-7 in a game that featured plenty of good pitching — and missed opportunities. The Tigers and Panthers each stranded 11 runners on base.

Clemson broke a scoreless tie in the third inning thanks to a clutch two-out RBI single from Cannarella for a 1-0 lead.

After High Point grabbed a 2-1 lead a half-inning later, Bissetta doubled to lead off the Tigers’ fourth. Jack Crighton followed with a single to advance Bissetta to third.

With Jarren Purify batting with one away, coach Erik Bakich called for a squeeze. Purify laid down a bunt, and when High Point starter Gus Hughes tried to make a play by using the web of his glove to flip the ball home to catcher Eric Grintz, the ball sailed over Grintz’s head to allow Bissetta to score without a tag and tie the game at 2-2.

High Point went back ahead at 3-2 in the sixth when Peyton Carr singled to lead off the inning and came around to score.

Clemson starter Tristan Smith left in the sixth after allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He finished with nine strikeouts after retiring the first nine batters he faced and striking out five of the first six.

The Tigers answered in the bottom of the sixth. Jacob Jarrell doubled to put runners in scoring position with no one out. Purify dropped an RBI single into shallow center on an 0-2 count to tie the game at 3-3.

Purify’s single moved the potential go-ahead run to third, but Alden Mathes flied to shallow center and Jacob Hinderleider struck out swinging. Wright then grounded sharply to third to end the inning, giving Clemson nine runners left on base through six innings.

Reed Garris, Lucas Mahlstedt, and Austin Gordon combined for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief the rest of the way. The trio held High Point to just one hit.

Gordon (2-2) earned the win after stranding the potential go-ahead run at third when he retired Patrick Matthews on a routine fly to center to close out the top of the ninth.

Hughes pitched seven innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits in a gutsy 118-pitch performance. Grintz (2-1) suffered the loss after pitching the final inning and a third for the Panthers.

Clemson got two hits apiece from Bissetta (2-for-4), Crighton (2-4) and Purify (2-3) in the 6-8 spots in the lineup.

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Bissetta, Obertop home runs help Clemson even series with Duke

No. 9 Clemson edged No. 7 Duke, 8-7, Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

Tristan Smith struck out a career-high 10 batters in six solid innings, Tristan Bissetta hit a clutch grand slam, and No. 9 Clemson edged No. 7 Duke, 8-7, Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

The Tigers (16-2 overall, 1-1 ACC) needed all the offense it could get.

Jimmy Obertop’s three-run home run in the fifth inning off Blue Devils reliever Edward Hart gave Clemson a 4-2 lead midway through.

In the seventh, Bissetta notched his first career grand slam — the only hit in the Tigers’ half of the inning — with one out off Josh Allen, who’d previously loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batsman.

The Blue Devils (15-4, 3-2) answered with five runs of their own against left-hander Ethan Darden in the seventh to pull to within a run. Lucas Mahlstedt took over for Darden and closed out the seventh with back to back strikeouts of Devin Obee and Mason Winslow.

Mahlstedt struck out three of the four batters he faced in the seventh after the first six Duke hitters reached base against Darden. The junior right-hander then worked a scoreless eighth inning before Rob Hughes closed out the game in ninth.

Hughes pitched out of trouble to strand the potential tying and winning runs on base for his second save. Hughes has yet to allow a run in six appearances this season.

Duke out-hit the Tigers, 11-7. Blake Wright drove in Clemson’s only other run with an RBI fielder’s choice in the first inning off starter Andrew Healy. Healy pitched just one inning as the Blue Devils used nine different pitchers in Saturday’s game.

Gabriel Nard (0-1) suffered the loss for Duke after allowing two men to reach base in the fifth before Obertop’s home run — his third of the season.

Smith (2-0) was sensational in his fifth start for Clemson. In addition to his 10 strikeouts, the southpaw yielded only one earned run on four hits. He walked two and threw 102 pitches.

The rubber match of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT Sunday. Freshman right-hander Aiden Knaak (1-0, 4.05 ERA) will make his fifth start for Clemson. Duke has yet to announce its Sunday starter. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

Tristan Bissetta’s two home runs carry Clemson over UNC Greensboro

Sophomore Tristan Bissetta made his first start of the season a memorable one. Batting ninth and playing right field, the local product out of Greenville’s JL Mann High School hit his first collegiate home runs in a 9-5 Clemson victory over UNC Greensboro Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Sophomore Tristan Bissetta made his first start a memorable one.

Batting ninth and playing right field, the local product out of Greenville’s JL Mann High School hit his first collegiate home runs in a 9-5 Clemson victory over UNC Greensboro Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers, ranked ninth in this week’s USA TODAY Sports’ baseball coaches poll, improved to 12-1 this season.

Bissetta hit his first home run in the fourth inning off reliever Hunter Shuey to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

In the sixth, Bissetta went deep again, launching another opposite field home run off Shuey that just cleared the wall in left to extend the Tigers’ lead to 5-2.

Jimmy Overtop (3-for-4) had three hits, including a two-run single with two out in the sixth to make it 7-2.

The Tigers added some insurance in the eighth when Blake Wright launched a long home run to left. It was Wright’s fourth home run and put the Clemson lead back to five at 9-4.

Clemson totaled 14 hits in Saturday’s game. Cam Cannarella was 3-for-5 atop the order, and Bissetta, Wright and Alden Mathes each had two hits apiece.

Freshman Nolan Nawrocki, who’s earned the starting job at third base, also had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 11 games to open the season.

For the second straight day, Clemson fell behind early. The Spartans (8-6) jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Mathes tied the game with a two-run double to the gap in right-center in the third inning.

UNC Greensboro starter Jay Miller (0-1) lasted only 3 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out one in the loss.

Sophomore Tristan Smith made his fourth straight Saturday start and earned his first collegiate win. Smith (1-0) pitched five innings, throwing right at 100 pitches. He allowed two runs on one hit and four walks with six strikeouts.

Rob Hughes closed out a shaky ninth inning in relief of Ty Olenchuk, who opened the frame by hitting the first two batters he faced. Hughes allowed one hit and struck out two of the four batters he faced in his fifth appearance of the season.

Game 3 of the series is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT. Freshman right-hander Aidan Knaak (1-0, 5.14 ERA) will start for Clemson against UNC Greensboro’s Rob Ready (1-0, 3.77). The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).