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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