Clemson Bounces Back to Take Down Presbyterian in Dominating Fashion

Luke Gaffney stands in to bat. (Photo By Charles Mays/Tiger View Media)

The Clemson Tigers faced off against the Presbyterian Blue Hose for the second time this season. After winning the first time around, the Tigers took down the Blue Hose again, this time by a score of 9-1. Clemson improved to 24-4 on the season, while Presbyterian fell to 12-14 overall. Chance Fitzgerald picked up the win for the Tigers, his third of the season. Luke Gibson picked up the loss for the Blue Hose, as he allowed two runs in just one inning.

Clemson Strikes First

After Talan Bell’s strong top half of the first inning, the Tigers were able to give themselves an early two-run lead. The inning started with a walk to Dominic Listi and a single by Jarren Purify, extending his on-base streak to 20 games, to bring up Luke Gaffney with one out. After Listi and Purify double stole second and third, the Purdue transfer came through with a sacrifice fly to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning, Clemson loaded the bases for Tristan Bissetta, and the South Carolina native’s RBI walk gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead heading into the second inning.

Presbyterian Scores One, Tigers Take It Back

The Blue Hose cut the Tigers' lead in half with a one-run second inning. The inning started with Talan Bell walking Matthew Rollison and Ryan Ouzts, which led to Erik Bakich bringing in Chance Fitzgerald to replace the freshman Bell. Fitzgerald walked the first batter he faced to load the bases with no one out but was able to get out of the inning relatively unscathed, as Brody Linker’s RBI fielder’s choice was the only run Presbyterian could get. But Clemson took that run right back as Andrew Ciufo scored on a Jarren Purify fielder’s choice to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead heading into the third inning.

Clemson Blows it Open in Fourth

The Tigers got the bats going again in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring four runs to take a six-run lead. The inning started with a one-out walk by on-base machine Dominic Listi. Jarren Purify followed up that walk with a double off the wall in left field to put runners on second and third for Cam Cannarella. The Tigers star did not disappoint, ripping a two-run single into right-center field to put the Tigers up by four. But Clemson wasn’t done there, as Luke Gaffney hit his fourth home run of the year to extend the Tigers' lead to 7-1.

Clemson Extends Lead

The Tigers extended their lead against the Blue Hose in the seventh inning after scoring two runs, which gave them an eight-run lead. The inning started with a one-out single by Andrew Ciufo and a Dominic Listi hit-by-pitch to get the Clemson bats going again. Jarren Purify and Cam Cannarella reached base via a walk, bringing home a runner for the Tigers and giving them a seven-run lead. But the Tigers were not done there, as a sacrifice fly from Luke Gaffney gave them a 9-1 lead heading into the eighth inning. Justin LeGuernic pitched the final two innings to shut the door on the Blue Hose and win 9-1.

Takeaways

• Talan Bell – In the first collegiate game of his career, the former Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida went one inning, allowing one run and walking three batters. Although it wasn’t the best start, his outing had many positives, such as his two strikeouts and strong velocity on his fastball. Bell was ranked the No. 15 freshman in the preseason by Baseball America and will continue improving as the season progresses.

• Chance Fitzgerald – The sophomore from Samford, Florida, had one of the best games of his collegiate career thus far, setting a career-high in strikeouts with six. Along with his six strikeouts, Fitzgerald pitched five innings of no-run ball while only allowing two hits and one walk. The Florida native notched his third win of the season with this performance to improve his record to 3-0.

• Ty Marshall – The sophomore from Cayce, South Carolina, picked up his first career hit in tonight’s game when he pinch-hit for Jack Crighton in the bottom of the eighth inning. Before tonight, Marshall had appeared in nine games and taken six at-bats in his career.

  
  

  Up Next: The Clemson Tigers will take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a three-game weekend series starting Friday, March 28, in Atlanta, Georgia.