Clemson Tigers Baseball: Jarren Purify Stars as Clemson Takes Down Davidson in Game One

Jarren Purify of the Clemson Tigers. (Photo By Charles Mays/Tiger View Media)

The Clemson Tigers faced off against the Davidson Wildcats in the first game of a three-game weekend series. Clemson was able to hold onto to a close one, 7-4, as Jarren Purify's sixth inning sac fly proved to be the difference in this one. Clemson improves to 13-1 on the season, while Davidson falls to 4-8. Aidan Knaak picked up the win for the Tigers, as his five innings of two-run ball was enough for Clemson. Wilson Perkins picked up the loss for Davidson, his third of the season. 

Clemson Tigers Strikes First

The Tigers were able to get on the board early after taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Jarren Purify's one-out single got the Tigers' bats going as Clemson's star Cam Cannarella followed up the Michigan native with a single of his own to put runners on the corners. Luke Gaffney's RBI groundout scored Purify and moved Cannarella to second to give Clemson a one-run lead. The Tigers could not take advantage of the runner on second with two outs as Collin Priest flew out to left field to end the inning. 

Davidson Takes the Lead in the Third

After finding his way out of a jam in the top of the second inning, Aidan Knaak was unable to do the same thing in the third as Davidson took a 2-1 lead. The inning started with a walk to Scotty Edwards and a single by Noah Jouras to get the Wildcats going. Knaak looked like he settled down after allowing the runners on, as he got Jamie Daly to strike out and Eli Putnam to ground into a fielder's choice. But Putman's stolen base and Michael O'Shaughnessy's two-run single were able to give Davidson their first lead of the game.

Clemson Ties it in the Fourth and Takes the Lead in the Fifth

The Tigers fought right back in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the score at two apiece. The inning started with a Collin Priest walk but was followed by two pop-outs from Josh Paino and Jacob Jarrell. After the two outs, Tristan Bissetta had seemingly ended the inning with a groundout to first, but pitcher Wilson Perkins was unable to hold onto the ball and allowed Bissetta to reach base with two outs. The Tigers took advantage of that mistake as Andrew Ciufo's base hit up the middle scored Collin Priest to knot the score up at two. After Knaak's decisive fifth inning, the Tigers were able to take the lead back. Dominic Listi started the inning off with a four-pitch walk, and Jarren Purify followed that up with a single to get Clemson going. After Cannarella grounded into a fielder's choice, Gaffney's sac fly gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning. 

Clemson Extends the Lead in the Sixth

Clemson continued to hit the ball well in the sixth inning as the Tigers were able to plate two more runners to take a 5-2 lead. The inning started with a walk from Jacob Jarrell and a single by Tristan Bissetta to bring up Andrew Ciufo. The New York native did not disappoint as he laced an RBI single into left field to put the Tigers up by 2. But Clemson wasn't done there as Jarren Purify's sac fly was able to plate Tristan Bissetta and give the Tigers a three-run lead heading into the seventh inning. 

Davidson Gets Two, Clemson Takes Them Right Back in the Seventh and Eighth

The Wildcats were able to cut into the Clemson lead just moments after the Tigers took a three-run lead in the sixth. The rally started with a one-out double from Noah Jouras to bring up the dangerous Eli Putnam with a runner in scoring position. The Maryland native came through for the Wildcats as his base hit up the middle was able to score Jouras and cut the Clemson lead down to two. That base hit was enough to knock out reliever Jacob McGovern and bring in Joe Allen to shut the door. But the Junior from New Hampshire was unable to do that as Cider Canon's RBI single made it a 5-4 ballgame. In the bottom of the seventh, Clemson got a run back to give themselves a little more breathing room. The inning started with a one-out walk to Collin Priest and a hit by pitch to Josh Paino to bring up Tristan Bissetta with two runners on and two away. The Greenville native reached on a walk to load the bases for Andrew Ciufo. Davidson's pitching staff continued to lack control as they walked the Tigers' shortstop to give Clemson a two-run lead. To lead off the bottom of the eighth inning, Jarren Purify launched a home run into the left-field seats to put Clemson back on top by three. This would be the final score of the evening, as the game ended 7-4. 

Takeaways

• Lucas Mahlstedt - Clemson's most reliable reliever, continued to show just how good he is in this one. The Florida native went 2.1 innings for the Tigers, only allowing a single Wildcat to reach base, while striking out three batters. With this outing, Mahlstedt lowered his season ERA down to 0.82, as he has dominated every lineup he's faced. 

• Jarren Purify - The Tigers' Sophomore second baseman has come into his own this season as his .436 batting average leads the team. The Michigan native had another terrific game for Erik Bakich's squad, as he went 3-4 with a home run, a sac fly and two runs batted in. 

• Up Next: Clemson will face off against Davidson at 3:00 PM on Saturday, March 8, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.