Clemson Sweeps Wolfpack With 8-5 Win
RALEIGH, N.C. – Clemson scored five runs in the third inning and totaled 15 hits in the game in its 8-5 victory over NC State at Doak Field on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers, who swept the series 3-0, improved to 25-16 overall and 9-9 in the ACC. The Wolfpack dropped to 25-14 overall and 8-12 in ACC play. It marked Clemson’s first three-game sweep of the Wolfpack since 2010 and its first sweep at NC State since 2009.
After Cooper Ingle extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning single, Riley Bertram led off the second inning with a single and came around to score the game’s first run on a wild pitch. The Tigers erupted for five runs in the top of the third inning. Five straight hits to start the inning and seven hits in all highlighted the uprising, as Will Taylor’s two-run double started the scoring.
NC State plated an unearned run in the bottom of the third inning without a hit, then Cannon Peebles belted a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Benjamin Blackwell responded with a bloop a single with two outs to score a run in the top of the fifth inning, then the Wolfpack manufactured a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to narrow Clemson’s lead to 7-4.
Cam Cannarella led off the top of the sixth inning with his fourth homer of the year, then Peebles led off the bottom of the sixth inning with his second homer of the game.
Tiger starter Caden Grice (3-1) earned the win by pitching 6.0 effective innings. He gave up five hits, five runs (four earned) and two walks with a career-high-tying eight strikeouts. Tristan Smith pitched the ninth inning to record his second save of the year. NC State starter Matt Willadsen (4-3) suffered the loss, as he yielded six runs on 10 hits in 2.2 innings pitched.
