Blue Devils tag Tiger pitching late to take series

Caden Grice went a career-long four innings pitched in the start. (Clemson athletics photo)

by Brandon Rink - Staff Writer - Sun Mar 19 16:41:38 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON - Sunday’s ACC-opening series rubber game at Doug Kingsmore Stadium between Clemson and Duke saw seven lead-changing or game-tying half-innings after the top of the second inning, but unfortunately for Erik Bakich’s Tigers, the last momentum shift went in favor of the Blue Devils late in an 11-8 decision.

Clemson (12-8, 1-2 ACC) fell to 12-5 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this season, dropping a second home series in four three-game home series so far. The Tigers lost by a run after stranding 16 runners in the opener of a doubleheader Saturday before topping the Blue Devils in game two, 14-9.

"Extremely disappointed but just goes to show you the razor-thin margin of playing games like this and weekends like this," Bakich said. "Razor-thin between winning a series and losing a series and a couple of different plays here and there and this could have been a potential sweep. But we're walking out now having lost the series with no excuses, and just probably thinking as a coach, what could we have done different."

Clemson struck first with a run in the second inning, loading the bases with one out and a lone Tiger crossing the plate on a hard-hit ball to third base from Jacob Jarrell, forcing the error on Duke’s Luke Storm.

Clemson junior utility player and left-handed pitcher Caden Grice had a nearly effortless first three frames, notching four strikeouts in just 32 pitches.

When it came to crossing over into a career-long outing, Grice got a little more wild.

He gave up a hit and walked two Blue Devils (13-7, 3-3) to load the bases up with none out in the fourth, and Blue Devils catcher Alex Stone delivered the lead-changing hit to the right side to give Duke a 2-1 edge.

Grice did reach that career-high innings-wise (4) and tallied six strikeouts along the way, but he was pulled after the first two Duke batters reached base in the fifth. Senior reliever and Michigan transfer Willie Weiss hit the first batter he faced, working out of the jam but giving up two more Duke runs first after a walk and sacrifice fly.

Clemson answered those two runs with two of its own in the bottom half of the frame, with a Grice RBI grounder (after moving to first base in the pitching change) and a Riley Bertram sacrifice fly. A sixth runner of the day was stranded at second base to end the Clemson threat.

Entering the seventh with just two hits, the Tigers took advantage after another fielding error at third base, a Grice single and a Riley Bertram infield single to tie things up, and Nathan Hall stepped to the plate and lined a double past third base to take the lead. Hall totaled his fourth and fifth RBIs of the series with the hit.

All it took was two batters for Duke to tie things back up in the eighth inning, however, with a wild throw from Blake Wright for an error on a groundball preceding a Storm home run to center field.

Down to two outs in the Clemson eighth, freshman center fielder Cam Cannarella laced a double to right-center field, and Tigers catcher Cooper Ingle’s follow-up hit on the ground snuck through the left side of the field to score him for the go-ahead run.

The lead was short-lived again as Duke’s Jay Beshears sent a Billy Barlow ninth-inning offering deep over the left field wall to tie the game back up. Ty Olenchuk, Clemson’s third pitcher for the half-inning, saw Duke’s Chad Knight send a double to left field to give Duke a one-run edge and that ballooned to four with a three-run homer to left from Damon Lux. The middle entry of those Clemson relievers Rocco Reid was charged with the loss (0-1).

In the bottom of the ninth, Grice led off with a double to right field and Wright brought him home with a two-out RBI single to right field, but the attempted rally was cut short after that.

Clemson has lost its last three ACC-opening series.

Clemson returns to action for two midweek games versus Winthrop on Tuesday at home (6 p.m.) Kennesaw State on the road Wednesday (6 p.m.) before staying in the Atlanta area for the Georgia Tech series on the weekend.

"We didn't just get beat this weekend. We kinda gave it to them game one for a lack of execution and game three today," Bertram said. "So it's not like we're going to go into the next week like we got beat at home. We gave it to them. There's a little bit of motivation there to know that when we play well in all facets with offense, defense and pitching, we can put together a good ballgame."

Injury update

Friday starter Ryan Ammons has been out since week three of the season with a forearm strain and Bakich said that they are "weeks, not months" from getting him back. Ammons is starting a throwing regimen on Monday, per Bakich.