Clemson Shuts Out Georgia for Top 5 Midweek Win

Luke O'Reilly
Apr 22
4 min read

Updated: Apr 30

Baseball player in white "Tigers" jersey pitches a ball in a stadium. Crowd in blurred background. Determined expression, afternoon light. — Talan Bell (Photo Courtesy of Jacob Citron/Clemson Athletics)

The Clemson Tigers faced off against the Georgia Bulldogs in a top five midweek battle, seeking yet another season-defining win. Clemson took an early 2-0 lead in the first two innings off a Collin Priest RBI double and a Dominic Listi RBI triple. Clemson was able to hold onto that lead until the end, winning 3-0. Jacob McGovern picked up the win for Clemson to improve his record to 3-0 on the season. Charlie Goldstein was charged with the loss as he allowed one run in one inning of work. Lucas Mahlstedt earned the save, his 15th of the season, which leads Division I college baseball and ties the Clemson all-time record (Nick Glaser in 2000). Clemson improves to 36-7 on the season, while the Bulldogs drop to 33-10 and extend their losing streak to four.

Strong Start from Clemson

The Tigers got their bats going early in the bottom of the first inning after Talan Bell’s 1-2-3 top half of the first. The inning started with Dominic Listi getting hit by a pitch and letting out a roar of emotion, as always. Cam Cannarella and Jarren Purify followed up the Tigers’ leadoff hitter with a strikeout and lineout, respectively, to bring up the power-hitting Collin Priest. The Florida native came through with an RBI double down the line in right field to score Listi and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Clemson would load the bases later in the inning, but a Josh Paino fielder’s choice would end the inning. Coming into this game, Clemson was 19-2 when scoring in the first inning. In the second inning, the Clemson bats stayed hot as Luke Gaffney’s walk and a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Ciufo put a runner in scoring position with one out for Listi. The Tigers’ on-base machine laced a triple into the left-center field gap to bring home Gaffney and give Clemson a 2-0 lead heading into the third inning.

Talan Bell Delivers

The freshman from Oviedo, Florida, showed up big for the Tigers when they needed him most. In what was the most challenging start of his young career so far, Talan Bell went 3.2 innings of shutout baseball, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out five batters. Bell got two of the best hitters in college baseball, Ryland Zaborowski and Robbie Burnett, to go a combined 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The Tigers’ starter seemingly ran out of gas at the end and was unable to finish the fourth inning, as Jacob McGovern got the final out. But if Bell can be a viable third or fourth option for Clemson come postseason time, watch out for the Tigers.

Clemson Bats Go Silent

After scoring runs in the first two innings of the game, the Clemson offense struggled to get going. From the third inning to the sixth inning, Clemson had just two hits, both of them singles. One of those hits was from Josh Paino, which ended the inning after Collin Priest was thrown out at home plate trying to score from second base. In three of those four innings, the Tigers went down in order, not putting up a fight against a strong Bulldogs pitching staff.

Clemson Extends Lead in the Seventh

The Tigers gave their pitching staff some breathing room with six outs left in the ballgame, as they extended their lead to three. The inning started with a one-out infield single by Andrew Ciufo that the Bulldogs unsuccessfully challenged. After Listi’s fly out, Clemson’s superstar Cam Cannarella stepped up to the dish. The Hartsville native showed why he’s one of the top prospects in the MLB Draft, smoking an RBI double into the left-center field gap to bring home Ciufo and put the Tigers up 3-0 heading into the eighth inning. The score would stay the same until the end as Lucas Mahlstedt shut the door on the Bulldogs’ offense to complete the shutout.

Takeaways

Bell & Bullpen – The Clemson pitching staff was terrific in tonight’s win over a strong Georgia Bulldogs lineup. Talan Bell, Jacob McGovern, TP Wentworth, Reed Garris, and Lucas Mahlstedt did their job and then some, as they held the Bulldogs to no runs, three hits, and three walks while striking out nine batters. There have been concerns about Clemson’s pitching, but with the emergence of Drew Titsworth, BJ Bailey, and now Talan Bell as viable starting pitchers, it seems as though Clemson has enough pitching to get them to Omaha.
The Crowd – The rowdy DKS crowd was infectious tonight as 6,584 fans filed through the gates for this powerhouse matchup. From the first pitch on, Doug Kingsmore Stadium was electric, with fans next to the bullpen going as far as heckling the opposing pitchers while they warmed up. Clemson fans know how loud DKS can get when their team is good, but tonight had a different vibe to it, making this matchup feel like an NCAA tournament game.
Great Clemson Sports Night – Just a few hours before Clemson notched their win over No. 5 Georgia (Perfect Game Poll), the No. 19 Clemson softball team had a program-defining win. John Rittman’s team took down the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in a 4-3 extra-innings win. Both baseball and softball made today a great day to be a Clemson Tiger!