Tigers Drop Series Finale in 12 to Louisville

Coach Erik Bakich. (Photo By John Meldrum)

The Clemson Tigers faced off against the Louisville Cardinals in the final game of a three-game weekend set, seeking a sweep. Clemson took an early 2-0 lead off a Cam Cannarella home run but allowed Louisville to tie the game at three apiece in the sixth inning after a wild pitch by BJ Bailey. The score remained tied until Collin Mowry’s RBI bloop single gave the Cardinals the lead in the ninth inning, but a Josh Paino leadoff home run in the bottom half of the ninth would tie the game once again. The Cardinals took a lead in the 10th inning, and the Tigers tied it back up at six apiece. But in the 12th, the Cardinals would take the lead for good as Tague Davis’ two-run home run gave Louisville an 8-6 win. Jake Schweitzer picked up the win for Louisville, his second of the season. Justin LeGuernic was tagged with the loss after allowing two runs in the top of the 12th inning.

Cannarella Puts Clemson Up Early

Clemson got off to a hot start in this one, as Cam Cannarella gave the Tigers an early two-run lead. In the top of the first inning, starting pitcher Chance Fitzgerald got into trouble with runners on second and first and no outs. But Fitzgerald battled back, getting the next two batters, and catcher Jacob Jarrell caught Lucas Moore stealing third base to end the inning. In the bottom half of the first, Dominic Listi started the inning off with his 45th walk of the season to bring up Cam Cannarella. The Tigers’ star sent one the other way over the left field wall to give Clemson a 2-0 lead early. The Tigers would threaten to score again later in the frame, but an inning-ending double play by Josh Paino would end the threat.

King Cuts Into the Clemson Lead

Just moments after Cannarella’s two-run bomb, the Cardinals cut the Tigers’ lead down to one. Chance Fitzgerald got out of a jam in the top of the first, but in the second inning, his 1-0 fastball to Eddie King Jr. left the ballpark in a flash. King, a senior from Lynwood, Illinois, cranked one over the left-center field wall to put Louisville on the board and make it a 2-1 ballgame. After the home run, Fitzgerald settled in and retired the next three batters to keep it a one-run game heading into the bottom of the second.

Clemson Strands the Bases Loaded in the Third

Clemson left a runner on third base in the first inning, a runner on second base in the second, and the bases loaded in the third. After starting the inning off with a walk and two singles, the Tigers were primed to score with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning. But three straight strikeouts by Jarrell, Paino, and Gaffney left Clemson without a run after loading the bases with no outs.

Clemson Takes Advantage of Costly Error in the Fifth

The Tigers extended their lead to two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning after an error by the Cardinals’ third baseman. The inning started with a walk to Jarren Purify, his third of the day, and then a walk to Jacob Jarrell put runners on second and first with one out for Josh Paino. The Tigers’ third baseman hit a tailor-made double play to Jake Munroe, but the Cardinals’ third baseman botched it, allowing everyone to be safe and load the bases. Although Clemson was still unable to get a hit with runners in scoring position, Luke Gaffney’s groundout to third base brought home Jarren Purify to make it a 3-1 ballgame heading into the sixth inning.

Louisville Ties the Game

The Cardinals fought back immediately after the Tigers extended their lead to two runs, tying the ballgame at three apiece. The inning started with singles by Zion Rose and Garret Pike to put runners on second and first for the dangerous Jake Munroe. The Cardinals decided to play small ball, as Munroe bunted down the third base line to move the runners over to second and third for Eddie King Jr. An RBI groundout by King and a wild pitch by BJ Bailey knotted the score up at three in the sixth inning.

Louisville Takes the Lead in the Ninth, Paino Ties it Immediately

The Cardinals took their first lead of the game in the top of the ninth inning, putting the Tigers’ backs against the wall. The rally started with no one on and two outs, when Tague Davis slapped a base hit the other way to get the Louisville bats going. Pinch-hitter Bayram Hot followed that up with a single of his own to bring up Collin Mowry with a chance to take the lead. The Cardinals’ catcher did just that, as his bloop single found grass in between Cam Cannarella and Jarren Purify to give Louisville a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Josh Paino wasted no time in the bottom half of the ninth, taking the first pitch he saw over the right-center field wall to tie the game at four apiece and send it into extra innings.

Louisville and Clemson Trade Runs in the 10th

The Cardinals scored two runs in the 10th, which wasn’t enough to win the game, as Clemson came right back with two of their own. The inning started with a one-out walk to Zion Rose and a single by Garret Pike to put runners on second and first for Jake Munroe. The Illinois native walked to load the bases, which led to Erik Bakich bringing in Nathan Dvorsky to get out of the jam. Dvorsky allowed a sacrifice fly to Eddie King Jr. to give Louisville a 5-4 lead, and forced Bakich to make another pitching change by bringing in Noah Samol. The redshirt sophomore allowed an RBI single on the first pitch he threw to make it a 6-4 ballgame, which led to Bakich making his third pitching change of the inning by bringing in Joe Allen. The New Hampshire native was finally able to get out of the inning to bring up the Clemson bats. The offense came alive as an RBI single by Jacob Jarrell and a throwing error by shortstop Tanner Shiver allowed TP Wentworth to score and tie the game at six apiece heading into the 11th inning.

Louisville Wins it in the 12th

The Cardinals took a two-run lead in the 12th inning off the bat of Tague Davis, as the Louisville slugger hit his 15th home run of the year. The inning started with a one-out walk to Eddie King Jr., and Tague Davis followed that walk up with a deep home run over the left-center field wall to put the Cardinals up by two. LeGuernic got the next two batters out, but the damage was already done, as Clemson failed to score in the bottom half of the inning, giving Louisville an 8-6 win.

Takeaways

• Cam Cannarella – The Tigers’ star center fielder showed why he’s one of the best prospects in college baseball in today’s game. Cannarella put Clemson on the board early with his two-run jack over the left field wall in the first inning, but the highlights didn’t stop there. The South Carolina native brought back a home run in the fourth inning that will surely end up on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays of the day. Clemson needs this version of Cannarella to keep showing up as the Tigers’ schedule gets tougher down the stretch.

  
  

• Runners in Scoring Position Troubles – Clemson once again struggled to score with runners in scoring position, going 3-for-22 in today’s game. This performance followed up an 0-for-6 showing with runners in scoring position in Friday night’s game against the Cardinals. The Tigers will need to clean up their problems with runners on base if they want to make their first College World Series appearance since 2010.

  
  

• Up Next – The Clemson Tigers face off against a strong Georgia Bulldogs team at 8:00 PM on Tuesday, April 22, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.