Clemson baseball flipped the game in a big way on Sunday, riding a five-run sixth inning and steady bullpen work to a 12-5 victory over Stanford at Sunken Diamond. The win secured the Tigers’ first ACC series triumph of the season and pushed them to 21-12 overall, including a 4-8 mark in conference play.
The turning point came in the middle innings, but Clemson needed a lift on the mound first. Freshman Dylan Harrison delivered exactly that. Entering with two outs in the fifth and Clemson trailing, Harrison shut down Stanford across 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two to earn his second win of the year. Danny Nelson handled the final 1.2 innings to close things out.
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At the plate, Clemson produced its most complete offensive showing of the season with 18 hits. Jack Crighton and Nate Savoie each recorded three hits, while Jackson Moore, Bryce Clavon, Jacob Jarrell, and Jason Fultz added two apiece. Savoie drove in three runs, and Crighton finished with a homer and two RBIs. Clavon also left the yard as part of the balanced attack.
Stanford struck first behind Teddy Tokheim’s solo homer in the opening inning, then added another run in the third on a passed ball. Clemson responded in the fourth, beginning with Crighton’s first home run of the season. Later in the inning, Fultz came through with a two-out RBI single to even the score.
The Cardinal answered right back. Eric Jeon’s long ball to start the bottom of the fourth gave Stanford the lead again, and a sacrifice fly extended the advantage to 4-2. Clemson chipped away in the fifth when Clavon launched a solo shot, and Savoie followed with a clutch two-out hit to tie it at 4-4. Stanford briefly regained control in the bottom half with a two-out RBI double, making it 5-4.
That set the stage for Clemson’s decisive sixth inning.
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After a leadoff walk and an infield single, Clavon lined a ball into the outfield that turned into two runs thanks to a defensive misplay, giving Clemson its first lead. The Tigers kept pressing. Crighton added an RBI single, Luke Gaffney delivered a run-scoring double, and Savoie brought another run home on a groundout as the lead grew to 9-5.
Clemson wasn’t done. In the eighth inning, Savoie, Jarrell, and Tyler Lichtenberger delivered three straight RBI doubles to stretch the margin to seven.
Beyond the offense, Clemson showed improvement defensively, finishing the game without an error and committing just one over its last four contests.
Ty Dalley, who had been productive in recent games, did not start, with Jackson Moore stepping in as the designated hitter and Crighton shifting to right field.
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Stanford, meanwhile, continued to cycle through arms, using eight pitchers in the finale after similarly heavy usage earlier in the series.
Clemson now turns its attention to the final stop of its west coast trip, facing Santa Clara on Monday night with first pitch set for 9 p.m. Eastern.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson baseball beats Stanford Cardinal for needed ACC series win
