After a weekend where the bats were hot when it was needed most, the Tuesday evening clash told a different story.
Coastal Carolina (18-7), ranked as high as No. 21 nationally, jumped out to a 6-0 lead, and unlike Clemson’s (23-4) triumphs over Wake Forest, this was a gap too large to erase.
Clemson, ranked as high as No. 3 nationally, didn’t have enough rolling on offense to mount any type of comeback, falling to the Chanticleers 8-2.
This is the first midweek game the Tigers have dropped this season.
LHP Noah Samol (0-1) got the starting nod for Clemson, but trouble quickly followed him as the innings rolled.
One batter was walked, and another singled to the left side, leaving the door open for runs. That door was left wide open as Sebastian Alexander drilled a three-run homer to left center, opening up the scoring for the visiting Chanticleers.
After Chayce Kieck was given the keys to the car, the wheels continued to fall off slowly. He surrendered a three-run homer of his own, extending Coastal’s lead to six.
Clemson’s pitching staff as a whole struggled, surrendering eight runs (all earned) and five walks.
One moment in the fourth certainly encapsulated the kind of day Clemson was having so far. Jacob Jarrellgrounded into what appeared to be a routine catch for an out. However, Walker Mitchell fumbled the catch, which led to Luke Gaffney taking a late approach to second.
Gaffney’s abrupt start, combined with the awkward sequence, turned into a double play that squandered Clemson’s momentum it built, quickly ending the inning shortly after.
Andrew Ciufo cut in Coastal’s sizeable lead with a solo homer at the bottom of the fifth, temporarily reviving the juices of the Doug Kingsmore Stadium crowd.
Clemson’s offense struggled to collect the momentum it needed to mount any serious comeback. The unit was struck out seven times and endured multiple double plays that cut off any growth from inning to inning.