CLEMSON- The Tigers plated two runs in the decisive seventh inning, as Clemson beat Notre Dame 6-4 on Sunday to clinch its second consecutive ACC series.
Cooper Ingle, Riley Bertram. Billy Amick and Will Taylor all had multi-hit days, as the Tigers totaled 11 base hits, with five of those going for extra bases.
"Great series win," head coach Erik Bakich said. "Thought it would come down to some toughness plays today. That's a very good opponent. You can see why they found their way to the World Series last year."
Notre Dame struck first, plating a run in the top of the first but the Tigers would tie it right back up in the bottom half of the inning with a run of their own on an RBI single by Taylor.
After the Irish added an unearned run in the second, Tristan Bissetta and Cam Cannarella both drove in runs in the bottom half of the inning to give Clemson its first lead of the day at 3-2.
After Clemson pitchers hit three consecutive batters in the fifth to load the bases, Notre Dame executed a safety squeeze to tie things up at 3-3. In the bottom half of the inning, the Tigers would go right back on top thanks to a sacrifice fly by Caden Grice, his 29th run driven in this season.
The Irish would tie it up again in the seventh. After the first two runners reached, Nick Clayton came on in relief. A bunt would move the runners over to second and third with one out. Clayton would then strike out Casey Kmet for out number two. However, he would uncork a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score. Clayton would strike out Estevan Moreno swinging to end the inning, allowing no further damage.
"We pitched out of some jams," Bakich said. "Obviously, Nick Clayton coming in after the first two runners got on in that inning and doing what he did. Facing ten hitters and really minimizing. He's been super effective this year."
Clemson would grab the lead for good in the seventh. Amick and Bertram both drove in runs with two out doubles, putting the Tigers up 6-4.
Clemson has now won six of eight and moves to 22-15 and 6-9 in ACC play, while Notre Dame drops to 18-15 overall and 8-10 in the league.
Player of the Game: Amick continues to stay hot at the plate. He finished 3-for-4 on the day, with one RBI, two doubles and two runs scored. He now has 16 RBI on the season and is hitting .379.
Honorable mention for Clayton, who turned in another superb performance in relief. The right-hander pitched the final three innings without allowing a run, lowering his ERA to 1.59 this season. Clayton moves to 3-0 and has not allowed a run in his last 7.1 innings pitched going back to the Florida State series.
Key Moment: With the game tied at 4-4, Will Taylor led off the Clemson seventh with a single, then moved to second on a wild pitch. After Caden Grice and Blake Wright both struck out, Amick came to the plate. Another wild pitch allowed Taylor to move to third. Amick then laced a 2-2 pitch to right-center for an RBI double, putting the Tigers on top for good. Bertram would then drive in Amick with an RBI double to right-center.
Stat of the Game: Clemson pitchers combined to strike out 11 Notre Dame hitters. Starter Caden Grice struck out six, Tristan Smith struck out two and Clayton tallied three.
Up Next: Clemson will host Georgia on Tuesday night after the Tigers knocked off the Bulldogs 8-1 in midweek action last week. It will be Military Appreciation Day with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on ACCNX.
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