If you're faint of heart, I hope you weren't tuning in to Friday night's regional opener for Clemson baseball against USC Upstate. Fortunately, the Tigers were able to hold on after an upset scare, 7-3.
Upstate took an early 2-0 lead before Cam Cannarella tied things up in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run double and then Collin Priest hit a sac fly later in the inning. That 3-2 lead would hold until the top of the eighth when USC Upstate's Scott Newman took Lucas Mahlstedt deep after he replaced Jacob McGovern who pitched 3.1 scoreless innings.
Fans were clearly up in arms over the pitching change that led to the game-tying home run in the eighth. Mahlstedt settled in and didn't allow another run.
The Tigers then took a huge 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth thanks to freshman TP Wentworth's one-out RBI single into right field.
THE FRESHMAN DELIVERS‼️@TPWentworth grounds one through the right side on an 0-2 pitch to give the Tigers the lead!
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) May 31, 2025
B8 || SCU 3, CU 4
🖥 https://t.co/xGwYVWYTGk pic.twitter.com/2hc5dFu6VK
They would then tack on three more runs to hold on to a comfortable 7-3 lead heading into the ninth thanks to a massive Cannarella two-run homer to center field.
Clemson will now move on to play West Virginia, the No. 2 seed in the region, who just beat Kentucky on Friday afternoon. They'll do battle on Saturday, May 31, at 6 p.m. ET.
Erik Bakich has to feel relieved that the eighth-inning pitching change didn't come back to cost his Tigers. McGovern was cruising and the change led to the game-tying home run. Fortunately, that was all the damage that was done and Clemson clutched up in the bottom of the eighth.
They'll have to be much better on Saturday.