ATHENS — An early score and steady pitching lifted the fourth-ranked Clemson Tigers past the Georgia Bulldogs 4-0 Tuesday night in front of a season-high 3,302 fans at Foley Field.
Clemson’s Chris Williams hit a two-out, two-run home run over the left-field wall to give the Tigers an early 2-0 lead. The advantage proved to be enough, as the Bulldogs bats couldn’t manufacture a run on four hits.
The Georgia (13-17) pitching staff limited Clemson, who average 6.3 runs per game, to four runs on five hits. After the Tigers’ first inning strike, the Bulldogs’ threw seven consecutive scoreless innings until Clemson scored two insurance runs in the ninth.
Tigers’ starter Tyler Jackson (5-1) allowed four hits and notched five strikeouts over 7.2 scoreless innings for the Tigers (25-5) to earn the win. Georgia’s starter Ryan Avidano (2-1) did not surrender a hit after the first-inning home run and pitched until the end of the third but received the loss.
Georgia relievers Christian Ryder, Blakely Brown and Kevin Smith combined to toss five innings of shutout ball.
In the fifth inning, the Tigers had two runners in scoring position with two outs, but Brown got Williams swinging to end the threat. Brown, a sophomore right-hander, had his best outing of the season, going 2.2 innings with three strikeouts while yielding no hits.
Clemson’s insurance runs in the final inning came by way of a sacrifice fly and a Georgia error.
Dawg Tracks
*Will Campbell (1-for-3) hit his fifth double of the year.
*In the top of the sixth with two outs, Blakley Brown picked off K.J. Bryant at first base for the team’s eighth pickoff of the year. It was Brown’s first of the season.
*LJ Talley (1-for-3) hit a pinch-hit double in the eighth, which marked his fourth two-bagger on the season.
*Christian Ryder and Kevin Smith logged 1.1 and 1.0 scoreless innings pitched, respectively.
Coach’s Corner: Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach
"I thought the pitching was outstanding tonight. Everyone did their jobs and we gave them three unearned runs. You are not going to beat a good team when you do that. We did not play well defensively and we made two huge mistakes to give them their three runs. We couldn't do anything offensively. Their pitcher did a great job but our approach was very poor tonight. The bottom line is the pitchers did their job tonight."
On moving forward…
"We have to workout tomorrow and make an adjustment offensively. We have to get ready for a first round pick on the mound Thursday. Missouri is very good on the mound so we are going to have to be much better offensively in order to win the series.”
