Clemson baseball tops North Carolina to advance to ACC Tournament title game vs. Miami
Clemson advanced to the Sunday’s ACC Baseball Tournament championship game with a 10-4 victory against North Carolina Saturday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina.
The third-seeded Tigers (42-17) will face No. 4 seed Miami (40-18) in the title game (noon, ESPN2). Clemson and Miami did not play during the regular season.
It marked the first time that Clemson has advanced to the ACC Tournament finale since winning its 10th tournament title in 2016.
Saturday’s victory against No. 7 seed North Carolina (35-22) extended Clemson’s winning streak to 15 games, the nation’s longest active streak among Power 5 teams. The Tigers, who closed the regular season with a three-game sweep of the Tar Heels, have won 20 of their last 21 games and 25 of their last 27.
Clemson is expected to receive a national Top 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which means the Tigers also would host a Super Regional if they win their own regional tournament.
The 16 regional sites will be announced Sunday evening and the complete 64-team field will be revealed on Monday (noon, ESPN2).
SEMIFINAL BERTH: How Clemson baseball earned berth in ACC Tournament semifinals against North Carolina
EARLY SETBACK: Oklahoma uses grand slam to blast past Clemson softball in super regional opener
Grice twice as nice for Tigers
Clemson’s Caden Grice showed once again why he may be the best two-way player in college baseball. Grice jump started the Tigers’ offense with a two-run double in the first inning, then controlled the remainder of the game on the mound.
The junior out of Greer’s Riverside High scattered four hits and struck out nine North Carolina batters over seven innings to improved his record this season to 8-1. In Clemson’s 15-game winning streak Grice is 5-0 with a 2.41 ERA while striking out 43 and walking 11.
Billy Amick hits bull, wins steak
Amick blasted a two-run home run in the first inning that struck the large billboard of a bull above the left-field wall. “Hit bull, win steak” the sign reads.
The way Amick has been playing of late, he’s probably worthy of several steak dinners.
So how hot is Amick?
During the Tigers’ current 15-game winning streak, the two-time reigning ACC Player of the Week is batting .443 with 16 runs scored, 32 RBI and six home runs.
Amick received precious little playing time earlier in the season, but has come on strong since entering a March 10 game against Georgia State as a pinch hitter and winning it with a walk-off grand slam.
Amick has been a fixture in the Tigers’ lineup since and looms large as Clemson prepares to enter NCAA Tournament play.
Cooper Ingle leaves game early
Clemson junior right-fielder Cooper Ingle had to leave Saturday’s game early after hitting a ball off his knee. He was replaced in the lineup by Jack Crighton.
Prior to the injury Ingle had three hits in three at-bats, scored twice and drove in a run, so his health will be at least a mild concern, not only for Sunday’s ACC championship game against Miami but also looking ahead to regional play.
Ingle, who has played multiple positions, including catcher, left field, right field and even second base, is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career and is batting .333 with six home runs.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Caden Grice shines on mound as Clemson baseball advances to ACC final
