Clemson rallies from 6-0 deficit for walk-off win over Louisville
Jimmy Obertop hit a game-tying three-run home run in the eighth inning and drew a bases-loaded walk off Tucker Biven in the ninth to give Clemson an 8-7 comeback victory over Louisville in both teams’ final game at the ACC Baseball Tournament Friday at Truist Field in Charlotte.
The Tigers (41-14 overall) now wait to learn which teams they’ll host in the four-team, double-elimination Clemson Regional to begin the NCAA Tournament. The final field of 64 will be unveiled beginning at noon EDT Monday on ESPN2. Clemson is a projected No. 6 national seed by both D1Baseball and Baseball America.
Friday’s win may have secured that projection. The Tigers rallied from a 6-0 deficit against Louisville starter Sebastian Gongora to earn their 24th come-from-behind victory of the season.
The Cardinals (32-24) jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead off Clemson starter Rocco Reid, who lasted only 1 2/3 innings. Reid served up a solo home run to JT Benson leading off the game before allowing a two-run shot to Luke Napleton and an RBI double to Dylan Hoy in the second inning.
The Tigers didn’t get on the board until the fourth inning when Tristan Bissetta, who just missed a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of Thursday’s loss to Miami, singled to score Cam Cannarella.
Louisville held a 6-1 lead until the bottom of the sixth. With Gongora laboring at 94 pitches, Bissetta stayed hot with a two-out RBI triple just past the reach of a diving Eddie King Jr. in right-center that cut the deficit to 6-2.
After Gongora departed, Jacob Jarrell gave the Tigers a jolt with a no-doubt two-run homer to left off Evan Webster that made it 6-4 and capped a three-run inning. It was Jarrell’s sixth home run of the season.
Louisville tacked on an unearned run in the seventh inning before the Tigers tied it in the eighth. After Blake Wright singled and Cannarella walked, Obertop sent the first pitch he saw from right-hander Tucker Biven over the wall in left for his 19th home run of the season, tying the game at 7-7.
Clemson’s Austin Gordon worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning on just six pitches.
Jacob Hinderleider, Wright and Cannarella all singled with one away in the bottom of the ninth to put the winning run at third. Obertop’s game-winning walk off Biven came on four pitches that weren’t close.
Gordon (2-2) earned the win with Biven (4-3) suffering the loss. Gordon, Jacob McGovern and Drew Titsworth combined to hold the Cardinals to just one run over the final five innings.
Clemson outhit Louisville, 14-8. In addition to Obertop’s 2-for-4, four-RBI day, the Tigers got three hits from Cannarella, who went 3-for-3 with two walks to reach base all five times he batted. Bissetta (3-4) added three hits as well with Wright (2-5) notching two hits.
