CLEMSON, SC - After starter Mack Anglin dominated the Hoosiers in 5 hitless innings on Friday, things did not go so well for Nick Clayton on Saturday. He gave up a HR on the first pitch of the game to a guy who hadn't hit a HR since 2019 and then gave up another solo HR with 2 outs in the 1st. He then gave up back-to-back doubles to start the 2nd inning, and Indiana jumped out to a 4-0 lead. After Clayton issued a walk, Monte had seen enough, and he brought in true freshman Casey Tallent from the pen. If Tallent was nervous making his Clemson debut, he sure didn't show it. He pitched 2.1 hitless innings, and Geoffrey Gilbert followed with 2 scoreless innings and 4 K's. Meanwhile, the offense enjoyed a walk-a-thon by the Hoosiers and would score a whopping 19 unanswered runs. The Tigers scored in each of the last 6 innings of the game, loading the bases and walking in at least one run in each of the last 4 innings. In all, the Tigers finished with 13 hits, 16 walks and 6 hit batters in their 19-4 win. Sophomore Max Wagner pinch-hit for the Tigers' only HR, walking twice with 2 RBI's. Ingle was 2-3, reaching base 5 times with 3 RBI's. His batting average is .571 over the first two games. Hawkins rebounded from his 5 K's in the opener, reaching base 4 times with 2 RBI's.
The Tigers have outscored the Hoosiers 28-4 in their first two games. It's hard to find any blemishes in that, but if you were going to search for one, it would be that the Tigers struck out 17 times on Friday and 16 times on Saturday. However, Monte cleared his bench on Saturday and played a bunch of freshmen to give them their first taste of game experience, which will serve them well. They also walked 16 times on Saturday, which would indicate a good knowledge of the strike zone and patience at the plate.
The Tigers will go for the sweep on Sunday at 1:00 with Nick Hoffmann on the mound. Post-game interviews are below!
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