CLEMSON, SC - What a series! No.7 Florida State came in undefeated at 19-0, and the Tigers handed them their first 3 losses of the season! The Tigers took the first game of Saturday's doubleheader on a walk-off single by Will Taylor to win 15-5 in 7 innings. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game, but the Noles seized momentum with 8 unanswered runs, taking an 8-1 lead into the 9th. The Tigers could have easily cut their losses and acquiesced to a Sunday rubber match, but when you've won 20 of your last 22 games, you feel like no deficit is too great or too late to overcome! Obertop was hit by a pitch and Taylor was walked to lead off the 9th. I sarcastically said that it was a good way to start a 9th inning rally, but I didn't actually expect the Tigers to pull it off! Hinderleider hit a 3-run homer to make it 8-4, and Blake Wright strolled to the plate with bases loaded, representing the tying run! Wright is the hottest hitter in the country over the last week, having hit a homer in the first game on Saturday and 3 HR's on Wednesday against PC in Greenville. Apparently, that wasn't enough for FSU to intentionally walk in a run and bring the winning run to the plate, but that's exactly what they should have done because Wright hit his second homer of the day, a grand slam to tie the game! With 2 outs, Hinderleider, who already homered in the inning, hit a walk-off single to give the Tigers the dramatic 9-8 win. They went 7 scoreless innings and scored 8 in the 9th for the win!
As if that wasn't thrilling enough, the Tigers had more comeback magic up their sleeves for the Sunday sweep. Trailing 11-2 after 6 innings, the Tigers rallied to win 14-12, making it a series for the ages. What a weekend to be a Tiger! The basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and the baseball team swept No.7 FSU with two enormous comeback wins. The Tigers are now 22-2 and have won 39 of their last 43 games going back to last season! They began ACC play by taking 2 of 3 at No.3 Duke last week and swept No.7 FSU. They also won both games against No.12 South Carolina, including one in Columbia. The Tigers should be ranked No.1 in at least one of the polls for the first time since 2007. They have the best record in the country and the most top 10 wins. Wright is a shoe-in for National Player of the Week and has emerged as a candidate for the Golden Spikes Award along with Cannarella. Wright is now batting .365 with 13 HR's, which is 3rd nationally. He has 8 HR's in the last 8 games and 21 RBI's in the last 5 games!
The Tigers host Coastal Carolina on Tuesday before going back on the road at Miami next weekend. Post-game interviews are below!
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