No. 13 Florida defeated No. 3 Clemson 10-7 in the Clemson Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Gators took a 1-0 lead in the series, improving their record to 33-28, while the Tigers fell to 44-15. This marked their first meeting since 1983 and their first at Clemson since 1930.
The game began with the Tigers taking an early lead. Jack Crighton’s wild pitch and a bases-loaded walk scored two runs with two outs in the first inning. Jarren Purify kept the momentum going with a leadoff triple in the second, crossing the plate on another wild pitch.
Ashton Wilson’s sacrifice fly in the top of the third to put Florida on the board.
Then Jimmy Obertop’s 21st homer of the season gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the third.
Florida’s Tyler Shelnut answered with a solo homer in the fourth.
The fifth inning turned the tide for Florida. The Gators erupted with seven runs on four hits, seizing a 9-4 advantage. Jac Caglianone’s three-run homer was pivotal, putting Florida ahead. Luke Heyman followed with a run-scoring single, and Michael Robertson capped the inning with a crucial two-out, run-scoring single.
Clemson attempted a comeback in the bottom of the fifth with Tristan Bissetta’s towering solo homer, his seventh of the year. The sixth inning saw Jacob Hinderleider’s sacrifice fly and Blake Wright’s groundout bringing in another run. Heyman added a solo homer for Florida in the ninth, securing the victory.
Fisher Jameson (5-0) claimed the win in relief, pitching 4.0 innings, while Brandon Neely also pitched 4.0 innings to notch his fourth save of the year. Clemson’s starter Tristan Smith (2-1) took the loss, surrendering five hits, five runs, and three walks with four strikeouts over 4.0 innings.
The series continues with Game 2 of the Clemson Super Regional on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
