The Clemson Insider takes a look back at No. 10 Clemson’s 5-1 loss to No. 11 Louisville in game two of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium. 

What happened? 

The Cardinals (18-6, 4-5 ACC) jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead with a single run in the second on three hits and a run-scoring fielder’s choice. Louisville added two runs to their lead in the fourth and then another run in the fifth to make it 4-0. TheTigers (18-6, 5-4 ACC) avoided the shutout with a run in the seventh as Drew Wharton hit a two-out double and came in to score on a RBI single from Jordan Greene. The Cardinals would add a run in the eighth as they salvaged the series finale with a 5-1 win. 

Game-Changing Moment: 

The game changed in the fourth inning. Already leading 1-0, Louisville would add two two-out insurance runs on back-to-back hits from the seventh and eight batters in the order to give their pitching staff all the runs they would need. 

What went right?

Not much went right for Clemson in game three of the series. Four different players (Seth Beer, Drew Wharton, Jordan Greene, and Bryce Teodosio) accounted for the Tigers four hits while Wharton scored the only run and Greene drove him in. Spencer Strider had a nice relief outing, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with two hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. Defensively, Clemson again played a clean game and did not commit an error.

What went wrong?

The Tigers offense continued to struggle to put together quality at-bats and multi-hit innings as they only had four hits in the game while drawing just a single walk to 11 strikeouts. Starter Jake Higginbotham had a rough start, allowing four runs on nine hits with only a single strikeout in 4.2 innings in taking his first loss of the season.