Clemson lost its eighth straight game on Tuesday night, its longest skid since dropping 11-straight in 2008. The Tigers fell 8-6 to Winthrop in Doug Kingsmore Stadium for their fourth straight home loss.

The game was a back and forth affair with neither team maintaining a lead for very long but when the dust settled the Eagles came out on top.

The losing pitcher for the Tigers was Owen Griffith who pitched just .1 innings in the top of the seventh and allowed two runs on one hit after walking two and hitting a batter. The winning pitcher for Winthrop was Dalton Whitaker who pitched 2.2 innings allowing no runs on just one hit with two strikeouts and four walks.

Clemson head coach Monte Lee was disappointed with the pitching on Tuesday night and in the midst of the losing streak. Tiger pitchers surrendered three walks and hit a batter while giving up 11 hits.

“Our pitching hurt us, in the seventh we had three free nineties. We only had one walk to that point but if you have multiple free nineties in an inning you will give up runs,” Lee said. “The first and the seventh got us with our pitching giving up five runs,” he said.

Lee said that despite the skid morale in the dugout has remained in good spirits even as the team is frustrated with the results recently.

“The morale is pretty good, they’re frustrated but the energy in the dugout tonight was outstanding,” Lee said. “They really pulled for each other and guys are certainly engaged in the dugout trying to fight for each other,” he said.

Winthrop started hot with three runs in the top of the first loading up the bases with one out with a pair of singles and a walk by Keyshawn Askew. Tyler English delivered for the Eagles with a base-clearing double to right field giving his team a 4-0 lead.

Clemson was quick to respond in the bottom half and claim its first lead of the game. The first run was an RBI single by Grayson Byrd that scored Logan Davidson before Byrd came plateward on a groundout by Bo Majowski to cut the deficit in half.

Then James Parker laced a two-run single to right field that scored Kyle Wilkie and Davis Sharpe to tie the game at four. The Tigers moved ahead on a delayed steal by Justin Hawkins before Parker was thrown out at second base to give them a 5-3 lead after one inning.

In the top of the third Winthrop trimmed the Clemson lead to 5-4 with a two-out RBI single by English that scored Alex Raines before English was gunned down at second by Byrd after trying to stretch the hit into a double.

Winthrop’s Spencer Yankle evened the score on Luke Sommerfield’s first pitch of the sixth inning with a solo home run to left field that tied the game 5-5.

In the bottom of the sixth the Tigers moved back in front after Justin Hawkins led off with a single and Adam Hackenburg drove him in with a one out double to reclaim a 6-5 lead over Winthrop.

The Eagles stormed back with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh after Owen Griffith walked two batters and hit Scout McFalls before Raines hit a two-run single to left center with one out scoring two runs and moving them back in front 7-6.

Winthrop added to their lead in the top of the eighth when Jake Sulliven added a two out RBI single that scored English and put it up 8-6.

Lee wants the Tigers to be better on the mound moving forward particularly at the beginning of games.

“We just have to be a little bit better on the mound, over the last few games we’ve been giving up runs while we’ve scored,” Lee said. “Somebody has to step up and give us five or six innings at the start of a game,” he said.

Lee and pitching coach Andrew See have yet to announce a starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game. Clemson looks to end the losing streak Wednesday against Tennessee Tech at 6 p.m. in Doug Kingsmore Stadium.