With the bases loaded, two outs and clinging to a one-run lead in the top of the 10 inning, Caden Grice delivered in the clutch for Clemson in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.
The freshman hit a bases-clearing double off the wall in center field, bringing home Elijah Henderson, Kier Meredith and Alex Urban as the Tigers scored six runs in the 10th inning for a 9-3 victory over Boston College at Harrington Athletics Village in Brighton, Mass.
The victory was Clemson’s sixth in its last seven games as it improved to 11-9 overall and 5-6 in the ACC. The Tigers also clinched the series thanks to Askew’s performance. Clemson won 16-12 on Friday.
BC fell to 12-9 overall and 3-8 in conference play. The second game of the doubleheader, the final one in the three-game series, was immediately played after the first game on Saturday.
Urban, who hit a walk-off home run against Georgia Southern this past Tuesday, actually hit the game winner, when he lined one-out ball off BC first baseman Jack Cunningham, which scored Bryce Teodosio from third base.
Teodosio led off the 10th inning with a single to left field and then with one out, Henderson was hit by a pitch and Meredith walked to load the bases.
After Urban brought home Teodosio, Grice took Joey Ryan’s 2-2 offering to right center field where the ball bounced off the wall, allowing all three base runners to score.
Clemson then extended the lead to 9-3 when Adam Hackenberg doubled to left center to score Grice and French singled to left field to score Hackenberg.
Nick Clayton, who came on with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, earned the win on the mound by pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings of baseball.
With several of its arms not available for some reason or another, Clemson was going to need a good-and-long outing from starter Keyshawn Askew in the first game.
The junior delivered.
Askew became the first Clemson starter this season to make it past the fifth inning, as he pitched well into the seventh inning. The lefty allowed two runs, while scattering nine hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. He struck out eight batters and walked none.
Geoffrey Gilbert came on with two outs in the seventh inning, but unfortunately for Askew he could not hold onto the lead as the Eagles picked up a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game at 3-3.
A passed ball with one out allowed the tying run to move to third base, which the Eagles sacrificed home to tie the game a few moments later.
Askew got run support from Parker, who drove in two runs, including a solo home run down the leftfield line to lead off the top of the fourth inning. He also got an RBI single up the middle with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to add to his total.
Parker’s RBI scored Meredith who had a two-out triple to keep the inning alive. Meredith’s run gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead. Parker was 3-for-5 overall.
Henderson scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning that gave Clemson a 2-0 lead at the time. Henderson went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double.
Askew’s performance was big as pitchers Mat Clark, Davis Sharpe, Carter Raffield and Mack Anglin are unavailable this weekend.
Clemson finished the game with 15 hits.
—photo courtesy of Clemson Athletics Communications
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