CLEMSON — Aidan Knaak was stellar, and Clemson scored in every inning but one as the No. 4 Tigers rolled to a seven inning 11-1 run-rule win over Stanford on Friday at Doug Kinsmore Stadium. It was the Tigers seventh straight win.
Knaak went six strong, holding the Cardinal to just one run on two hits while striking out six in picking up the win (6-0). Hudson Lee got the final three outs in the seventh to end it.
Cam Cannarella, Collin Priest and Andrew Ciufo each had two hits and Jacob Jarrell homered to lead the Tigers at the plate. Priest and Jarrell each finished with two RBI.
Clemson (32-5, 10-3 ACC) jumped out to an early lead, pushing across two runs in the first. Cannarella ripped a one-double out to right, with Jarren Purify then reaching on a throwing error, putting runners at first and second. Priest would lace a 1-2 pitch back up the middle to plate Cannarella. Priest was then caught stealing on a wild pitch that bounced right back into the catcher’s hands, but Purify was able to advance to third on the play. Another wild pitch would bring Purify home, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Clemson would keep the pressure on in the second. After loading the bases with one out, Dominic Listi would drive in a run on a fielder’s choice, making it 3-0. After Cannarella walked to load the bases again, Purify would strike out, stranding all three runners.
The Tigers would extend their lead in the third. Priest walked to lead off the bottom of the inning. After Luke Gaffney struck out, Jarrell hit a 393-foot two-run homer out to right-center that landed on the roof of the batting cages, putting the Tigers up 5-0. It was Jarrell’s third home run in the past two games and his team-leading eighth of the season.
Stanford (18-13, 5-11 ACC) finally got on the board in the top of the fourth when Tatum Marsh hit a solo shot out to right-center, cutting the lead to 5-1. It was his eighth homer of the season.
The Tigers got that run right back in the bottom half of the inning. Andrew Ciufo led off the frame with a double into left-center. Listi then walked, putting runners at first and second. Cannarella hit into a fielder’s choice, putting runners on the corners with one out. Cannarella was then thrown out attempting to steal second for out number two. The next pitch would go to the backstop, allowing Ciufo to score and giving Clemson a 6-1 advantage.
Clemson pushed across five more runs in the sixth. Cannarella had a two-run double, Purify an RBI single and Priest also had a run-scoring single. Josh Paino was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in the 11th run of the contest.
Knaak Deals
The Clemson ace was in rare form on Friday. Knaak didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, and he only allowed two all night. The sophomore was pretty efficient, only issuing two walks, and both times, there were questionable ball calls in the sequence.
Bats Coming Alive
At times, Clemson hitters have struggled to come up with those clutch hits in recent games, but that was not the case in this one. The Tigers were 6-of-13 with runners on and 4-of-9 with runners in scoring position. The two-out hits were still lacking, though, as the team finished 0-for-6.
Battling at the Plate
Every Clemson hitter reached base at least once. The Tigers totaled 11 base hits and had 10 free 90s. Hitters fouled off 29 pitches, and eight times, batters went to a three-ball count.
Up Next
The same two teams will square off on Saturday in game two of the weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on the ACC Network.