OXFORD, Miss. — Clemson’s top of the batting lineup produced 10 of its 12 hits Friday, while freshman Davis Sharpe came out of the bullpen and went 6 2/3 innings in relief as the No. 3 seed Tigers rolled to an 8-4 victory over No. 2 seed Illinois in Game 1 of the Oxford (Miss.) Regional Friday at Swayze Field in Oxford.

Clemson was led at the plate by catcher Kyle Wilkie’s four hits and three RBIs. First base man Grayson Byrd also drove in three runs and had three hits, including a two-run home run in the top of the third inning.

Lead-off man Michael Green, who also had a home run, had two hits, scored twice and brought one run home, while Logan Davidson had one hit, walked twice and scored three times. Second baseman Jordan Greene also drove in a run for the Tigers.

“Michael Green has been on fire,” Clemson head coach Monte Lee said. “He has been such a huge addition to our team here in the last ten or twelve games he has been back in our lineup. He has been swinging the bat exceptionally well. He scored three runs today.

“Logan scored three runs again today. Byrdie has been in my opinion the best hitter in the country over the last fifteen games. He hits lefties, he hits righties. He hits a big home run with two strikes early in the game and had another big two-strike hit later in the game. Wilkie had four hits today and drove in three. So, when you get that type of production from one through four in your lineup, you are going to score runs.”

On the mound, Sharpe was brilliant in relief. The righty gave up just one run on three hits, while striking out four and walking one. He also hit one batter.

“Davis Sharpe was outstanding for us out of the bullpen,” Lee said. “We had to go to him early, maybe a little earlier than we would have liked to, but we felt like at that time, and at that point in the game, it was the right time to go to him.”

With the win, Sharpe improved to 7-4 on the season.

Clemson (35-24) took the lead for good in the top of the third inning, when Green led things off with a solo home run to left centerfield that tied the game at two. It was Green’s third home run of the season, and just the fourth all year allowed by Illinois starter Ty Weber.

Byrd then put the Tigers back on top with a two-run shot to right field. With Davidson on first, after drawing a walk, Byrd took Weber’s offering down the line to deep right field to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

The ball barely stayed fair as it went just to the left of the foul pole.

Weber allowed just three home runs all season, but he allowed two in the inning. Clemson ran the junior off after four innings of work. Weber had an ERA of 2.97 coming into the regional, but he gave up four runs off six hits against Clemson.

The Tigers scored the game’s first run when Wilkie drove a 1-2 pitch into centerfield with two outs to score Davidson in the top of the first inning. The base hit gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at the time.

Davidson got a one-out double off the wall in left centerfield to start the first-inning rally.

Illinois ran off Clemson starter Jacob Hennessy in just 2 1/3 innings of work. The lefty was ineffective, allowing three runs off six hits.

“Illinois did an outstanding job of squaring up Hennessy,” Lee said.

The Illini tied the game in the top of the first with one run and then took the lead in the second inning, 2-1, when Branden Comia singled to left field with two outs to score Jack Yalowitz.

After Clemson took its 4-2 lead on Green’s and Byrd’s home runs in the top of third inning, Cam McDonald singled through the right side with one out, to score Zac Taylor to cut the lead to one.

Illinois (36-20) did very little after Sharpe came in following McDonald’s hit with one out in the third. After inheriting runners on first and second, still with one out, the freshman got Grant Van Scoy to fly out to right and then Casey Dodge to hit into a fielder’s choice at second to end the inning.

Sharpe cruised through the fourth and the fifth innings before the Illini loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning and the Tigers still holding a 4-3 lead. But Michael Massey grounded into a double play at second, where Greene made a great play to keep the tying run from scoring.

Greene, going to his right snagged the ground ball and tossed it to shortstop Logan Davidson at second who completed the double play to end the inning.

Carrying that momentum into the seventh inning, Clemson put the game away with three runs on three hits. With no outs, Wilkie singled to right field to score Green and Davidson for a 6-3 lead.

Clemson added another run later in the inning after Greene battled for a fielder’s choice to short, which allowed Byrd to score the Tigers’ seventh run of the game.

Clemson advances to the winner’s bracket game where it will play the winner of Game 2 in the Oxford Regional between host Ole Miss and No. 4 seed Jacksonville State Saturday at 7 p.m.