Fairey's Walk-Off Lifts Tigers Over Winthrop In Extra Innings
Clemson avoided a second consecutive Wednesday loss with a late rally against Winthrop.
The Tigers struggled defensively in the eighth inning and at the plate for most of the night, but they tied the game in the ninth and got a walk-off RBI from Chad Fairey in the bottom of the 11th to edge the Eagles 3-2 on Wednesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
No. 19 Clemson improved to 14-3 and ran its winning streak to five games while the Eagles (11-3) lost for just the third time this season.
Elijah Henderson led off the bottom of the 11th with a double and advanced to third on an infield single by Kier Meredith. After Winthrop loaded up the bases with a walk, Davis Sharpe struck out, but Fairey came through with a two-out hit over the right fielder's head to plate Henderson for the win.
The Tigers' pitching staff gave up just five hits, and the offense found a way to come up with 10, even though the bats were cold compared to Tuesday's 12-run explosion.
Clemson got on the board first with an RBI single by James Parker in the second inning that plated Bryar Hawkins, but Winthrop would tie the game in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Luke Hannum.
The Eagles took the lead in the eighth without the benefit of a hit. Clemson walked two batters and committed a pair of errors, including a muffed throw that allowed Tyler Baker to score the go-ahead run.
Clemson answered in the ninth when Hawkins reached on a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Sam Hall, who went to second on a wild pitch and scored from there with one out after an error at shortstop.
Nick Hoffman (2-1) recorded the win after pitching a perfect 11th inning. Garrett Gainey (1-1) gave up the run in the 11th to get the loss for the Eagles.
Player of the game: Clemson pitcher Keyshawn Askew was solid in his first start of 2020. He gave up just one run (earned) on five hits through 4.2 innings and struck out three batters with two walks allowed.
Coach's decision: Monte Lee, who brought Carson Spiers in to get one out in the ninth, let his stud closer work the 10th inning of a midweek game. It paid off as Spiers set the Eagles down in order in the top half with two strikeouts and a fly out to right field.
Stat of the game: Clemson went 2-for-11 in advancement opportunities in the first eight innings, but the Tigers were 4-for-6 in those situations the rest of the game.
Up next: Clemson begins a seven-game road trip with the first of a three-game ACC series at Wake Forest on Friday at 6 p.m.