Andrew Ciufo’s walk-off home run in the 12th inning lifted No. 10 Clemson past No. 12 South Carolina in a thrilling 5-4 victory Saturday at Segra Park in Columbia.
Ciufo’s home run capped off a terrific afternoon for the talented junior, who finished with three hits and made several key defensive plays at shortstop.
His game-winning homer off Garrett Gainey (0-1) came after the Gamecocks had used a three-run ninth inning rally to erase a 4-1 Clemson lead and send the game into extra innings.
Matthew Marchal (2-0) earned the win in relief with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball.
Clemson used five pitchers in Saturday’s marathon, which lasted over 3 hours, 30 minutes.
Until the ninth, things had been going Clemson’s way. The Tigers drew first blood in the fourth inning when Cam Cannarella (2-for-5) hit a clutch, two-out double over the head of Kennedy Jones in left to give Clemson a 2-0 lead.
South Carolina got on the board a half-inning later when Will Tippett (2-for-5) crushed a solo home run to left off Tigers starter Tristan Smith to cut the lead to 2-1.
In the eighth, Jacob Hinderleider (2-for-4) sent a laser out of the park and onto the concourse area behind left field to give the Tigers a 4-1 lead with three outs to go.
Then, the trouble started.
Ethan Darden, who had tossed three scoreless innings in relief entering the ninth, ran into trouble when he allowed a leadoff double to Tippett.
Lucas Mahlstedt took over from Darden and yielded a run-scoring triple from pinch-hitter Blake Jackson. Alden Mathes seemed to be within reach of the ball but his glove simply never found it. The play was nevertheless ruled a triple.
The damaging blow came two batters later when Ethan Petry sent a game-tying two-run home run out to right field — a stunning turnaround after Clemson pitching had held South Carolina to just six hits entering the inning.
Neither team scored again until Ciufo’s walk-off homer on a 2-0 pitch three innings later.
Smith made his third straight Saturday start and struck out a career-high nine batters in five innings in a no-decision. The left-hander surrendered one run on three hits and a walk.
Ciufo made a fantastic stop in the sixth inning when he robbed Parker Noland of a would-be game-tying hit. He made a diving play in the hole at short, then fired to first to get Clemson out of the jam.
Ciufo made another terrific play for the final out in the seventh after the Tigers had left the bases loaded in the sixth inning.
The series shifts to Doug Kingsmore Stadium Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
