Clemson Downs Paladins 5-4

CLEMSON, S.C. – Chase Pinder was hit by a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the ninth inning to score Tyler Slaton for the walkoff run in Clemson’s 5-4 victory over Furman at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Tuesday night. The Tigers improved to 14-13, while the Paladins fell to 12-15. The two teams play again at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. on May 12.

The Paladins scored an unearned run in the top of the fourth inning, but the Tigers responded to take the lead on Chris Okey’s three-run homer to left-center, his fourth long ball of the year, in the bottom of the fourth inning. Trailing 4-1, Furman scored three runs in the seventh inning to tie the score before the Tigers’ ninth-inning run. Tyler Krieger went 4-for-4 with a double and walk to pace Clemson.

“It was crazy game,” said Head Coach Jack Leggett. “I thought Clate Schmidt did a nice job for five or six innings for us. Leaving it tied gave us a breath of fresh air to come back.

“Taylor Vetzel was outstanding in relief. He came in in a really huge situation and got a couple of strikeouts. We got some big hits at the end there, and I thought we played really well.

“Furman is a good team. They have been playing well and put some good hitters in the lineup. It was a good challenge for Clate and Vetzel.”

Vetzel (1-0) earned his first win as a Tiger by pitching the final 2.2 innings, allowing just two hits, no runs and no walks with four strikeouts. Elliott Warford (3-1) suffered the loss.

Clemson hosts Presbyterian College on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. It’s BOGO Wednesday, as fans can purchase one adult-seat ticket and receive an additional reserved-seat ticket free of charge.

[View the story “Furman at Clemson (March 31, 2015)” on Storify]