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CLEMSON, S.C. – Will Taylor became the 16th Tiger in history to hit three home runs in a game to lead No. 10 Clemson to a 12-6 victory over USC Upstate at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Tuesday. The Tigers, who took a 1-0 lead in the season series, improved to 7-1, while the Spartans fell to 4-4. The two teams square off next at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. on April 2.
Blake Wright lined a two-run homer, his second of the year, in the first inning. The Spartans answered with a run in the top of the second inning, then Taylor led off the bottom of the second inning with his first home run of the season. After USC Upstate responded again with a run in the third inning and took the lead in the top of the fourth inning on Daniel Gernon’s two-run homer, Taylor led off the bottom of the fourth inning with his second homer of the game to tie the score 4-4.
Daniel Sullivan lined a solo homer as a part of USC Upstate’s two-run top of the fifth inning, then Jimmy Obertop crushed a two-run homer, his second of the year, in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the score 6-6. For the third time, Taylor led off an inning with a homer, this time in the sixth inning to give Clemson the lead and to tie a school record for long balls in a contest. He became the first Tiger since Caden Grice against Louisville on April 20, 2021 to hit three long balls in a game.
In the seventh inning, the Tigers tacked on four runs, highlighted by Andrew Ciufo’s two-out, run-scoring double and Jacob Hinderleider’s two-run triple. Taylor, who scored four runs in the game, was intentionally walked prior to Hinderleider’s triple. Nolan Nawrocki added a run-scoring single in the eighth inning.
Ethan Darden (2-0) earned the win in relief, while Trent Hodgdon (0-1) suffered the loss.
The Tigers travel to Columbia, S.C. to take on No. 12 South Carolina at Founders Park on Friday at 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Photos By Jada Allred
