Clemson eliminates Georgia Tech at ACC tournament

Tech now stands at 40-17 after going 1-1 this week. It will find out at noon Monday out its NCAA Tournament destination and opponent. Clemson advanced to the title game to play either Florida State or North Carolina at noon Sunday.

The Tigers used just three arms to quiet Tech bats, holding Hall’s team to seven hits. The Jackets left six men on base, hit into two double plays and were 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Clemson’s two relievers combined to throw 5 1/3 scoreless innings.

“I think obviously in the beginning we had a good approach off the (Clemson) starter. Didn’t knock him out too early, but first inning was good. We hit balls hard. They made pitches, we couldn’t capitalize on the mispitches that they made,” Tech first baseman Kent Schmidt said. “They made their pitches in the right scenarios, they made some good plays on defense, we couldn’t capitalize on their mistakes. It’s definitely something that we’re gonna get better at, no doubt about it. Props to them, they made the pitches, they made the plays when they needed to.”

In Tech’s bottom of the first Saturday, after a walk and fielder’s choice, Kyle Lodise ripped a single to left field. Alex Hernandez came up and rolled a double play ball to short, but Jarren Purify threw the ball into left field. Schmidt scored on the ball before Lodise was thrown out at home.

With Hernandez on second, Vahn Lackey served a soft single into right giving the Jackets a 2-0 lead. In the second, Drew Rogers belted a solo home run to left center putting Tech up 3-0.

That would be the last bit of momentum the Jackets would have.

Andrew Ciufo led off Clemson’s third with a double over the head of Drew Burress in centerfield. He moved to third on a grounder to second and scored on Purify’s single to the left of second.

Purify stole second and, with two outs, Josh Paino walked and Dominic Listi took a pitch on the backside. That brought up Jarrell who crushed a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left for a grand slam giving the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

Jones (7-3) was charged five earned runs over three innings. He allowed just three hits and struck out five but walked two and hit three batters. The five-earned runs for Jones tied a season high (April 19 at Miami).

“Yeah, he was kind of all over the place,” Hall said. “Like I said, though, if we tag (Purify) out at second (on the stolen base), none of that — they don’t get a five-run inning there. They get one run and it’s probably a totally different ballgame moving forward. But we didn’t and to their credit they took advantage of the mistake. But (Jones) just had a hard time throwing the ball where he wanted it to go. He’s been great for us (this season).”

Will Baker got Tech a run back with a two-out knock down the line in right making it 5-4 in the fourth.

Ciufo led off Clemson’s seventh with a double into the left field corner and scored on Cam Cannarella’s line drive single to center. After a strikeout and intentional walk, Josh Paino hit a grounder to short that could have been a double play, but Baker’s throw from second to first sailed wide and allowed Cannarella to score putting the Tigers up 7-4.

The Tigers (44-15), who beat Tech three out of four times this season, added some insurance with a two-out RBI double by TP Wentworth off Tech reliever Riley Stanford in the eighth. Collin Priest provided an exclamation point with a solo home run in the ninth of Tech’s Jaylen Paden.

Clemson starter Talan Bell, a freshman, went 3 2/3 innings and was charged three earned runs on four hits. Tigers reliever Joe Allen threw 1 1/3 innings and was awarded his fifth victory on the season and Jacob McGovern was credited with a save, his second this year.