CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.org) – Clemson refused to go quietly as it closed out its 2021 season.
Down three runs early to second-seeded Georgia Tech in the final game of the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship’s second-day session, the 11th-seeded Tigers roared back to claim an 11-5 victory Wednesday night at Truist Field.
Adam Hackenberg capped a 14-pitch at-bat with a three-run homer that tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, and Bryce Teodosio electrified the crowd of 3,915 with a two-out, inside-the-park homer that sparked a three-run sixth.
While the game proved therapeutic for the Tigers (25-27) as they snapped a five-game losing streak and ended their season on a high note, Georgia Tech remains in contention for the tournament championship despite Wednesday night’s outcome. The Yellow Jackets face seventh-seeded Louisville (28-21) in Thursday’s 3 p.m. game, with the winner claiming Pool B and advancing to Saturday’s 5 p.m. semifinal game.
Teodosio also tied an ACC Championship single-game record with a pair of RBI triples, joining four others in 47-year history of the event (most recently Virginia’s Adam Haseley versus Wake Forest in 2016).
All told, seven of Clemson’s 11 hits went for extra bases, including a two-run homer by James Parker in the bottom of the eighth that capped a flurry of 11 unanswered runs by the Tigers. Parker finished 3-for-4 with four RBI.
The power supply proved more than enough for starting pitcher Davis Sharpe (4-1), who allowed two runs on six hits while working seven innings. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter.
Stephen Reid hit a pair of home runs for Georgia Tech (28-22), a solo shot in the second that help stake the Yellow Jackets to a 3-0 lead and a two-run blast in the ninth that accounted for the final margin. Andrew Jenkins also homered for the Yellow Jackets.
