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Clemson baseball had a chance to take a huge series over No. 5 North Carolina, but it turned into another missed opportunity.
After winning the opener, the Tigers let Game 2 slip away late and fell in 14 innings. That loss carried over into Sunday, where a worn-down pitching staff couldn’t keep up in a 12-4 defeat. Instead of a statement weekend, Clemson walked away with another series loss and now sits at 5-10 in ACC play.
“They’re pissed when they lose,” Erik Bakich said. “Like everybody’s a high-level competitor, so nobody’s in a good mood right now… losing sucks.”
Saturday is the one that will stick. Clemson led late but couldn’t close it out, giving up runs in the eighth and ninth to force extras. Even after that, there were chances to win it, but the Tigers couldn’t deliver the hit they needed with runners in scoring position.
“Yesterday was a real opportunity we squandered,” Bakich said. “We had multiple chances… and didn’t get it done.”
Sunday quickly got out of hand. Drew Titsworth didn’t make it out of the fourth, and from there Clemson leaned on arms that haven’t been used much this season. The result was 14 free passes, including six hit batters, as eight different pitchers took the mound.
“It doesn’t matter who you play, you can’t pitch like that,” Bakich said.
With the struggles piling up, changes could be coming — especially on the mound.
“I’ve got to make sure I’m playing the guys that make us win,” Bakich said. “If that means we got to shrink some opportunities… then that’s what we have to do.”
That likely means trimming the pitching staff down to a smaller, more trusted group.
Injuries haven’t helped, with key hitters still out, but Bakich isn’t leaning on that.
“We’re not one of those teams that is even a consideration for not making it,” he said. “That’s Clemson baseball.”
Right now, though, Clemson has work to do. With a road trip to Virginia coming up, the margin for error is only getting smaller.
“We can not continue on the path that we are on,” Bakich said. “We need to figure out a way to get over the hump… and do it fast.”
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson HC Erik Bakich not pleased with Tigers’ loss to No. 5 UNC
Continue reading...
After winning the opener, the Tigers let Game 2 slip away late and fell in 14 innings. That loss carried over into Sunday, where a worn-down pitching staff couldn’t keep up in a 12-4 defeat. Instead of a statement weekend, Clemson walked away with another series loss and now sits at 5-10 in ACC play.
“They’re pissed when they lose,” Erik Bakich said. “Like everybody’s a high-level competitor, so nobody’s in a good mood right now… losing sucks.”
Saturday is the one that will stick. Clemson led late but couldn’t close it out, giving up runs in the eighth and ninth to force extras. Even after that, there were chances to win it, but the Tigers couldn’t deliver the hit they needed with runners in scoring position.
“Yesterday was a real opportunity we squandered,” Bakich said. “We had multiple chances… and didn’t get it done.”
Sunday quickly got out of hand. Drew Titsworth didn’t make it out of the fourth, and from there Clemson leaned on arms that haven’t been used much this season. The result was 14 free passes, including six hit batters, as eight different pitchers took the mound.
“It doesn’t matter who you play, you can’t pitch like that,” Bakich said.
With the struggles piling up, changes could be coming — especially on the mound.
“I’ve got to make sure I’m playing the guys that make us win,” Bakich said. “If that means we got to shrink some opportunities… then that’s what we have to do.”
That likely means trimming the pitching staff down to a smaller, more trusted group.
Injuries haven’t helped, with key hitters still out, but Bakich isn’t leaning on that.
“We’re not one of those teams that is even a consideration for not making it,” he said. “That’s Clemson baseball.”
Right now, though, Clemson has work to do. With a road trip to Virginia coming up, the margin for error is only getting smaller.
“We can not continue on the path that we are on,” Bakich said. “We need to figure out a way to get over the hump… and do it fast.”
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson HC Erik Bakich not pleased with Tigers’ loss to No. 5 UNC
Continue reading...
