Florida State baseball’s offense jumped out of the gates early, but failed to sustain momentum as Clemson rallied from behind to beat the Seminoles 4-3 and even the series on Saturday, May 9, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The No. 14 Seminoles (35-15, 16-10 ACC) led 3-0 after three innings, thanks to home runs from Brayden Dowd, a third-inning blast, and Brody DeLamielleure in the third inning, paired with a Hunter Carns RBI single in the first inning.
It seemed like the FSU lineup, particularly the top half, was primed for a big night at the plate, but the Seminoles failed to generate significant offense after the third inning.
Trey Beard started for the Seminoles, and he threw 5.1 innings and allowed three runs while he struck out four and allowed five hits. He allowed a home run in the fourth inning off the bat of Jarren Purify, who was the hero for the Tigers.
Purify hit his two-run home run in the fourth and then added an RBI single in the sixth inning to tie the game, 3-3. He finished the night 2-for-3 with three RBI, a run scored and one walk, and he helped set up the Tigers for the winning run in the eighth inning.
With the bases loaded and two out in the eighth inning, Cade O’Leary threw a wild pitch that allowed Luke Gaffney to score from third and hand the Tigers a 4-3 lead. Clemson struck out the side in the ninth inning, three of the Seminoles 12 strikeouts in the game, to clinch the series-tying victory.
FSU baseball vs. Clemson projected pitching matchups
How to watch FSU baseball vs. Clemson
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU baseball’s offense goes cold as Clemson evens series
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
