RALEIGH, N.C. — Caden Grice’s grand slam on a 1-2 pitch with two outs in the eighth inning gave Clemson the lead for good in its 9-7 victory over NC State at Doak Field on Saturday night. The Tigers, who took a 2-0 lead in the series, improved to 24-16 overall and 8-9 in the ACC. The Wolfpack fell to 25-13 overall and 8-11 in the ACC.
The Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning on Will Taylor’s two-run double, Blake Wright’s RBI fielder’s choice and Riley Bertram’s two-out, run-scoring double. Cooper Ingle also extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a bunt single in the frame. Will Marcy led off the fourth inning with a home run to put NC State on the scoreboard. Later in the frame, NC State scored two more runs without the ball leaving the infield.
In the sixth inning, the Wolfpack loaded the bases without the ball leaving the infield, then Jacob Cozart ripped a two-out, three-run triple to give NC State a 6-4 lead. Billy Amick’s two-out single scored a run and cut NC State’s lead in half in the seventh inning. In the eighth inning, two-out walks by Ingle and Taylor set up Grice’s 440-foot grand slam to right field, his ninth long ball and second grand slam of the year. Cozart blasted a leadoff homer in the ninth inning, but the Tigers held on for the win.
Reed Garris (3-0) earned the win, while Ryan Ammons pitched 2.0 innings to record his first save of the year. Rio Britton (2-2) suffered the loss.
The series concludes Sunday at 2 p.m.
