Clemson baseball fans witnessed something truly special on May 2, as the Tigers erupted for an incredible 11-run first inning—their most explosive single frame in seven years—en route to a dominant 14-4 victory over No. 20 Boston College at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The game was called after seven innings due to the 10-run mercy rule, but the damage was done early.
The fireworks began when Nate Savoie led off with a double, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. He came around to score on a Tryston McCladdie walk, and the floodgates opened from there. Jarren Purify added a sacrifice fly, Tyler Lichtenberger chipped in with a run-scoring bunt single, and Jason Fultz flared a two-run single. Bryce Clavon reached on a bunt single to bring home another run, and then Savoie stepped up and crushed a three-run homer—his 16th of the season. Luke Gaffney followed with a solo shot, his eighth, and Lichtenberger capped the historic frame with a two-out, run-scoring single.
That 11-run outburst was Clemson's biggest in an inning since scoring 11 in the fourth against The Citadel on May 8, 2019, and it marked the Tigers' most prolific ACC regular-season inning since May 19, 2005, when they also scored 11 in the fourth against Miami. Every starter in the Clemson lineup crossed the plate at least once.
On the mound, starter Michael Sharman (6-1) was in control, tossing six innings of two-run ball while scattering six hits, walking just one, and striking out three to earn the win. At the plate, Savoie finished 2-for-4 with a double, homer, and three RBIs, while Lichtenberger, Jack Crighton, Fultz, and Clavon each drove in two runs. The Tigers improved to 27-20 overall and 7-16 in ACC play, while Boston College fell to 35-15 and 17-9 in conference action.
In Baton Rouge, it was a tougher day for South Carolina, which dropped the first game of a doubleheader against LSU. Starter Amp Phillips struggled, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and four walks over his outing, while striking out three. The Gamecocks (22-25, 7-15 SEC) managed just one extra-base hit—a double from Ethan Lizama, who also drove in the team's only run. LSU did most of its damage early, scoring two in the first and three in the second to seize control.
Meanwhile, weather forced a postponement in Charleston, where The Citadel and Presbyterian were unable to play due to unplayable field conditions at Riley Park. The game will be made up as part of a Sunday doubleheader in Clinton, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Elton Pollock Field.