Clemson baseball lost a series to No. 5 North Carolina after winning the opener, suffering a heartbreaking 14-inning defeat in Game 2 and a 12-4 loss in Game 3. The Tigers now sit at 5-10 in ACC play, with coach Erik Bakich expressing frustration over missed opportunities.
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 couldnât 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.
âTheyâre pissed when they lose,â Erik Bakich said. âLike everybodyâs a high-level competitor, so nobodyâs in a good mood right now⊠losing sucks.â
Saturday is the one that will stick. Clemson led late but couldnât 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 couldnât deliver the hit they needed with runners in scoring position.
âYesterday was a real opportunity we squandered,â Bakich said. âWe had multiple chances⊠and didnât get it done.â
Sunday quickly got out of hand. Drew Titsworth didnât make it out of the fourth, and from there Clemson leaned on arms that havenât been used much this season. The result was 14 free passes, including six hit batters, as eight different pitchers took the mound.
âIt doesnât matter who you play, you canât pitch like that,â Bakich said.
With the struggles piling up, changes could be coming â especially on the mound.
âIâve got to make sure Iâm playing the guys that make us win,â Bakich said. âIf that means we got to shrink some opportunities⊠then thatâs what we have to do.â
That likely means trimming the pitching staff down to a smaller, more trusted group.
Injuries havenât helped, with key hitters still out, but Bakich isnât leaning on that.
âWeâre not one of those teams that is even a consideration for not making it,â he said. âThatâs Clemson baseball.â
Right now, though, Clemson has work to do. With a road trip to Virginia coming up, the margin for error is only getting smaller.
âWe can not continue on the path that we are on,â Bakich said. âWe need to figure out a way to get over the hump⊠and do it fast.â
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson HC Erik Bakich not pleased with Tigersâ loss to No. 5 UNC
Clemson won the first game, but lost the second game in 14 innings and the third game 12-4.
Clemson's series loss leaves them with a 5-10 record in ACC play.
Erik Bakich expressed that the team is frustrated and upset about the losses, emphasizing that losing is not acceptable for high-level competitors.
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