CLEMSON, SC. (Seminoles.com) — Freshman James Tibbs hit a pinch-hit solo home run in the seventh inning as Florida State (24-14, 11-9 ACC) beat Clemson (25-14, 5-11) 4-3 Saturday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Tibbs’ seventh home run of the year broke a 3-3 tie.
Conner Whittaker (2-1) pitched 3.1 innings without allowing a base hit for his second win of the year.
All three of Clemson’s runs came on solo home runs. Blake Wright and Max Wagner hit back-to-back home runs off Bryce Hubbart in the first inning and the score remained 2-0 until the fifth inning, when FSU was able to capitalize on a pitching change and take the lead.
Isaiah Perry singled and Tyler Martin walked against Geoffrey Gilbert before Jordan Carrion’s RBI single scored Perry and got FSU on the board. Nick Hoffmann entered and allowed an infield single to Brett Roberts that scored Martin; Carrion scored when Hoffmann couldn’t find the bag at first base while taking the throw from first baseman Bryar Hawkins.
Wagner’s second home run of the game – and fourth of the weekend – tied the score at 3-3 in the sixth inning.
Through six innings, all six of FSU’s hits were singles, while Clemson had three home runs and a double among its seven hits.
Conner Whittaker relieved Hubbart in the sixth inning, with a runner on first, two outs and a 2-2 count. The freshman struck out Jonathan French to keep the score knotted at three.
Tibbs pinch-hit for Perry and sent a home run over the fans in the right field seats. Whittaker kept the Tigers off balance throughout his outing. The only baserunner Whittaker allowed was a seventh inning hit batter, and he retired the final eight batters for the win.
SCORING SUMMARY:
B1 | FSU 0, CU 1 Wright home run
B1 | FSU 0, CU 2 Wagner home run
T5 | FSU 1, CU 2 Carrion singled, Perry scored
T5 | FSU 3, CU 2 Roberts singled, Martin scored; Carrion scored on the throw
B6 | FSU 3, CU 3 Wagner home run
T7 | FSU 4, CU 3 Tibbs home run
UP NEXT:
The series finale between the Tigers and Seminoles is Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and will stream on ACCNX. RHP Carson Montgomery (4-1) will make his first start in the weekend rotation this year.
OF NOTE:
- Jordan Carrion got FSU on the board with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Over his past nine games, Carrion is hitting 15-31 with 10 runs, 7 RBI, 2 doubles, a home run, 8 walks, a stolen base and has been hit by a pitch.
- Carrion has a career-best seven-game hitting streak and also stole his team-best fifth base.
- Treyton Rank started at first base for the first time this season. Of his 17 starts, Rank has started 8 at second base, 5 in left field, 3 at shortstop and 1 at first base. He singled in FSU’s 3-run fifth inning and has reached safely in seven straight games.
- Reese Albert singled in his first at-bat and now leads FSU with a .313 batting average.
- Tyler Martin singled in the third inning and has reached base safely in all 12 games played this year and 14 straight dating to last season.
- Jaime Ferrer doubled in the seventh, extending his on-base streak to a career-best 14 games. He leads FSU with 13 doubles on the season.
- Isaiah Perry singled and stole a base. He is now 4-for-4 on the year in stolen base tries.
- James Tibbs pinch-hit for Perry in the seventh and hit a home run, his seventh of the year. It was FSU’s second pinch-hit homer of the season (Jackson Greene vs. Stetson).
