Just in time: Clemson baseball battles past High Point in NCAA opener

Heading into this weekend’s NCAA regional, Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich challenged the fan base to show up and be rowdy for the Tigers’ opener.

They answered his call Friday and showed up by the thousands.

Clemson did, too — barely.

Star third baseman Blake Wright set the stage with a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth inning and left fielder Tristan Bissetta brought him home with walk-off RBI single to lift Clemson past High Point, 4-3, in the Tigers’ first regional game.

Clemson, the No. 6 overall seed in the field, played with its food most of the night against a High Point team playing in its first ever NCAA Tournament game, but came through in the clutch for its 25th comeback win of the season and advanced into a winner’s bracket game Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Bissetta’s strike to right center field was a lifesaver for a Clemson team that left 11 runners on base and trailed 2-1 and 3-2 at various points in an intense game against the Panthers, the Big South’s tournament auto-bid.

The No. 1 seed in their home regional, the Tigers (42-14) will now play No. 3 Coastal Carolina (35-23) in a winner’s bracket game Saturday at 5 p.m.

No. 4 High Point dropped to 34-26 and will play No. 2 Vanderbilt (38-22) in a loser’s bracket elimination game earlier Saturday at noon.

“Tough game,” Bakich said postgame. “High Point is incredibly gritty and gave us everything we can handle. ... It’s pitching, defense and hitting in postseason baseball, and there’s not a more timely hit than a walk-off from Tristan Bissetta.”

Added Bissetta, who was mobbed by teammates and sprayed by dozens of bottles of water after he drove in the winning run: “I’m totally soaked”

Game recap

Clemson went with Tristan Smith, a sophomore lefty from nearby Boiling Springs, as the starter for its opening regional game. He was fresh — Smith hadn’t pitched since May 17 — and early on he delivered.

Across his first three innings, Smith went nine up, nine down and allowed zero runs against High Point. And after leaving three runners on base the first two innings, Clemson’s offense broke the seal and got on the board with center fielder Cam Cannarella’s RBI single to right field.

With the Tigers leading 1-0, things got a little more interesting in the fourth inning.

High Point’s first batter reached first despite replay indicating Smith, Clemson’s pitcher, got his foot on the base before the runner reached it — Clemson unsuccessfully challenged that play — and that runner reached second base on a passed ball. Then, an RBI single to right field and a ball-handling error by Clemson’s Alden Mathes brought in the tying runner from third.

High Point went up 2-1 on the No. 6 overall seed in the bracket in that same inning with a well-placed RBI single that just snuck past Clemson’s shortstop and into middle left field.

Clemson, trailing at home, promptly tied the game in the bottom of the fourth with Jarren Purify’s RBI sacrifice bunt. But the Tigers also left that inning with no more coach’s challenges left, as Bakich burned his second on a mostly clear “runner out at home” call, which was upheld.

High Point retook the lead, 3-2, with a run in the top of the sixth inning and ended the night for Clemson starting pitcher Smith, who exited with a solid line of 5.1 innings, six hits, three runs (but only one earned run) and nine strikeouts.

With junior right-hander Reed Garris spelling Smith, Clemson got out of the inning allowing no runs and tied the game for a second time, at 3-3, on an RBI single by Purify. It was the second time in two innings the talented freshman from Michigan drove one in for the Tigers.

That was one of many big plays that drew a roar from a huge crowd of 6,256 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium (over 1,400 more than the team’s home game average this season).

“We heard every single one of them,” Bakich said.

Garris blanked High Point in the seventh inning — with the final out coming on a highlight-worthy play, a catcher to first base throw-out — before reliever Lucas Mahlstedt, Clemson’s third pitcher of the night, allowed zero runs in the eighth.

The Panthers kept things close all night thanks to a few well-placed hits and a cheeky performance from starting pitcher Gus Hughes (7.0 innings, eight hits and seven strikeouts on 118 pitches).

“We fully expected that,” High Point coach Joey Hammond said. “Maybe that’s a surprise for a lot of people. That’s a really good club. ... But we absolutely had full conviction that we were going to compete.”

But closer Austin Gordon got Clemson the three outs it needed in the top of the ninth inning, and after Wright reached base on a leadoff double, Cannarella was intentionally walked and catcher Jimmy Obertop struck out swinging, Bissetta’s walk-off brought Wright home and sent the Tigers into the winner’s bracket.

Ace Aidan Knaak will start for Clemson against Coastal.

“We’ll need a good performance tomorrow,” Bakich said. “We need to be better executing with runners in scoring position tomorrow, because it’s going to be just as tough tomorrow. We’ll have our work cut out for us, but we’ll be up for the challenge.”

Next Clemson baseball game

Who: Clemson (42-14) vs. Coastal Carolina (35-23) in winner’s bracket

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Clemson

TV: ESPN+ (streaming only)