Clemson bullpen battered, Tigers now have to win three to advance out of NCAA regional

Catcher Jacob Jarrell looks on in disbelief (Photo by Merrell Mann).

David Hood · Senior Writer · Saturday, May 31 2025

CLEMSON – It looked like another come-from-behind victory was in the offing for Clemson, but West Virginia battered closer Lucas Mahlstedt for four runs in the ninth for a 9-6 victory to advance to Sunday’s championship game.

Clemson will play Kentucky in an elimination game at noon Sunday. The winner of that contest advances to play West Virginia at 6 pm Sunday, needing two wins to win the regional. If another game is needed, it will be played on Monday.

Clemson fell to 45-17 and now needs to win three games over the next two days to advance to a Super Regional. West Virginia improves to 43-14.

Clemson starter Aidan Knaak, who hadn’t pitched in a little over a week, was roughed up early by the Mountaineers. Knaak hit the leadoff batter on an 0-2 pitch and then gave up two singles and a double to fall into an early 3-0 hole in the bottom of the first.

Knaak held the Mountaineers at bay until the fifth. Brodie Kresser led off with a single to right-center and a bunt moved him to second. Logan Sauve singled through the right side to score Kresser for a 4-0 lead, and another hit batter loaded the bases with one out. However, Knaak struck out the next two hitters (both swinging) on just seven pitches to escape further damage.

West Virginia senior right-hander Jack Kartsonas held Clemson to just one hit through five innings and was cruising until he ran into trouble in the sixth. Andrew Ciufo led off the inning with a single to center, bringing up Cannarella. Cannarella worked the count to 3-0, leading to a visit on the mound. Kartsonas worked in one strike, but left a 3-1 pitch on the outside part of the plate and Cannarella hammered it inside the left field foul pole for a two-run shot, his second in as many games in the regional, to make it 4-2.

Jarren Purify struck out swinging for the first out, but the Mountaineers relieved Kartsonsas in favor of Carson Estridge. Estridge plunked Dominic Listi and walked Collin Priest, leading to another pitching change, with Reese Bassinger taking the mound. Jack Crighton doubled to right-center on the first pitch, scoring Listi to make it 4-3, and Jacob Jarrell’s deep fly to center scored Priest to tie the score at 4-4.

Knaak pitched six innings, gave up four runs (all earned), struck out four and didn’t issue any walks but did hit two batters. He was relieved by Reed Garris to start the seventh. Garris, pitching for the first time since May 9th, worked around a leadoff double to keep the score tied at 4-4.

Ciufo was in the middle of it all again in the seventh, smoking a one-out triple on a 1-0 pitch. That brought Cannarella back to the plate, and he laced a run-scoring go-ahead double to left to score Ciufo for the first Clemson lead of the night at 5-4. Purify reached on an error and Listi loaded the bases with a slicing single to left, but Priest bounced into an easy double play to end the threat.

Garris recorded two quick outs in the eighth, but after Kresser singled through the right side, Bakich made the move to Lucas Mahlstedt, who is still chasing the all-time Clemson saves record (he is tied at 15). Like Friday night, Mahlstedt gave up an extra base hit on the first pitch, and the double off the base of the wall tied the score at 5-5.

Mahlstedt recorded two quick outs in the ninth but walked Grant Hussey. Jorge Valdes pinch ran for Hussey and Sam White doubled to right. Wentworth didn’t play the carom properly and Valdes scored easily for the 6-5 lead. The Mountaineers added three more runs for their final tally.

The Tigers loaded the bases with two out, and Priest earned a walk to bring a run across in the bottom of the ninth, but the Mountaineers brought in left-handed reliever Ben McDougal and despite starting with a 2-0 count, he still struck out Crighton to clinch the win.