Clemson's mental toughness defines game one win over Louisville

Clemson looks to keep its run of winning weekends going this season after a game one victory over Louisville.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - 21 hours ago

CLEMSON - Once again, Clemson found itself in a tight back-and-forth as the night raged on.

Erik Bakich knows moments like these are to be savored, hoping they can be mental reps for the looming postseason.

For some time in Doug Kingsmore Stadium, it seemed this outing was setting up to be a night where the offense couldn’t find a second gear.

Jack Crighton stepped to the plate with the Tigers trailing by a run.

His crushing swing gave Clemson exactly what it needed, and he picked up a career milestone in the process.

The Tigers took game one over Louisville 7-5, securing a big conference win in front of an anxious home crowd.

It was also a top-20 victory, strengthening Clemson’s resume that will help its standing down the road.

In a win that can mean so many things, Bakich knows Friday can be proof of concept that this group is capable of gutting it out against high competition.

“If we want to compete to be the last team standing at the end, then we're going to have to be good in these high leverage, tight situations, high pressure situations,” Bakich said. “That's just got to be part of the identity of the team if we're going to be that team down the road. So I'm glad it's callousing our mind. We're getting battle-tested in these close games. Our guys are comfortable in them. We're not perfect in them as we saw tonight, but we found a way to be one run better.”

That mental toughness was also reflected tonight in Aidan Knaak, whose evening didn’t start out exactly as he planned.

Louisville quickly produced five runs in the first two innings, with Knaak being the victim of some fielding errors that put the Cardinals in advantageous situations.

Still, the sophomore righty rebounded and shut out the Louisville offense for four straight innings, keeping Clemson in the battle.

Sticking with Bakich’s theme of mental toughness when it's needed most, Knaak’s resilience was a shining example of what he wants to see from his roster.

“That's a sign of a good pitcher who throws 31 pitches in the first inning, things are going sideways. He gives up a quick two-spot in the second inning, but then just has the poise and the mental capacity just to calm things down and just settle the game down,” Bakich said. “So, that was a big deal and just allowed us to mentally know we were keeping it close. It was a two-run game, then it was a one-run game, and we're like, all right, we're going to get 'em going to figure this out. We're going to find a way.”

That focus is also now paired with a belief stemming from the roster’s togetherness that Crighton believes it has.

Clemson has built a reputation for never being out of the fight, and he added that tonight was another example of why the Tigers should never be counted out.

“I mean, we just always believe we're going to win the game,” Crighton said. “And I mean our team, we're like brothers, and we all believe in each other and trust each other, so we always think we can win any game.”