Listi's bat, Knaak's arm power Tigers past Hokies in ACC Tournament |
David Hood
· · Wednesday, May 21 2025
A big day at the plate from Dominic Listi and another stellar outing from Aidan Knaak were the perfect recipe as No. 5 seed Clemson knocked 12th-seeded Virginia Tech out of the ACC Tournament in a 6-1 victory Wednesday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
The Tigers advance to the quarterfinals and will face NC State Thursday at 7 pm (ACC Network). Clemson was swept in a three-game series at NC State a few weeks ago. If the Tigers beat NC State, the team would advance to Saturday’s semifinals at 1 pm. Clemson improves to 42-15 while Virginia Tech falls to 31-25 and will await its NCAA Tournament fate. Knaak gave up a leadoff homer to Tech’s Ben Watson in the first, but allowed just three hits the rest of the way in earning the win. Knaak pitched six innings, giving up just four hits, one run, while walking just one and striking out six. He improved to 9-1, and the Tigers are 13-2 in his starts this season. It didn’t take the Tigers long to score against Virginia Tech starter Brett Renfrow. Cam Cannarella led off the bottom of the first with a ringing double to right-center, and he moved to third on Jarren Purify’s single to center. Renfrow threw a wild pitch that hit the back wall and bounced back to the catcher, but Cannarella had already broken for the plate. Tech catcher Henry Cooke was waiting for Cannarella at the plate with the ball, but Cannarella stopped short of the plate, then snuck a toe onto the plate. He was initially called out, but a review overturned that call and the Tigers tied the score at 1-1. Purify moved to second on the wild pitch and moved to third on Collin Priest’s grounder to first, and one out later Listi hit the first pitch he saw over the wall in right for his fifth homer of the season and a 3-1 lead. Renfrow and Knaak settled in, but the Tigers finally scored again in the fifth. Purify was hit by a pitch and moved to second on Priest’s bunt single. Josh Paino struck out for the second out, but Listi once again delivered, lining a 2-2 pitch to the wall in left-center for a two-run double and a 5-1 lead. The Tigers added an insurance run in the sixth. TP Wentworth hit a one-out double, moved to third on Andrew Ciufo’s single, and scored on Cannarella’s sacrifice fly to make it 6-1. Jacob McGovern pitched two scoreless innings and Joe Allen pitched the ninth for the Tigers. The Tigers came ready to play in their ACC Tournament opener. 👏 DOM DELIVERS AGAIN! @dominiclisti brings in two! BOOM! @dominiclisti finds the seats to give the Tigers the lead! .@CamCannarella extends his hitting streak to 1️⃣6️⃣ games! pic.twitter.com/oMjCEIVGFj
🎥 Virginia Tech vs. #Clemson Highlights ➡️ 5/21/25 pic.twitter.com/fmANPTAdy2
B5 || VAT 1, CU 5
📷 https://t.co/UtpV4eatVi pic.twitter.com/IZx6eto5of
🚀 364 ft
💨 101 mph
B1 || VAT 1, CU 3
🖥 https://t.co/UtpV4eatVi pic.twitter.com/ubfaFMwNbi
Upgrade Your Experience!
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now!
