CLEMSON -- Aidan Knaak pitched 6.0 strong innings of two-hit ball with 10 strikeouts to lead No. 4 Clemson to a 5-1 victory over No. 11 Wake Forest at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday night.
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The Tigers, who took a 1-0 lead in the series, improved to 22-2 overall and 3-1 in the ACC, while the Demon Deacons dropped to 18-5 overall and 6-1 in ACC play.
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Knaak (4-0) earned the win by allowing only one run and two walks against a team that entered the game fourth in the nation in runs per game (10.2). Lucas Mahlstedt pitched 1.1 innings to record his eighth save of the year. Drew Titsworth (1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K) also joined Mahlstedt in relief work.
Wake Forest starter Logan Lunceford (4-1) suffered the loss, as he yielded five hits, five runs and three walks with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched. The Demon Deacons used four pitchers on the evening - Matt Bedford (0.2 IP, 2 BB), Haiden Leffew (1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) and Nate Brittain (1.1 IP, 1 K).
After three straight walks to start the first inning, Collin Priest lofted a sacrifice fly to score the game’s first run, then Luke Gaffney lined a two-run single. Two batters later, Tryston McCladdie laced a two-out double to score Gaffney.
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In the fourth inning, Dominic Listi hit a sacrifice fly to up Clemson’s lead to 5-0.
Kade Lewis belted a solo homer in the sixth inning to put Wake Forest on the scoreboard.
The Tigers outhit the Deacons 5-4.
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
