CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jimmy Obertop’s walkoff walk with one out in the ninth inning lifted No. 3 Clemson to an 8-7 victory over Louisville in the ACC Tournament at Truist Field on Friday afternoon.
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The Tigers, who went 1-1 in the ACC Tournament, improved to 41-14 on the season. The Cardinals, who went 0-2 in the ACC Tournament, dropped to 32-24 in 2024.
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Obertop’s three-run homer in the eighth inning tied the score, then three singles in a row with one out in the ninth inning set up Obertop’s walk on four pitches to end the game.
JT Benson led off the first inning with a homer, then Luke Napleton belted a two-run homer in the second inning.
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Dylan Hoy added a two-out, run-scoring double in the second inning.
After the Cardinals manufactured an unearned run in the third inning, they scored a run in the top of the fourth inning to build a 6-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Tristan Bissetta grounded a run-scoring single, then he ripped a two-out triple in the sixth inning to score a run. Jacob Jarrell followed with a two-run homer, his sixth of the year, to narrow Louisville’s lead to 6-4.
The Cardinals extended their lead with an unearned run in the seventh inning on a two-out error, then Obertop laced a three-run homer, his 19th of the season, in the eighth inning to tie the score 7-7.
One-out singles by Jacob Hinderleider, Blake Wright and Cam Cannarella in the ninth inning set up Obertop’s game-winning walk.
Austin Gordon (1-2) pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the win, while Tucker Biven (4-2) suffered the loss. Rocco Reid (1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 K) got the start for the Tigers, while Billy Barlow (1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB), Jacob McGovern (3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) and Drew Titsworth (1.1 IP, 3 K) joined Gordon in drawing relief work.
The announcement of the 16 NCAA regional host sites is Sunday at 8:30 p.m. The NCAA Selection Show is Monday at noon on ESPN2.
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