College Baseball

Big seventh inning carries Clemson to ACC Baseball Championship

Posted May 28, 2023 7:03 p.m. EDT

— A surge of power from an unlikely source jump-started third-seeded Clemson late Sunday afternoon, and there was no stopping the Tigers as they rolled past Miami in the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship title game.

Grad student Riley Bertram hit his first home run of the season to highlight an eight-run seventh inning, and the Tigers overcame a two-run deficit to claim an 11-5 win before a crowd of 4,792 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The ACC baseball championship is Clemson’s 16th and first since 2016. Each of the Tigers’ last five head coaches has won the ACC title their first year in the league – Erik Bakich (this season), Monte Lee (2016), Jack Leggett (1994), Bill Wilhelm (1958) and Bob Smith (1954).

With the win, Clemson (43-17) extended its winning streak to 16 games – the longest active among NCAA Power 5 teams – and enhanced its case for hosting an NCAA regional when sites are unveiled later this evening. Miami (40-19) is also poised for a favorable slot. The full 64-team NCAA Tournament field will be announced at noon on Monday.

Miami rallied from an early 3-0 deficit with five unanswered runs and led 5-3 as Sunday’s game entered the bottom of the seventh. But a leadoff walk to Will Taylor, a single by Caden Grace and an RBI double by Billy Amick set the stage for Bertram.

Bertram came to Clemson this season after four seasons playing for Bakich at Michigan, where he hit a total of two home runs in 132 games. The second baseman from Zionsville, Indiana, entered Sunday’s contest batting .278 with 37 RBI but had yet to leave the park in 59 previous games as a Tiger.

That changed in the biggest of ways as Bertram sent a 2-2 pitch from Alejandro Torres into the right field stands for a 7-5 Clemson lead. Hitting then became contagious for the Tigers who put up four more runs – capped by Taylor’s two-run homer – to complete the turnaround.

Grice, who went 3-for-5 on Sunday and drove in nine runs in the Tigers’ four tournament games, was voted the event’s MVP by the media in attendance. Grice also took his regular turn in the starting pitching rotation to work seven strong innings in Saturday’s semifinal win versus North Carolina.

Despite heavy rain that cut into the crowd count for both Saturday semifinals, this year’s tournament drew a total of 46,360 fans in 15 games – the 13th-largest total attendance in the ACC Baseball Championship’s 49-year history.

Listen & Watch
Teams Score Time
NCAA MBB
Alabama 89 F
North Carolina 87
North Carolina State   7:09pm
Marquette  
Duke   9:39pm
Houston  
NHL
Red Wings 0 F
Hurricanes 4
Teams Score Time
Clemson 77 F
Arizona 72
San Diego State 52 F
Connecticut 82
Alabama 89 F
North Carolina 87
Illinois 72 F
Iowa State 69
North Carolina State   7:09pm
Marquette  
Gonzaga   7:39pm
Purdue  
Duke   9:39pm
Houston  
Creighton   10:09pm
Tennessee  
Teams Score Time
Interleague
Cubs 3 F
Rangers 4
American League
Angels 3 F
Orioles 11
Tigers 1 F
White Sox 0
Twins 4 F
Royals 1
Yankees 5 F
Astros 4
Blue Jays 8 F
Rays 2
Guardians 8 F
Athletics 0
Red Sox 6 F
Mariners 4
Blue Jays   6:50pm
Rays  
Yankees   8:10pm
Astros  
Red Sox   9:40pm
Mariners  
Guardians   9:40pm
Athletics  
National League
Brewers   Postponed
Mets  
Braves   Postponed
Phillies  
Pirates 6 F
Marlins 5
Giants 4 F
Padres 6
Cardinals 1 F
Dodgers 7
Nationals 2 F
Reds 8
Rockies 1 F
Diamondbacks 16
Brewers   1:40pm
Mets  
Braves   3:05pm
Phillies  
Pirates   7:10pm
Marlins  
Rockies   9:40pm
Diamondbacks  
Giants   9:40pm
Padres  
Cardinals   10:10pm
Dodgers  
Teams Score Time
Celtics 122 F/OT
Hawks 123
Bucks 100 F
Pelicans 107
Pistons   7:00pm
Wizards  
Warriors   7:00pm
Hornets  
Clippers   7:00pm
Magic  
Lakers   7:00pm
Pacers  
Bulls   7:30pm
Nets  
76ers   7:30pm
Cavaliers  
Knicks   8:00pm
Spurs  
Suns   8:00pm
Thunder  
Trail Blazers   8:00pm
Heat  
Timberwolves   9:00pm
Nuggets  
Rockets   9:30pm
Jazz  
Mavericks   10:00pm
Kings  
Teams Score Time
Blackhawks 0 F
Senators 2
Blue Jackets 2 F
Penguins 3
Islanders 3 F
Panthers 2
Flyers 1 F
Canadiens 4
Capitals 1 F
Maple Leafs 5
Red Wings 0 F
Hurricanes 4
Flames 3 F
Blues 5
Sharks 1 F
Wild 3
Golden Knights 4 F
Jets 1
Kings 1 F
Oilers 4
Rangers 3 F/SO
Avalanche 2
Ducks 2 F
Kraken 4
Stars 3 F
Canucks 1
Predators 4 F
Coyotes 8
Devils   7:00pm
Sabres  
Texas Children's Houston Open
Pos Name Score Thru
1 Wilson Furr -6 F
1 Taylor Moore -6 F
3 Joe Highsmith -5 F
3 Scottie Scheffler -5 F
5 Beau Hossler -4 F
5 Mackenzie Hughes -4 2
5 Aaron Rai -4 F
5 Adam Svensson -4 F
5 Alejandro Tosti -4 F
EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Pos # Name Start Pos
1 24 William Byron 1
2 20 Christopher Bell 4
3 54 Ty Gibbs 2
4 48 Alex Bowman 17
5 45 Tyler Reddick 3
6 13 AJ Allmendinger 14
7 1 Ross Chastain 6
8 17 Chris Buescher 20
9 8 Kyle Busch 16
Focused Health 250
Pos # Name Start Pos
1 17 Kyle Larson 1
2 21 Austin Hill 11
3 20 John Hunter Nemechek 20
4 00 Cole Custer 8
5 48 Parker Kligerman 12
6 2 Jesse Love 14
7 32 Austin Green 25
8 81 Chandler Smith 4
9 1 Sam Mayer 10
XPEL 225
Pos # Name Start Pos
1 11 Corey Heim 2
2 17 Taylor Gray 3
3 98 Ty Majeski 9
4 7 Connor Zilisch 1
5 45 Ross Chastain 5
6 1 Jack Hawksworth 6
7 99 Ben Rhodes 34
8 19 Christian Eckes 10
9 5 Dean Thompson 17