Clemson blasts Northeastern to stay unbeaten, continue historic start

CLEMSON — For the first time since 1992, the Clemson baseball team is 14-0.

The Tigers pounded Northeastern 10-4 Saturday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium to continue their historic start to the 2022 season.

Clemson got a strong performance from its offense to clinch the series against Northeastern as the Tigers pounded out 15 hits on their way to clinching the series.

Clemson will go for the sweep of the Huskies Sunday afternoon. First pitch is schedule for Noon.

“Well, another great game for our guys. We had to battle the elements. Super cold and windy today. A tough day to play baseball,” Clemson coach Monte Lee said. “Really appreciate our fans coming out and being a part of it today. … We had a great crowd.”

Cooper Ingle led the way for Clemson, going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. The sophomore upped his batting average to .453 on the year.

Sophomore Caden Grice also homered for the Tigers, hitting his fourth of the season.

Chad Fairey and Jonathan French were 2-for-4 for the Tigers, while Benjamin Blackwell finished 3-for-5. French also drove in four runs.

“We had big days offensively from Cooper Ingle and Jonathan French. I thought Frenchie was the key for us today. I thought he had the biggest at bats of the day,” Lee said. “We swung the bats well… found a way to win the series against a really good club.”

While the offense had an outstanding day, the pitching staff was also solid.

Nick Hoffman got the start and pitched 7 strong innings. He allowed four runs but left with the Tigers holding a 9-4 lead. Billy Barlow and Ricky Williams each pitched a scoreless inning to finish off the victory.

“Nick Hoffman — I didn’t think he had his best stuff, and he got hit some, but he just kept competing,” Lee said. “He kept throwing strikes, only one walk, and gave us 7 innings today. The bullpen did a great job.”