Takeaways from Clemson baseball's home opening win over VCU
Takeaways from Clemson baseball's home opening win over VCU Here's a look at who stood out in Clemson's home opener Friday against VCU and other takeaways.
The Clemson Tigers beat the VCU Rams, 6-2, to win their home opener Friday in the Clemson Baseball Invitational at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
It was a solid victory all-around by Erik Bakich's team, ranked No. 8 in Baseball America's Top 25 this week and No. 11 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Here are some takeaways from the Tigers' win over VCU.
Clemson transfer portal additions showing immediate impact
After the Tigers (3-1 overall) grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the second inning behind an RBI double from Jack Crighton down the third base line and a sac fly from second baseman Jarren Purify, Clemson's transfer portal haul combined to drive in the Tigers' last four runs of the evening.
With the Tigers up 2-1 in the third inning, former Cal Baptist third baseman Josh Paino had an RBI single through the left side of the infield. An inning later, with VCU having cut the lead to 3-2 on a solo home run from Sean Swenson, Indiana State transfer outfielder Dominic Listi continued his torrid start to the season by adding an RBI double near the bottom of the wall.
Through the first four games this season, Listi is 6-for-12 with Paino 5-for-13.
Purdue transfer first baseman Luke Gaffney was 0-for-2 at the plate but drove in two runs. After Listi's run-scoring double in the fourth, Gaffney managed an RBI groundout to give Clemson a 5-2 lead. Two innings later, Gaffney drove in his second run of the day with a sac fly that scored Purify to cap the Tigers' scoring.
Gaffney is 2-for-15 through four games but the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, who finished with a .359 average and 13 home runs, is bound to get hot.
Clemson pitching was elite
Tigers coach Erik Bakich said before the game that he wanted to prioritize getting a victory in Friday's tournament opener. Clemson's pitching was a big reason why they won.
Starter Aidan Knaak wasn't perfect, but the sophomore right-hander pitched five innings and scattered two runs on three hits. He opened the game by setting down the VCU order 1-2-3 after notching two strikeouts. Knaak finished with eight strikeouts and threw 87 pitches, 55 strikes -- a promising outing for the Tigers' clear-cut ace.
Promising Clemson reliever steps up big
Even more impressive than Knaak was who followed him in relief. Sophomore right-hander Drew Titsworth was dynamite out of the bullpen, throwing four shutout innings and yielding only two hits with no walks allowed.
Titsworth struck out a career-high five batters and allowed just three runners to reach base. He threw 42 pitches (31 strikes) on a day when Bakich was looking to save his bullpen with three more games ahead this weekend.
Titsworth was one of the Tigers' best arms out of the bullpen last season, combining for a 4-0 record and a 3.15 ERA in 19 appearances over 20 innings.
Clemson baseball schedule 2025
The Tigers will play a doubleheader Saturday on Day 2 of the Clemson Baseball Invitational. They'll host North Carolina A&T in the opener at noon ET before facing VCU again at 4 p.m. Left-hander Ethan Darden will start the opener vs. North Carolina A&T.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions. Follow Steve Holley on Twitter/X at @BySteveHolley.
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