Final Score: Lipscomb: 5, No. 4 Clemson: 12
Location: Clemson, S.C. (Doug Kingsmore Stadium)
Records: Lipscomb: (36-25, 23-7 ASUN), No. 4 Clemson (44-17, 20-10 ACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Lipscomb gave No. 4 Clemson all they could handle for seven innings in game one of the Clemson Regional but could not hold offthe Tigers, who scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win 12-5 Friday afternoon. 

The Tigers struck first in game one the Regional with a two-run homer in the first inning, but the Bisons managed to get one back in the top of the second.

Parks Bouck reached on a single to right-center field and then advanced to second on a balk. David Coppedge plated the first run of the day for the Bisons on a single down the left field line. Lipscomb later tied the game in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly from Trace Willhoite. 

Logan Van Treeck was in command early despite giving up the two spot early as he fanned five batters in the first two frames, but Clemson responded with a run on a sacrifice fly to shallow right field.

After a spotless inning for both teams in the fourth, the Bisons belted two solo bombs in the top of the fifth, the first by shortstop Caleb Ketchup his sixteenth of the season, and then Alex Vergara, his first of the afternoon, to give Lipscomb a 4-3 lead, their first of the ball game. 

Lipscomb continued to threaten in the fifth, loading the bases after a single, hit-by-pitch, and a fielding error, but with two outs, the Bisons were unable to add to their one-run lead. 

Clemson answered in the bottom half, scoring three runs to take a two-run lead. The Tigers loaded the bases after a single up the middle, a fielding error, and a second single on the third base. 

A sacrifice fly to left field scored the first run of the sequence, and then a double to left center sent home two more for a 6-4 score.

Vergara kept his dominant stretch of play going with another solo home run, the fifth in his last two games, to cut the Tiger's lead to a run in the six. 

The Tigers added another run to their one-run lead in the seventh on a bunt down the first base line, with runners on third and first, but the Bisons' right-hander Ethan Smith got out of the inning on a strikeout swinging.

Lipscomb put two runners in scoring position in the eighth with a walk from Ketchup to open the frame and then a dropped fly ball by the right fielder to plate Vergara. Both runners advanced a base on a steal, but the Bisons could not bring them across home plate which proved to be the best change they had.

The top-seeded Tigers erupted and sent five run across home plate in the eighth starting with a single up the middle, stretching their lead to three runs. They then hit a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to push the score to 12-5 which put the contest out of reach for the Bisons. As a result, Lipscomb fell 12-5 on day one of the Clemson Regional in their first-ever meeting with the Tigers. 

HERD NOTES:

• Alex Vergara has gone yard five times in his last eight at-bats. He finished 3-of-5 on the day with 2 RBI and now is up to 23 homers on the season which leads the team
• Lipscomb left 11 runners on base against the Tigers and was outhit 12-10.
• The Tigers went 14-23 with advancement opportunities. 
• Lipscomb has now hit 109 homers this season.
• Trace Willhoite tied the program single-season RBI record on a sac fly in the third.
• Van Treeck finished with seven strikeouts which puts him in sole possession of third-place for the Lipscomb's single-season record. 

UP NEXT
Lipscomb will take on the loser of the second seed Tennessee the fourth seed Charlotte in game two of the Clemson Regional, tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. CT.