GREENSBORO, N.C. – Clemson’s Richie Shaffer scored three runs and drove in three, while freshman Will Lamb pitched 6 1/3 strong innings to lead the Tigers (38-21) to a 9-3 win over sixth-ranked Georgia Tech (45-13) Saturday in the ACC championships at NewBridge Bank Park.
With the loss, Georgia Tech is eliminated from contention for the ACC title, despite a 17-5 win against N.C. State earlier in the day.
“In my mind, we got off to a bad start,” Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall said.
“The home run [Richie] Schaffer hit was huge for them, and then we made mistakes by not covering the bag, committing balks on the mound and giving up sac flies. We didn’t play the way we needed to play to stay in the game and compete for a championship tomorrow.”
Shaffer was 2-for-4 with a three-run home run for the Tigers, while Brad Miller and Mike Freeman each chipped in two RBIs to lead the team.
Lamb (4-4) scattered two Georgia Tech runs over 6 1/3 innings, yielding just six hits on the night. He struck out four in the outing.
The Yellow Jackets strung together 10 hits on the evening, but stranded eight base runners in the loss.
Tech starter Jed Bradley was dealt the loss and fell to 9-4 on the year after allowing five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Bradley, who entered the game with an average of 10.4 strikeouts per game, recorded just two in his second-shortest outing of the season.
Schaffer gave Clemson a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, sending a two-out three-run homer over the wall in right field off of Bradley.
To open the day, sixth-ranked Georgia Tech combined for 11 in the sixth and seventh innings in a win against the Wolfpack.
The 17 runs were the most scored by a team in the ACC Championships since 2005, when then-No. 1 seed Georgia Tech defeated Florida State by an 18-2 score in Jacksonville, Fla.
Senior Tony Plagman led the Yellow Jackets at the plate on the day, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Sophomore Matt Skole also drove in three runs for Georgia Tech.
Junior Brandon Cumpton won his third straight game on the mound, improving to 9-2 overall on the season after allowing five runs – four earned—on six hits over six innings. Cumpton struck out four batters, and issued just two walks.
Originally started on Friday night, heavy rain and lightning suspended play for 13 hours and 46 minutes before resuming Saturday with Tech up 2-0 in the first inning.