Clemson gets good news on ace Ryan Ammons

It was a good day for Clemson on and off the field on Friday.

In addition to the Tigers beating South Carolina in Game 1 of the rivalry series, Clemson also received good news with ace Ryan Ammons.

The lefty was ruled out for this weekend with an injury issue and missed his start on Friday, but head coach Erik Bakich revealed following the win that the injury is not serious.

“We got great news today. It’s a forearm strain. Just something in the forearm,” Bakich said. “It was the best case scenario for us. It was a forearm strain and should be back in a few weeks.”

Ammons is 1-0 on the season, with a 2.70 ERA. He has 19 strikeouts in only 10 innings pitched.

Ammons was used as a reliever last season, before moving into the rotation as Clemson’s Friday-night starter this year.

Despite not having their ace, Clemson was still impressive in Game 1 against the Gamecocks.

Austin Gordon moved into the Friday-night role and was outstanding, pitching 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

As a team, Clemson only allowed one earned run in the 5-2 victory.

“The energy at Doug Kingsmore tonight was awesome. … Truly a 10^th man, so that was really cool to see. Gordo really set the tone – pitched very well. Just had some good stuff,” Bakich said.

“It’s the best rivalry in college baseball, and it’s just as electric as I remembered it 21 years ago. … They’re a very good team. There’s a lot of weekend left, but it feels good in any weekend to get the first one and set the tone the way we did.”

Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday in Greenville, with Game 3 Sunday in Columbia.