Max Wagner stays hot, lifts Clemson past No. 9 Florida State

CLEMSON — Max Wagner had hit a home run in three straight games entering Friday night’s matchup with No. 9 Florida State.

The Clemson slugger didn’t hit one home run Friday night, though. He hit two.

Wagner drilled an 0-2 pitch over the left field wall for a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead Clemson to a 6-4 victory over the Seminoles at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson has now won six of its past seven games and continues to head in the right direction after struggling for a stretch in the middle of the season.

“What an exciting win on a Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium against a great team in Florida State,” Clemson coach Monte Lee said. “We had a great crowd tonight. You could certainly feel the crowd there at the end. We needed the crowd behind us. All-in-all just a great win for us at home.”

The Tigers trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning when Dylan Brewer singled to right field to get the inning off to a good start. The hit was Brewer’s first in nearly a month.

Clemson eventually loaded the bases with one out after an infield single, a fielder’s choice and an error.

That’s when Wagner hit his second home run of the night and his fifth in the past four games.

The Wisconsin native is now hitting .362 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs on the season. He leads Clemson in batting average, doubles, home runs and RBIs.

“Wagner, I mean he’s been unreal for us,” Lee said. “He’s killing it right now. He’s maybe the best player in our league right now. He’s stepped up for us big time and hitting the ball to all fields. He’s a phenomenal player.”

After Wagner gave Clemson the lead, Ryan Ammons made sure the Tigers held on to it, striking out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning to earn his sixth save of the season.

“Ammons just slammed the door on them in the ninth. He was devastating, just blowing fastballs in there,” Lee said.

Jackson Lindley (6-0) earned the win for Clemson, pitching 1 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run. The Tigers committed four errors, which helped FSU score two unearned runs, but overall Clemson did a nice job on the mound.

Ace Mack Anglin was solid, allowing two runs in 4 2/3 innings before giving way to the bullpen.

“I was proud of Mack Anglin. He gutted it out. He probably wasn’t as sharp as he was last week, but he really competed and gave us a chance,” Lee said. “The bullpen did a phenomenal job, and holy smokes, the eighth inning.”