Coastal Carolina pounds Clemson in critical midweek game

CLEMSON — At this point in the season, every game is critical for a Clemson team that is trying to stay alive in its fight for an NCAA Tournament bid.

The Tigers missed a big opportunity for a quality win Tuesday night against Coastal Carolina.

Clemson was pounded by the Chanticleers in Conway, falling 17-2 at Springs Brooks Stadium.

Coastal led 15-0 after the fourth inning as Clemson was never really in the game. The Chanticleers scored four runs in the second inning, four more in the third and seven in the fourth to grab control.

The big blow was a grand slam by Dale Thomas in the fourth, which was followed by a two-run homer by Kameron Guangorena later in the inning.

Each of Clemson’s first five pitchers allowed at least two runs, while none made it through two innings of work.

Nick Hoffmann suffered the loss, allowing four runs in 1 2/3 innings. Clemson’s defense also made a couple of errors, which didn’t help the pitching staff.

At the plate, Benjamin Blackwell drove in Clemson’s only runs on a two-RBI single in the fifth inning. Blake Wright and Jonathan French each had two hits.

The Tigers fall to 32-21 with the loss and have now dropped four of their past five games.

Clemson entered Tuesday night with a No. 18 RPI and a chance to earn a top 35 RPI win on the road.

However, with another loss and with a 10-16 conference record, it’s appearing more and more likely that Clemson will miss the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.

The Tigers do have a few more opportunities to improve their resume as they host Boston College this weekend, before ACC tournament play begins.

As things stand, the Tigers are not guaranteed a spot in the ACC tournament. However, they can lock one up with a strong weekend against the Eagles.