SANTA CLARA, CALIF. - Jason Fultz Jr. hit a three-run homer, the first long ball of his career, with two outs in the eighth inning to propel Clemson to a 6-4 victory over Santa Clara at Stephen Schott Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Tigers improved to 22-12, while the Broncos dropped to 13-18.
Jacob Jarrell laced a two-out single in the first inning to score a run, then Jackson Moore lofted a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. Johnny Luetzow grounded a run-scoring double over the first-base bag in the sixth inning, then Will Anderson followed with a single to score the tying run. Later in the frame, three straight two-out walks enabled Santa Clara to score the go-ahead run.
In the top of the eighth inning, Luke Gaffney led off with a hit-by-pitch and Tyler Lichtenberger slapped a one-out single. Two batters later with two outs, Fultz crushed a long three-run homer to left field to give Clemson a 5-3 lead. Later in the frame, Bryce Clavon reached on an infield single to score another run.
The Broncos scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning on Payton Lambert’s sacrifice fly.
Joe Allen (3-0) earned the win in relief, while Justin LeGuernic pitched 2.0 innings to record his third save of the year. RJ Meyn (1-3) suffered the loss.
The Tigers host No. 5 North Carolina in a three-game series, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
