No. 6 Tigers Top Tar Heels 14-7

CLEMSON, S.C. – No. 6 Clemson totaled 19 hits, including four home runs, in its 14-7 victory over North Carolina at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Thursday night. The Tigers, who took a 1-0 lead in the series and won their 10th game in a row, improved to 37-17 overall and 18-10 in the ACC. The Tar Heels dropped to 33-19 overall and 14-12 in ACC play in the 200th all-time meeting between the two programs.

Every Tiger starter had at least one hit, as Billy Amick led the way by going 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. Will Taylor added three hits and three runs, while Blake Wright went 3-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs.

After Taylor extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-out single in the first inning, Caden Grice belted a two-run homer, his 13th of the year. The Tigers tacked on four more two-out runs in the second inning on Cam Cannarella’s single, Cooper Ingle’s double, Taylor’s single and Amick’s single. Johnny Castagnozzi put North Carolina on the scoreboard with a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

The Tar Heels scored another run in the top of the fifth inning before Amick led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his 11th homer of the year. In the sixth inning, Clemson added five runs, highlighted by Amick’s run-scoring single and Wright’s three-run homer. Wright hit a two-run homer, his second of the game and seventh of the season, in the eighth inning.

Nick Clayton (7-0) earned the win in relief, as he pitched 2.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Tar Heel starter Max Carlson (4-2) suffered the loss, as he yielded six runs on 10 hits in 3.2 innings pitched.

The series continues Friday at 6 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.