Clemson’s offense ignited late, but defensive miscues and Bryant's tenacious play raise serious concerns for the rest of the weekend series.
The Bryant Bulldogs got on the board first and made No. 19 Clemson sweat it out until the Tigers offense started to cook in the eighth inning.
Clemson's defense struggled with errors, allowing Bryant to tie up the contest at 3-3 in the seventh inning despite only having two hits.
With the game tied 3-3, Clemson scored six runs in the eighth to swing the momentum in its favor. The Tigers earned a 9-3 opening series win over Bryant at Doug Kingmore Stadium.
During a postgame interview, Clemson baseball head coach Erik Bakich praised Bryant for not being intimidated for the series against the Tigers. He knows the Bulldogs are going to be a concern for Clemson this weekend.
"It's just, you know, some ballsy, gutsy, good stuff, aggressive stuff," Kingmore said of Bryant's performance. "And you know, Ryan Klosterman is a great coach, an up-and-coming star in the profession...
"It's kind of, you know, what you would expect from a guy like that. So I know we're going to have some tough battles the rest of the weekend, just, you know, because the team certainly has taken on his personality, of being aggressive."
Clemson anticipated that Bryant wouldn't come into the series scared. While the Tigers offense was overwhelming late in the game, the Bulldogs showed they have the ability to hang with the ACC program.
"We got on the board early with a couple of three-spot home runs, and then just kind of saw what a tough, scrappy, hard-nosed team looks like, where they took advantage of everything we gave them," Bakich said.
"We gave them three errors. They only got two hits, but they converted all of that into three runs, including a steal of home with a guy in the stretch."
Relief Pitcher Joe Allen earned the win for Clemson.
Aidan Knaak got the start for the Tigers, allowing no earned runs, one hit, and earning eight strikeouts in five innings pitched.
First baseman Luke Gaffney and catcher Jacob Jarrell each hit a home run for Clemson on the afternoon.
Clemson will play Game 2 against Bryant on Saturday.