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What we learned about Clemson baseball, Cam Cannarella's power in series win vs Louisville
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- What we learned about Clemson baseball, Cam Cannarella's power in series win vs Louisville
CLEMSON — Clemson baseball captured its sixth consecutive ACC series.
The No. 4 Tigers defeated No. 19 Louisville 2-1 in their three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. They took Game 1 after earning a 7-6 win and sealed the series Saturday, winning 2-1 in a pitcher's duel.
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Clemson (35-7, 13-5) dropped the finale Sunday, losing 8-6 after the Cardinals (28-11, 10-8) hit a two-run home run in the 12th inning.
Here's what we learned about Clemson's eighth series win this season as it continues its pursuit for the College World Series:
Cam Cannarella's lack of home runs isn't a problem for Clemson baseball
In the series finale, center fielder Cam Cannarella hit his first home run since March 9. His power has been largely missing this year, hitting .306 with 14 extra-base hits including two home runs. Those totals are the lowest of his career.
Still, Clemson coach Erik Bakich said he isn't concerned with Cannarella, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft .
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"He's got to get good pitches to hit to get out," Bakich said April 18. "Nobody pitches to him. They make all the pitching changes when he comes up. They pitch around, and his name is circled on every opposing team scouting report, and he's earned that."
MORE: How Clemson baseball is trying to overcome drop in home runs
Drew Titsworth makes case for Clemson baseball's starting rotation
Bakich wanted more stability from his starting rotation and made changes to it against Louisville. Drew Titsworth started over Ethan Darden in Game 2 after Darden allowed five runs (three earned) over 1⅔ innings in his last start against Stanford on April 12. Bakich said postgame on April 19 that Darden skipped his usual start because of "tenderness" in his arm.
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Titsworth made his first career start, recording three strikeouts and holding Louisville's potent offense scoreless over six innings. Bakich said he and his staff gained confidence in Titsworth after he recorded a career-high seven strikeouts in 4⅓ innings against Gardner-Webb on April 9.
Titsworth's emergence gives Clemson options behind ace Aidan Knaak. Clemson can also use BJ Bailey, who struggled in his last start on April 13. He had a solid outing in the series finale, entering in the third inning to record four strikeouts and allow three runs over seven innings.
How Jack Crighton performed as right fielder for Clemson baseball
Clemson is figuring out who will play right field, but Jack Crighton started at the position in all three games in the Louisville series. He recorded only one hit, though it was a three-run, go-ahead homer in the seventh inning to lift Clemson in Game 1. It was his first career home run.
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Still, Crighton went 1-for-10 with three RBIs and three walks. He didn't commit a fielding error after having one in Clemson's last series. He hit 3-for-7 against Stanford in Clemson's previous conference series, but he made a key hit to help Clemson take down Louisville.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What we learned about Clemson baseball, Cam Cannarella vs Louisville
