CLEMSON, S.C. - An error plagued night led to a series loss for the Clemson Tigers on Saturday as N.C. State came out victorious by a score of 4-0. Tiger pitcher Ethan Darden suffered his first loss of the season despite tossing a complete game in which he only allowed one earned run. N.C. State complied 7 hits off of Darden but unsuccessfully drew any walks. Ethan Darden was the lone bright spot on Saturday as Eric Bakich gave his pitcher much deserved credit.
"He (Ethan) was relentless tonight but unfortunately we didn't provide him much help defensively or offensively which is very uncharacteristic of us," said Bakich.
This marks Clemson's third consecutive loss and after being ranked #2 in the nation, the Tigers have taken a major step back. Even after another loss, Clemson Head Coach Eric Bakich has unwavering faith in his club.
"We have had a tough week but that does not have to lead any further. We need to keep our heads up and chest out and know that we will get this turned around," said Bakich. "These last few games we have not been consistent and we have not been good."
The high powered offense that has been the catalyst for Clemson this season has just not been present this week. Tonight, the Tigers left 11 runners on the base paths and only accumulated five hits, three of which came from Blake Wright. One would think that three losses in one week is bad enough news for Clemson, however Eric Bakich did not bring promising news in the postgame presser when asked about an injury update on infielder Andrew Cuifo.
"Cuifo will be out for a while," says Bakich. The Tigers junior suffered a knee injury in South Bend while playing against Notre Dame in last weekend's ACC series.
Game three against N.C. State will start at 1pm Sunday. The Tigers then have a day off before hosting Charlotte on Tuesday evening. Tonight marked the sixth loss for Clemson this season and the fourth loss in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
