CLEMSON, S.C. – Redshirt freshman Alex Eubanks threw his first career complete game and the Tigers blasted five home runs as No. 7 national seed Clemson downed Western Carolina, 15-3, in an elimination game at the NCAA Clemson Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Sunday.
Clemson (44-19) will face Oklahoma State later Sunday evening for the regional title, while the Southern Conference champion Catamounts see their season end at 31-31.
Eubanks (6-5), who carried a shutout into the eighth inning, allowed three runs (one earned) on nine hits and two walks in a career-high nine innings of work. The rookie right-hander struck out three and was backed by homers from Seth Beer, Chris Okey, Weston Wilson, Chase Pinder and Eli White.
Garrett Brown, Brett Pope and Matt Smith led the Catamounts at the plate, each collecting two hits. Smith finished his junior campaign with a .388 average, good for fourth in the SoCon.
Clemson spotted Eubanks an early lead, scoring on a delayed double steal in the top of the second. With runners at the corners, Wilson took off for second, drawing a throw from Western Carolina catcher Danny Bermudez. Okey broke for home on the throw, which sailed into center, allowing both runners to safely advance.
A three-run third inning was highlighted by Beer’s two-run double, while Wilson’s RBI groundout made it 4-0. The Tigers added five more in the fourth to pull away. Pinder got things going with a one-out solo home run, and Okey, Reed Rohlman, Wilson and Triller later had consecutive run-scoring hits as Clemson blew the game open at 9-0.
Western Carolina had a chance to get back in it in the fourth but came up empty. A double play erased Pope’s leadoff single, but Smith doubled down the right-field line and Bermudez was hit by a pitch. Kramer Ferrell then drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases, but a fielder’s choice to shortstop ended the inning.
After a homer by Beer, the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, made it 10-0 in the top half of the sixth, the Catamounts missed out on another good scoring chance in the bottom half. Smith and Bermudez rapped consecutive two-out singles, but Eubanks struck out Ferrell to keep the shutout intact.
Okey and Wilson hit two-run home runs in the eighth, but a Bryson Bowman sacrifice fly in the bottom half broke up the shutout.
White hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth before Ferrell and Reece Strong hit RBI singles in the bottom half for the final margin.
WCU starter Dillon Bray (2-5) was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits and six walks in 3 1/3 innings of work.
The Catamounts finished the season victorious in six of their last nine games, winning their first SoCon Championship since 2003 and making their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2007. Western Carolina, which topped Nebraska 4-1 on Saturday, won at least one game in postseason play for the eighth time in 12 NCAA appearances.
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