’Noles falter in ACC finale
DURHAM, N.C. — Clemson’s latest Atlantic Coast Conference title was worth the wait — a decade to get back to the final, then all day Sunday to finally finish the game.
The Tigers won their first ACC Tournament title since 2006, beating Florida State 18-13 in a championship game delayed three times by rain.
Chase Pinder and Chris Okey had four RBIs apiece while Eli White drove in three for the sixth-seeded Tigers (42-18), who let much of a 17-run lead slip away after scoring at least three runs in each of the first four innings.
Clemson led 18-1 before the fourth-seeded Seminoles (37-20) got their first hit.
Dylan Busby homered twice, including a tworun shot that capped an eight-run eighth for Florida State. Tyler Holton also homered for the Seminoles.
They set the dubious championship game record for most runs scored by a losing team and committed four errors on a sloppy, rainy day that included a delayed start and three in-game stoppages for a total of nearly five hours in rain delays.
“Having had the pleasure of working at this job for a few years, I don’t think I’ve ever been behind 18-1,” veteran Florida State coach Mike Martin said. “But I also don’t think I ever been around a club that refused to throw the towel in.”
The game was delayed 13 minutes after the first inning due to rain, and more showers came in the top of the third, leading to a delay of 2 hours, 41 minutes.
Play was stopped again after the eighth inning for 1 hour, 54 minutes due to lightning and more rain.
“I feel like we played a tripleheader,” Martin quipped.
Host sites set
Florida, Florida State and Miami were among the 16 schools selected to host Regionals, the NCAA announced Sunday.
The full bracket and seedings will be revealed during a selection at noon today on ESPNU.