OXFORD, Miss. — Sometimes, all it takes is one play to turn the direction of a ballgame. That was the case Friday afternoon in Game 1 of the Oxford (Miss.) Regional.
Clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, No. 3 seed Clemson found itself in trouble when Illinois loaded the bases with one out.
“A hit right there, a walk, anything changes the momentum and they’re back in it,” Clemson catcher Kyle Wilkie said following the Tigers’ 8-4 victory over No. 2 seed Illinois at Swayze Field in Oxford.
However, the momentum shifted to the Clemson dugout when second baseman Jordan Greene backhanded a Michael Massey hit up the middle, flipped the baseball out of his glove to shortstop Logan Davidson for the first out at second, who then threw it on to first to complete the 4-6-3 double play, ending the Illini’s last serious threat in the game.