Playing for its postseason life Thursday night, Clemson did something it could not really afford to do in Game 1 of its three game series against Duke. It lost.
Thanks to a strong pitching performance from Duke starter Jack Carey, the Blue Devils dropped Clemson into a tie for 10th place with Virginia Tech in the ACC standings.
The Tigers (24-24) and Hokies both fell to 16-18 in ACC play. Most feel Clemson needs to win the series over Duke to make the NCAA Tournament. Carey made sure the Tigers will have to do it when he is not on the mound.