State scoreboard, Friday, May 24

Jimmy Obertop tied the game with a
swing of his bat and won it with his
bat on his shoulders. (Clemson photo)

Player of the day: Jimmy Obertop, Clemson, 2B, HR, BB, 4 RBI

ACC Tournament
* Clemson 8, Louisville 7 - The third-ranked Tigers rallied from six runs down to win on a bases-loaded walk to Jimmy Obertop in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Obertop's three-run homer in the eighth tied the score and completed Clemson's comeback from a 6-0 deficit.

Louisville's J.T. Benson led off the game with a home run and Luke Napleton had a two-run homer  as part of a three-run second. The Cardinals added single runs in the third and fourth innings.

Tristan Bissetta singled in a run in the fourth and tripled in a run in the sixth, and Jacob Jarrell followed with a two-run homer to make the score 6-4.

After Louisville scored as unearned run the seventh, Obertop produced the tying hit in the eighth after Blake Wright had singled and Cam Cannarella had walked.

With one out in the Clemson ninth, Jacob Hinderleider, Wright and Cannarella singled to load the bases for Obertop, who took four consecutive balls to complete the Tigers' 24th comeback win of the season.

The Tigers (41-14) are expected to be one of the top eight national seeds and host a regional when NCAA tournament bids are announced Sunday and Monday.

***

SEC Tournament
South Carolina 6, Kentucky 5 - Freshman Parker Marlatt struck out six as he pitched 3 2/3 of brilliant relief and the Gamecocks overcame early defensive struggles on the infield and took advantage of No. 2 Kentucky's control issues to eliminate the Wildcats.

The Gamecocks play LSU at 1 p.m. Saturday in a single-elimination round to send the winner to the championship game. LSU beat USC, 11-10, Thursday with a late rally aided by shaky USC defense.

Three misplays by USC infielders contributed to two runs in the Kentucky second, but Gavin Casas put the Gamecocks up, 3-2, on a three-run homer.

More misadventures on the infield allowed Kentucky to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth, with Marlatt coming in to get the final out.

He held the Wildcats at bay while Carolina (36-22) rallied. Light-hitting Will Tippett, getting his first start of the tournament, tied the game with a leadoff homer in the fifth. Later in the inning, Blake Jackson drew a two-out walk, Cole Messina was intentionally walked after a passed ball, and Parker Noland and Kennedy Jones were hit by pitches to put USC ahead. Dalton Reeves drew a walk for a two-run cushion.

Marlatt didn't allow a hit until Nick Lopez's leadoff single in the eighth. Ryan Nicholson had a one-out double to score Lopez and drive Marlatt from the game. Matthew Becker came in to face Nolan McCarthy, who lined a shot to first baseman Ethan Petry, who caught the ball and threw the ball to second for a double play.

Becker struck out out two in working a clean ninth to get his first save.

Casas had to leave the game during an at-bat when he suffered an apparent hand injury. ESPN reported he suffered a broken hamate bone, which would signal the end of his season. Coach Mark Kingston did not confirm that report. 
***

Big South Tournament

* USC Upstate 4, Charleston Southern 2 - Mathieu Curtis struck out seven and allowed one earned run in six innings as the Spartans survived their second elimination game of the day to reach the championship round.

Upstate will play High Point at noon Saturday, needing to win twice to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Both teams scored single runs in the second and fourth innings. Grant Sherrod broke the tie in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to score Jace Rinehart. Koby Kropf added an RBI single in the eighth to score Daniel Gernon. 

Noah Sullivan pitched three shutout innings to the save for Upstate (36-23). Charleston Southern finished the second at 22-32.

* High Point 12, Charleston Southern 11 -  Earlier Friday, Eric Grintz answered a pinch-hit two-run homer by CSU's Aidan McAskie in the top of the ninth with one of his own to send the Panthers into the championship round.

The Buccaneers (22-31) scored seven runs in the second inning, but High Point took a 9-8 lead on a four-run fifth.

Each team scored a run in the seventh.

Chandler Tuopo singled to open the Buccaneers' ninth and McAskie, who entered the game batting .149, lined a shot over the left-field wall.

A hit by pitch in the Panthers' ninth was followed by Grintz's blast to right-center, his fourth hit of the game.

* USC Upstate 9, Presbyterian 8 - Earlier Friday, A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the ninth inning put the Spartans ahead as they eliminated the regular-season champion Blue Hose.

Upstate (35-23) scored three runs in the first and led until Brody Fahr's grand slam put PC up, 7-6, in the seventh.

Each team scored a run in the eighth.

In the Spartans' ninth, Noah Sullivan doubled to lead off. Grant Sherrod's one-out single scored pinch-runner Easton Cullison.

With two out, Troy Hamilton singled, Vance Sheahan walked and Tyler Lang was hit by a pitch to score the winning run,

PC finished its season 29-27.

***

CAA Tournament
Cougars rained out - College of Charleston's scheduled game with UNCW was postponed until Saturday at 11 a.m.
***

SoCon Tournament
* Wofford 5, UNCG 2 - The Terriers were held to five hits, but made efficient use to top the regular-season champion Spartans.

Wofford scored a pair in the third inning and a single run in the fifth. Meanwhile, starter Branton Little was holding UNCG off the board.

The Terriers (38-17) added two runs in the fifth on a throwing error and an RBI double by Marshall Toole. 

Luke Jenkins got a two-run single in he UNCG fifth, but Wofford's Kenny Michaels struck out six in 3 2/3 innings to close out the game.

Wofford advances to a noon game on Saturday against Samford. East Tennessee eliminated the Spartans later Friday.

***

ACC TOURNAMENT

Truist Field, Charlotte

Florida State 12, Virginia 7

Clemson 8, Louisville 7 - Cle: Tristan Bissetta 3-5, 3B, R, 2 RBI

Wake Forest 9, North Carolina 5, 12 innings

BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Truist Point, High Point, N.C.
USC Upstate 9, Presbyterian 8 - Up: Vance Sheahan 3-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI

High Point 12, Charleston Southern 11 - Cha: Chandler Tuopo 3-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI

USC Upstate 4, Charleston Southern 2 - Up: Koby Kropf 2-4, SB, RBI

COASTAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Brooks Field, Wilmington, N.C. 

William & Mary 16, Hofstra 6

Delaware 18, William & Mary 8

Postponed to 11 a.m. Saturday
Game 8: College of Charleston vs. UNCW

SEC TOURNAMENT
Hoover (Ala.) Metropolitan Stadium

South Carolina 6, Kentucky 5 - USC: Parker Marlatt W, 3.2 IP, 2 H, R, 6 K

Tennessee 6, Mississippi State 5 

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Fluor Field, Greenville

Wofford 5, UNCG 2 - Wof: Kenny Michaels S, 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K
Samford 9, Mercer 7

East Tennessee State 10, UNCG 7

Mercer 10, Western Carolina 8

SUN BELT CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Riverwalk Stadium, Montgomery, Ala.
Appalachian State 10, Troy 6

James Madison 15, Old Dominion 5, 8 innings

(6/1375)

Beyond the border

* ACC: Wake Forest's Chase Burns struck out 15 in six innings,  but the No. 22 Demon Deacons needed 12 innings to beat No. 7 North Carolina, 9-5, and the Pool A title to earn a spot  in the semifinals ... No. 10 Florida State clinched a spot in the semifinals with a 12-7 Pool D win over No. 16 Virginia.

* SEC: Blake Burke's eighth-inning homer lifted No. 2 Tennessee over No. 15 Mississippi State and into the tournament semifinals Saturday against Vanderbilt.

* Elsewhere:  A nine-run seventh gave Samford a 9-7 win over Mercer in  the Southern Conference Tournament ... The Bears stayed alive later by hitting four homers in eliminating Western Carolina, 10-8 ... East Tennessee State scored seven runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to eliminate SoCon regular-season champ UNCG, 10-7 ... No. 9 East Carolina topped Rice, 8-7, in the American Athletic Conference Tournament ... Birmingham Southern beat Denison, 10-1, in the opener of an NCAA Division II super regional. Why do I include this? The private school is closing its doors at the end of the month because of financial issues ... Catawba beat Georgia College. 9-6, in the first game of the best-of-three NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.