DURHAM, N.C. (theACC.com) – No. 5 seed Clemson (42-15) scored three runs in the first inning and didn’t look back in a 6-1 win over No. 12 Virginia Tech (31-25) in the second game of the second round of the 2025 ACC Baseball Championship on Wednesday, May 21, in Durham, North Carolina.
 
The Tigers will face No. 4 seed NC State (33-18) in the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 22, at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
 
Aidan Knaak (9-1) started for the Tigers and, aside from one pitch, was dominant over six innings, earning the win. The First-Team All-ACC selection limited Virginia Tech’s offense to just one run on four hits, while walking one batter and striking out six.
 
VT starter Brett Renfrow (3-7) was handed the loss, as the sophomore allowed six runs on eight hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts over 5.1 innings on the mound.
 
Clemson had six players record a hit in the win, with three players posting multi-hit games in Jarren Purify (3-for-4, HBP, 2 runs, SB), Dominic Listi (2-for-3, HR, 2B, BB, 4 RBI, run) and TP Wentworth (2-for-4, 2B, run). Listi led the way with a game-high four RBIs, while Cam Cannarella (1-for-3, 2B, BB, SF, RBI, run) drove in the other RBI in the win.
 
The Hokies had four hits in the loss, led by Ben Watson (1-for-3, HR, BB, RBI, run) and his solo home run in the first inning. Henry Cooke (2-for-3) and Clay Grady (1-for-4) had the other three hits in the loss.
 
Virginia Tech led off the game with a solo home run from Watson to take a 1-0 lead just one batter into the game, yet would not score for the rest of the contest, mustering only three hits the rest of the day.
 
The lead did not last for long, as Clemson kick-started its day at the plate with three runs in the bottom half of the first inning on a Cannarella double, Purify single, a wild pitch, and a two-run home run off the bat of Listi to take a 3-1 lead just one inning into the contest.
 
Listi struck again in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out, two-run double to left-center field to double the Tigers' lead at 5-1.
 
Cannarella added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the score at 6-1 with three innings to play.
 
Clemson starting pitcher Knaak settled in after the first batter of the game to strand one VT runner in the second inning, two in the fourth and one more in the fifth to keep the Hokies off the scoreboard.
 
Knaak handed the game over to the bullpen in the top of the seventh, where Jacob McGovern and Joe Allen combined to throw 3.0 hitless innings, striking out four and walking one to seal the win for the Tigers.
 
2025 ACC Baseball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 20
Game 1 – No. 16 California 12, No. 9 Miami 2 (8 innings)
Game 2 – No. 12 Virginia Tech 7, No. 13 Stanford 4
Game 3 – No. 15 Pitt 13, No. 10 Louisville 11
Game 4 – No. 14 Boston College 5, No. 11 Notre Dame 4 (10 innings)
 
Wednesday, May 21
Game 5 – No. 16 California 14, No. 8 Wake Forest 12
Game 6 – No. 5 Clemson 6, No. 12 Virginia Tech 1
Game 7 – No. 15 Pitt vs. No. 7 Duke, 5 p.m.
Game 8 – No. 14 Boston College vs. No. 6 Virginia, 9 p.m.
 
Thursday, May 22
Game 9 – No. 16 California vs. No. 1 Georgia Tech, 3 p.m.
Game 10 – No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 4 NC State, 7 p.m. 
 
Friday, May 23
Game 11 – Game 7 Winner vs. No. 2 Florida State, 3 p.m.
Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. No. 3 North Carolina, 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 24
Game 13 – Game 9 vs. Game 10 Winners, 1 p.m.
Game 14 – Game 11 vs. Game 12 Winners, 5 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 25 - Championship Game
Game 15 – Saturday Winners, Noon, ESPN2
 
All Tuesday through Saturday games air on ACC Network
All times Eastern