CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Interstat) — Javar Williams launched a towering grand slam in the sixth inning Wednesday, capping a seven-run outburst that propelled Wake Forest to a 15-4 rout of Clemson in a seven-inning Atlantic Coast Conference baseball game shortened by the league’s 10-run rule.

The Demon Deacons (21-9, 4-6 ACC) sent 12 batters to the plate in the decisive sixth, transforming an 8-4 contest into a blowout and securing the series split at Truist Field. The Tigers fell to 19-11 overall and 4-7 in conference play.

Wake Forest’s offensive explosion was a collective effort, amassing 14 hits, but it was Williams’ blast that served as the exclamation point. The center fielder, who had been in a 1-for-16 slump over his previous four games, worked a walk and scored in the first, walked again in the second, and flied out in the third and fifth innings before his game-breaking hit. With the bases loaded and two outs, he connected for his sixth home run of the season, a deep shot to right field that cleared the bases and invoked the mercy rule.

The game began as a back-and-forth affair. Clemson scratched across a run in the third on a fielder’s choice by Jack Crighton to take a 4-3 lead, erasing an early 3-0 deficit Wake Forest built in the first inning against Tigers starter Jacob Harrison. The Demon Deacons responded immediately and forcefully in the bottom of the third, batting around to score four runs. Matt Conte drove in the tying run with a single, and Blake Schaaf and Marek Stein followed with an RBI triple and a sacrifice fly, respectively, to make it 7-4.

Clemson’s Tryston McCladdie hit a solo home run, his eighth of the year, to lead off the fifth, and an RBI single from Cam Clavon later in the inning cut the deficit to 8-6. That was as close as the Tigers would get.

Wake Forest’s bullpen combination of Zach Johnston and Rhys Bowie proved critical in stifling Clemson’s momentum. Johnston entered in the sixth and delivered 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits to earn the win. Bowie provided 2 1/3 innings of relief earlier, surrendering one run on one hit while striking out three.

Conte finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs, including an RBI triple in the fourth. Schaaf went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and Antonio Torres drove in two runs. For Clemson, Clavon had three of the team’s eight hits, going 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base.

The Tigers used eight pitchers, with starter Jacob Harrison failing to record an out in the second inning. Relievers Noah Samol, Landon Fowler and Peyton Miller each provided scoreless outings, but the staff combined to issue nine walks and hit two batters. Clemson’s frustrations boiled over in the bottom of the second when head coach Erik Bakich was ejected following a disputed call.

The most important sequence of the game was Wake Forest’s relentless bottom of the sixth inning. After a leadoff walk and a hit-by-pitch, three consecutive plate appearances with the bases loaded produced a walk, a sacrifice fly and Schaaf’s RBI single to make it 11-4. Following a fielder’s choice that resulted in an out at home, Williams stepped in and delivered the final, decisive blow, ensuring the game would not reach the ninth.

Wake Forest opens a three-game ACC series at Pittsburgh on Friday. Clemson travels to California for a three-game set against Stanford beginning the same day.