Clemson storms back late to top Gamecocks, secure rivalry series win
It appeared as though Clemson might have just missed its shot.
The Tigers had the bases loaded and no outs Sunday in the sixth inning. They trailed South Carolina 2-1 in the rubber match of the three-game series but came away empty after an unusual double play and a strikeout.
“It’s frustrating obviously, at that time, because you think sometimes that may be the opportunity that you have in the game,” Clemson coach Monte Lee said.
Instead of hanging their heads and closing up shop, the Tigers (9-2) battled back to score four runs in their next at-bat on their way to a 5-2 win over the Gamecocks (7-4). The win is Clemson’s fifth series victory in six years against USC. Lee is now 4-1 against South Carolina.
“Great win today by our guys. Definitely not pretty,” Lee said. “We talk about being mentally tough. Mentally tough people move on when they face adversity. When you fail you’ve got to be able to squash it and move on to the next pitch and keep playing, and that’s what we did. I’m proud of our guys for not letting the sixth inning affect us in a negative way.”
Elijah Henderson and Kier Meredith got Clemson started during the critical seventh inning with back-to-back one-out singles and Davis Sharpe was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.
Bryar Hawkins tied the game with a sac fly, before some two-out magic from Clemson.
James Parker doubled to drive in two runs and give Clemson a 4-2 lead. Adam Hackenberg followed with a single to push the lead to three runs.
“We went to the bottom of the seventh with a lead and we asked our bullpen to get us three outs before we can get to Brett Kerry for the eighth and ninth. It just didn’t work out that way,” South Carolina coach Mark Kingston said. “We were in this exact same outfield two years ago with a little disappointment and months later we were playing to go to Omaha.”
Beyond the box score
South Carolina walked six batters and hit two more on Sunday, issuing eight free passes on the afternoon. For the series the Gamecocks issued 16 free passes and committed six errors over the 27 innings.
“We have what we have and those guys are capable. They have to get it done,” Kingston said.
In contrast, Clemson issued only two free passes on the day Sunday. Reliever Mat Clark (2-0) was lights out, allowing only one hit in three shutout innings of relief to earn the win. He struck out four and retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced.
Carson Spiers (2) pitched two shutout innings to earn the save. USC reliever Daniel Lloyd allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings of work and suffered the loss.
“They threw a lot of strikes. They threw more strikes than we did,” Kingston said of Clemson’s bullpen. “We gave eight free passes today. It’s not a complicated game. They made us earn everything we got. We gave them eight free passes. Their bullpen came in and threw strikes.”
Key inning
The Tigers had only three hits entering the seventh inning when the bats got hot. Parker and Hackenberg delivered clutch two-out hits to drive in runs in the four-run frame.
South Carolina had a chance to add insurance in the top of the seventh, putting two on with only one out but did not take advantage.
Stars of the game
Clark was the star for the Tigers, keeping South Carolina’s offense off balance. The lefty was Clemson’s ace last season before moving into a relief role this year. He has embraced the role and is performing well.
Parker and Hackenberg each had two hits for Clemson at the plate, combining for four of the team’s eight hits.
For South Carolina, second baseman Noah Campbell drove in the Gamecocks’ only two runs with a two-out, two-run single in the second.
Next games
Clemson: 4 p.m. Wednesday, College of Charleston (ACC Network Extra)
South Carolina: 6 p.m. Tuesday at Furman (SoCon Digital Network)
This story was originally published March 1, 2020 at 5:01 PM.
