Tigers take it: Clemson clinches 2025 baseball rivalry series over South Carolina
Paul Mainieri will have to wait for his first Palmetto Series win.
Clemson baseball continued its hot start and clinched a series win over South Carolina and Mainieri with a 5-1 victory at Fluor Field in Greenville on Saturday.
The No. 13 Tigers, who won 5-3 in Clemson a day earlier, went up two games to none in the rivalry series heading into Sunday’s finale at Founders Park in Columbia.
It’s the first time Clemson (9-1) has won back-to-back series against USC since 2017-18. The Tigers have also won eight of the last 11 series with the Gamecocks.
Saturday’s game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 6,983.
“We’re happy to win the series, but we’re not satisfied,” Clemson coach Erik Bakich said postgame. “We’ve got one more crack at it tomorrow.”
Clemson star and top MLB Draft prospect Cam Cannarella had the go-ahead RBI double in the top of the sixth inning, driving in teammate Dominic Listi, and scored on the next at-bat after USC didn’t cover home plate to make it 2-0 Tigers.
Tigers starting pitcher Ethan Darden pitched seven shutout innings, then Gamecocks star first baseman Ethan Petry finally got USC on the board in the bottom of the eighth, smashing a home run to deep left center off Clemson’s relief pitcher.
Clemson added to its lead and ultimately broke the game open in the top of the ninth inning, putting up three insurance runs on a pair of USC relievers to take a 5-1 lead.
The Gamecocks (9-2) entered the bottom of the ninth inning having scored just four total runs in the series to that point ... and needing four to extend Saturday’s game.
That didn’t happen, sending USC into a 2-0 series hole. The Gamecocks entered the weekend averaging 8.7 runs per game but have just four in two games against Clemson (the first power conference team they’ve faced this season).
“We’re gonna face a lot of good pitching the rest of the year, so we’re gonna have to find some hitting somewhere,” Mainieri said.
Game recap
Clemson started the top of the first inning Saturday with a leadoff triple. USC had a leadoff double and loaded the bases in the bottom of the first.
Their combined runs during that inning? Zero.
Early offense felt like the name of the game at Fluor Field until it wasn’t. South Carolina starting pitcher Jake McCoy and Clemson starter Darden both got jumped on early but quickly settled in, navigating out of first-inning jams.
After USC left fielder Kennedy Jones’ double play prevented a Clemson run and Darden got three straight outs after loading the bases, it was 0-0 after one inning.
“We had a great chance there, bases loaded in the first inning with no outs, and we let them off the hook,” Mainieri said. “That came back to bite us.”
And that score didn’t budge. The Tigers and Gamecocks were deadlocked at 0-0 through five innings and had just four hits combined at that point.
Cannarella, Clemson’s junior center fielder and reigning All-American, finally broke the seal with his RBI double in the top of the sixth that drove Listi — followed by his own sprint to home to add another run to Clemson’s lead.
Nobody covered home plate after USC catcher Talmadge LeCroy ran out to secure a bunt, allowing Cannarella to advance from second to third to home (by the skin of his teeth) in a savvy display of base-running to make the score 2-0.
“It’s one thing to send him,” Bakich said. “It’s another thing for the baserunner to maintain full throttle and just go for it. Cam had a hell of a slide at the plate.”
McCoy pitched valiantly for USC despite surrendering two earned runs. The sophomore lefty had a season-high 12 strikeouts in six innings (93 pitches).
Darden was strong, too, pitching a seven-inning shutout with six strikeouts and nine groundouts. Clemson’s defense also turned a number of double plays.
Tigers relief pitcher Drew Titsworth had a good start to the eighth inning before giving up a home run to Petry, whose home run soared over the replica Green Monster at Fluor Field (home of a Boston Red Sox minor league affiliate).
USC reliever Tyler Pitzer pitched two shutout innings before surrendering an RBI single to Clemson’s Jacob Jarrett in the top of the ninth (3-1).
Fellow Gamecocks reliever Parker Marlatt gave up two more runs in that frame (a sac fly and an RBI double) before Titsworth closed the game out for Clemson.
USC has now lost five straight games against Clemson after getting swept 2-0 in a weather-shortened series last year. South Carolina’s last win against its rival came in a March 5, 2023 home game at Founders Park, where they return for Sunday’s closer.
“We need to get our chins up and get ready to play tomorrow,” Mainieri said.
Next Clemson-USC baseball game
Who: No. 13 Clemson (9-1) vs. South Carolina (9-2)
When: 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Founders Park in Columbia
TV: SEC Network Plus (streaming only)
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 4:19 PM.
