72 days later, Clemson claims series finale to avoid sweep by South Carolina
Clemson baseball, teetering on the NCAA tournament bubble, needed a bounce-back win after getting swept this past weekend.
South Carolina, battling for an edge in the NCAA regional hosting conversation, was looking to build more momentum after a dramatic walk-off win Sunday.
In the end, the Tigers were the team to come away with the coveted victory Tuesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, topping the Gamecocks 7-2 in the finale of the rivalry series that was postponed from February. USC, which won the first two games of the annual in-state showdown, will still claim the series victory but missed the opportunity for the first sweep in the rivalry since 2014.
“It’s a great win for us against a great club and certainly helps in a lot of different ways,” Clemson coach Monte Lee said. “I think we all know, we’re fighting like crazy to get into the postseason and a win like this tonight certainly helps our case. ... Every game right now, it’s like a playoff game for us. We’re fighting every game to put ourselves in a position to get into the postseason.”
South Carolina actually out-hit Clemson on Tuesday, 8-6, and got a runner on base in eight of nine innings. But the Gamecocks went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 total on base while striking out 12 times.
“That was the difference in the ball game,” South Carolina coach Mark Kingston said. “We kept putting guys on base, kept putting guys on base and didn’t get the big hit.”
Indeed, Carolina’s only two runs on the evening came with no runners on — junior Wes Clarke went deep in the fifth inning for his 19th home run of the year, while senior Jeff Heinrich had his first homer of the season in the eighth.
The Tigers, meanwhile, took advantage of six walks, three hit batters and plenty of small ball to push the majority of their runs across.
After Clarke’s homer in the fifth, USC junior reliever Daniel Lloyd started off the bottom half of the frame with a walk, then hit Clemson junior centerfielder Bryce Teodosio near the ear flap of his helmet. After a lengthy delay, Teodosio left the game and was replaced on the basepaths by freshman J.D. Brock.
The next batter, leadoff man Sam Hall, tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but it shot out quickly to Lloyd. Looking to third to get the lead runner, though, Lloyd flubbed the throw and two runs scored as left fielder Josiah Sightler wasn’t able to back the play up quickly enough.
“Everything was done properly except for the execution of the throw,” Kingston said. “(Catcher Colin) Burgess made the right call, Danny got to the ball quick, turned and threw, (third baseman Brennan) Milone made the right decision to be at third base since it’s a force play so you have a little bit more time there. Danny just made a bad throw. It happens.”
Two batters later, an RBI single from sophomore James Parker drove in a third unearned run. It was the Tigers’ first hit of the game, but it was quickly followed by three more in the sixth inning. With two outs, sophomore Bryar Hawkins singled up the middle, freshman Max Wagner doubled down the left field line and Brock drove in a run with an infield single to make it 4-1.
After Heinrich went deep to close the gap in the eighth, Clemson responded with a solo home run of its own from freshman Dylan Brewer, followed by a pair of walks, an RBI single from sophomore Kier Meredith and a double steal to ultimately push three insurance runs across.
“We got great production throughout the lineup,” Lee said. “If you look at the lineup, Brewer hit a home run, Bryar scored two runs with a hit, Wagner scored two runs with a hit, J.T. Brock came into the ballgame and came up with a big two-strike single that scored us run. ... Just all in all, got great production from everybody in the lineup, and we pitched really well, so just a great effort by everybody.”
NEXT USC BASEBALL GAME
Who: No. 25 South Carolina vs. Kentucky
When: 6:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Kentucky Proud Park, Lexington, Kentucky
Watch: Streaming online on SEC Network Plus via WatchESPN
NEXT CLEMSON BASEBALL GAME
Who: Clemson vs. No. 17 Florida State
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Dick Howser Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
Watch: ACC Network
This story was originally published May 11, 2021 at 9:26 PM with the headline "72 days later, Clemson claims series finale to avoid sweep by South Carolina."
