Clemson Drops Baseball Series to South Carolina

Game 1: South Carolina 5 Clemson 4

It looked good for Clemson early when Grayson Byrd crushed a two-run homer in the first inning, but a five-run second inning by the Gamecocks proved to be too much. Michael Green and Sam Hall each produced some RBI’s for Clemson, but that wasn’t enough as the Tigers dropped game 1. Clemson’s lack of aggression at the plate doomed the Tigers as many batters watched called third strikes. Starter Brooks goes to 0-1 on the year.

Game 2: Clemson 11 South Carolina 5

Clemson got the bats going early on Saturday. Leading 4-3 in the 4th, the Tigers got a big boost from Sam Hall, who crushed a two-run homer, and then Kyle Wilkie brought in another run to make it 7-3. Freshman Davis Sharpe got the start on the mound, and pitched 3.2 innings while also going 1-3 as the designated hitter for the Tigers. Sam Weatherly’s 1.1 innings of relief work earned him his second win on the season, while Holt Jones got his first save.

Game 3: South Carolina 14 Clemson 3

You have good days and bad days in baseball, and Sunday was a bad day for this young Clemson team. Despite getting an early 1-0 lead on a Kyle Wilkie double, Clemson had very little going offensively and couldn’t find an answer for South Carolina’s bats. TJ Hopkins and Luke Berryhill had some big innings, with Hopkins doubling in the first and Berryhill hitting a 3 run homer. Later in the fourth, the pair each homered to help fuel the five-run inning for the Gamecocks. Starter Justin Wrobleski falls to 0-2 on the year. Wrobleski was pulled in the first for Keyshawn Askew. Questions about the Sunday starter will certainly be a hot topic for Tiger fans this week, as many are wondering if Monte Lee will make a change to the rotation.

The Tigers will now regroup with a Tuesday night game in Greenville against the Furman Paladins at Flour Field. Following that, Clemson will be back at Doug Kingsmore stadium this weekend to open up ACC play against the North Carolina Tar Heels.