Instant Replay: Clemson 8, South Carolina 7
By: trey-mccurry March 5, 2017

GREENVILLE — The Clemson Insider looks back at Clemson’s 8-7 win over South Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Fluor Field to even the series between the two in-state rivals.

What happened?

The Tigers (7-3) jumped on the board first behind a no-doubt, two-run homer from Seth Beer in the top of the first. The Gamecocks (7-4) answered with a run in the bottom of the first before tying the game with a run in the fourth. South Carolina took a 4-2 lead on a Jonah Bride two-run homer in the fifth and added to their lead with another run in the sixth to make it 5-2. Clemson cut the lead to 5-4 in the seventh thanks to a RBI double from Andrew Cox and a sac fly from Grayson Byrd. The Tigers tied it up in the eighth as Chase Pinder drove in Reed Rohlman to make it 5-5. Clemson took the lead in the ninth on a solo shot from Patrick Cromwell and then added key insurance runs on a Pinder RBI walk and a run-scoring fielder’s choice from Chris Williams to make it 8-5. The Gamecocks made a furious rally in the bottom of the ninth, cutting the lead to 8-7 and had the tying run on second but Ryley Gilliam struck out Alex Destino to end it and tie the series.

Game-Changing Moment:

There were several key moments in the game, but two really stood out in the ninth inning. With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the frame, Williams hit a bouncing ball to shortstop. South Carolina was unable to turn the double play, allowing the third run of the inning to score and giving the Tigers an 8-5 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Gamecocks had the tying run on second twice but Beer gunned a runner down at the plate for the second out and Gilliam finished it off with a strikeout.

What went right?

Clemson jumped out to an early lead and then showed toughness late in battling back from a three-run deficit. Logan Davidson, Rohlman, and Cox each had two hits in the Tigers’ 10-hit attack while Beer and Pinder each drove in two runs.

 

What went wrong?

The defense struggled, committing five errors in the game. On the mound, four pitchers combined to give up 12 hits a day after holding the Gamecocks to three hits.