Click here for links to possible live coverage.
Florence-Darlington Tech vs. Glen Oaks CC, Palatka, Fla., 10 a.m.
Alabama State at The Citadel, noon
Clemson at South Carolina, noon, SEC Network
Lincoln at Limestone, DH, noon
Southeastern CC at USC Salkehatchie, DH, noon
St. Joseph's at USC Upstate, noon
USC Beaufort at Florida Memorial, DH, noon
USC Sumter at Brunswick, noon
Flagler at Francis Marion, 1 p.m.
Florence-Darlington Tech at St. Johns River, 1 p.m.
Harvard at Wofford, 1 p.m.
Indiana at College of Charleston, 1 p.m.
Jacksonville at Winthrop, 1 p.m.
Holy Cross at Presbyterian, 2 p.m.
North Florida at Charleston Southern, 2 p.m.
Furman at Campbell, 4:30 p.m.
Postponed
Catawba Valley at Spartanburg Methodist, DH, to 4 p.m. Monday
Canceled
Bluefield State at Benedict, DH
Chanticleer Classic
Springs Brooks Stadium, Conway
Ball State at Coastal Carolina, 1 p.m.
TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark, Myrtle Beach
Kent State vs. Illinois, 10 a.m.
Illinois vs. West Virginia, 1:30 p.m.
Other games in state, no state teams involved
The Ripken Complex, Myrtle Beach
Virginia vs. Cornell, 11 a.m.
Virginia Tech vs. Toledo, noon
Virginia Commonwealth vs. Pittsburgh, 3 p.m.
Lexington Sports Complex
501 Ball Park Road, Lexington
Canisius vs. Delaware, 10 a.m.
New Jersey Tech vs. UNC Asheville, 1:30 p.m.
Lexington High School
2463 Augusta Highway, Lexington
George Mason vs. Morehead State, 11 a.m.
Goose Creek
Lafayette vs. Richmond, 10 a.m.
Richmond vs. Maryland Baltimore County, 2 p.m.
All about baseball, especially at South Carolina colleges and universities. Click on Live Game Coverage Page at right for live video/audio/stats information. Under the Pages section on the right are links to interactive maps of stadium location for various conferences. Game stories, if available, will be linked to in the calendar at the bottom of the main page. Box scores, if available, will be linked to from the daily scoreboard.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Wrapping up Saturday's other S.C. college baseball action
The Clemson-South Carolina game was just one of dozens played across South Carolina on Saturday. Here's some of what you missed if you weren't paying attention.
* Junior right-hander Kyle Boraski pitched the third no-hitter in school history as Lander beat Young Harris, 10-0, in the second game of a doubleheader. The Fuquay Varina, N.C., resident walked two and struck out eight.
* Albert Baur hit his third home run of the weekend and sixth of the season as Newberry lost to Catawba, 6-4, in the first game of a doubleheader. Cole Cromer pitched a complete game as the Wolves won the nightcap, 1-0.
* Brandon Martin doubled in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning for Presbyterian, which beat Holy Cross 8-7 after trailing 5-1 midway through the game.
* Connor Walsh was 5-for-6, but The Citadel lost to Alabama State, 15-14.
* Brando Burris singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning as Charleston Southern topped North Florida, 5-4.
* Brian Boocock of USC Upstate struck out nine in seven innings to lead the Spartans to a 5-1 victory over St. Joseph's as part of a doubleheader sweep.
* Erskine completed a three-game sweep of Limestone with a doubleheader sweep in Due West. The series was moved from Gaffney because of field conditions. Erskine improved to 14-1 this season.
* Benedict, North Greenville and USC Sumter also swept Saturday twinbills.
* Junior right-hander Kyle Boraski pitched the third no-hitter in school history as Lander beat Young Harris, 10-0, in the second game of a doubleheader. The Fuquay Varina, N.C., resident walked two and struck out eight.
* Albert Baur hit his third home run of the weekend and sixth of the season as Newberry lost to Catawba, 6-4, in the first game of a doubleheader. Cole Cromer pitched a complete game as the Wolves won the nightcap, 1-0.
* Brandon Martin doubled in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning for Presbyterian, which beat Holy Cross 8-7 after trailing 5-1 midway through the game.
* Connor Walsh was 5-for-6, but The Citadel lost to Alabama State, 15-14.
* Brando Burris singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning as Charleston Southern topped North Florida, 5-4.
* Brian Boocock of USC Upstate struck out nine in seven innings to lead the Spartans to a 5-1 victory over St. Joseph's as part of a doubleheader sweep.
* Erskine completed a three-game sweep of Limestone with a doubleheader sweep in Due West. The series was moved from Gaffney because of field conditions. Erskine improved to 14-1 this season.
* Benedict, North Greenville and USC Sumter also swept Saturday twinbills.
The Gamecocks even things up
Jack Wynkoop got passed over for the Friday start against Clemson because, at least in part, Wil Crowe had been more effective in his two Saturday starts.
On Saturday, Wynkoop stated his case for remaining the No. 1 starter for the Gamecocks, pitching six effective innings in a 4-1 victory over the Tigers in front of 7,175 at Fluor Field in Greenville.
It was just what the Gamecocks needed. It assured they won't be swept regardless of how Sunday's noon series finale (SEC Network) in Columbia goes. (There is a chance of rain Sunday).
As in Friday night's 11-4 Clemson victory, both teams had areas they could feel good about and others they would not.
Clemson got another good outing from starter Zach Erwin. He pitched into the seventh inning, struck out five while walking none and didn't allow a hit after the third inning.
Reliever Paul Campbell retired all five batters he faced.
But the Tigers missed opportunities. They left a runner in scoring position in the first and third innings. They got nothing out of bases-loaded situations in the sixth and seventh innings.
Also, they committed two errors. While only one run was unearned, the fielding lapses continued a troubling trend from a season ago.
Clemson, which had scored in double figures in four of its last five games, scored its lone run in the first inning and struck out 13 times.
For South Carolina, the good included bouncing back after falling behind for the second straight game.
In addition to Wynkoop, USC got solid pitching from relievers Clarke Schmidt and Taylor Widener. Schmidt, a freshman and the younger brother of Tigers pitcher Clate Schmidt, relieved Wynkoop after the first two batters reached in the Clemson seventh. After an infield chopper loaded the bases, Clarke Schmidt got a strikeout and a double play to end the inning.
Widener came in after Tyler Krieger singled to open the Clemson eight. Widener struck out five in getting the two-inning save.
A negative for the Gamecocks was they had no hits and just one base runner - on an error - after the third inning. Even with superb pitching, they can't count on winning many games with such late-inning performances.
USC listed its Sunday starter as TBA entering the series and I haven't seen an update changing that. It could be pitching coach Jerry Meyers may keep sophomore left-hander Josh Reagan in the Sunday spot,or he could go with someone else.
Brody Koerner is the scheduled starter for the Tigers.
If the game matches the competitiveness of the first two games, it should be another good one.
On Saturday, Wynkoop stated his case for remaining the No. 1 starter for the Gamecocks, pitching six effective innings in a 4-1 victory over the Tigers in front of 7,175 at Fluor Field in Greenville.
It was just what the Gamecocks needed. It assured they won't be swept regardless of how Sunday's noon series finale (SEC Network) in Columbia goes. (There is a chance of rain Sunday).
As in Friday night's 11-4 Clemson victory, both teams had areas they could feel good about and others they would not.
Clemson got another good outing from starter Zach Erwin. He pitched into the seventh inning, struck out five while walking none and didn't allow a hit after the third inning.
Reliever Paul Campbell retired all five batters he faced.
But the Tigers missed opportunities. They left a runner in scoring position in the first and third innings. They got nothing out of bases-loaded situations in the sixth and seventh innings.
Also, they committed two errors. While only one run was unearned, the fielding lapses continued a troubling trend from a season ago.
Clemson, which had scored in double figures in four of its last five games, scored its lone run in the first inning and struck out 13 times.
For South Carolina, the good included bouncing back after falling behind for the second straight game.
In addition to Wynkoop, USC got solid pitching from relievers Clarke Schmidt and Taylor Widener. Schmidt, a freshman and the younger brother of Tigers pitcher Clate Schmidt, relieved Wynkoop after the first two batters reached in the Clemson seventh. After an infield chopper loaded the bases, Clarke Schmidt got a strikeout and a double play to end the inning.
Widener came in after Tyler Krieger singled to open the Clemson eight. Widener struck out five in getting the two-inning save.
A negative for the Gamecocks was they had no hits and just one base runner - on an error - after the third inning. Even with superb pitching, they can't count on winning many games with such late-inning performances.
USC listed its Sunday starter as TBA entering the series and I haven't seen an update changing that. It could be pitching coach Jerry Meyers may keep sophomore left-hander Josh Reagan in the Sunday spot,or he could go with someone else.
Brody Koerner is the scheduled starter for the Tigers.
If the game matches the competitiveness of the first two games, it should be another good one.
State scoreboard, Feb. 28
Alabama State 15, The Citadel 14 - Cit: Connor Walsh 5-6, 2 R, 3 RBI
Belmont Abbey 10, Southern Wesleyan 3, G1 - SW: Drew Carson 2-3, 2 RBI
Belmont Abbey 7, Southern Wesleyan 1, G2 - SW: Trevor Walker 2-3, R
Benedict 4, Lincoln 2, G1 - Ben: Mitchell Dixon, 3-4, R, RBI
Benedict 10, Lincoln 4, G2 - Ben: Rodney Beach H, 3 RBI
Catawba 6, Newberry 4, G1 - New: Albert Baur HR, 2 RBI
Newberry 1, Catawba 0, G2 - New: Cole Cromer CG 4-hitter
Charleston Southern 5, North Florida 4, 13 innings - CS: Cole Murphy 2-5, 3 R
Erskine 3, Limestone 0, G1 - EC: Richard Dix 2-3, R, 2 RBI
Erskine 12, Limestone 7, G2 - EC: Brandon Overstreet 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI
Francis Marion 7, Flagler 4, G1 - FM: Nicholas McGee 2-4, R, 2 RBI
Flagler 12, Francis Marion 9, 10 innings, G2 - FM: Casey Clauss 3-5, 3 RBI
Georgia College 8, USC Aiken 2, G1 - Aik: Ty Barkell 2-3, R, RBI
USC Aiken 1, Georgia College 0, G2 - Aik: Trevor Hutton, 8 shutout IP
Georgia Perimeter 6, Spartanburg Methodist 2, G1 - SM: Mason Berne H, R
Georgia Perimeter 8, Spartanburg Methodist 7, 11 innings, G2 - SM: Dominique Jackson 1B, 2B, 2 R, RBI, SB
Harvard 2, Wofford 1, G1 - Wof: Matt Ramsay 2-4
Harvard 3, Wofford 1, G2 - Wof: Derek Hirsch, 1-3, RBI
Indiana 15, College of Charleston 1 - CofC: Tommy Richter 1-3, R
Lander 13, Young Harris 2, G1 - Lan: Chris Hyatt 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI
Lander 10, Young Harris 0, G2 - Lan: Kyle Boraski no-hitter
Miami (Ohio) 4, Furman 3 - Fur: Jordan Simpson 2-run HR
North Greenville 11, Emmanuel 7, G1 - NG: Tony Davila 3-4, HR, 3 R 2 RBI
North Greenville 9, Emmanuel 6, G2 - NG: Jae Roberts 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
Presbyterian 8, Holy Cross 7, 11 innings - PC: Glen Casaceli 4-5, 2 RBI
South Carolina 4, Clemson 1 - SC: Jack Wynkoop 6 IP 5 H, 1 R, 7 K
Southeastern CC 8, USC Salkehatchie 4, 8 innings, G1 - Salk: Gavin Bishop 2-3, R, RBI
Southeastern CC 9, USC Salkehatchie 2, G2 - Salk: Brody Gibson 2-3, RBI
USC Sumter 4, Brunswick 2, G1 - Sum: Michael Carpin CG
USC Sumter 4, Brunswick 1, G2 - Sum: Justin Hawkins 2-3, HR
USC Upstate 5, St. Joseph's 1, G1 - Up: Brian Boocock 7 IP, 0 ER, 9 K
USC Upstate 12, St. Joseph's 5, G2 - Up: J.J. Shimko 2-4, R, 3 RBI
Winthrop 9, Jacksonville 1 - Win: Babe Thomas 2-4, 4 R, 3 RBI
Postponed
Coker at Mars Hill, DH (perhaps canceled)
Florence-Darlington Tech at St. Johns River, to 1 p.m. Sunday
USC Beaufort at Florida Memorial, DH, to Sunday
Canceled
Florence-Darlington Tech vs. East Georgia
The Chanticleer Classic
Kent State 9, Coastal Carolina 1 - CC: G.K. Young 2B
Ball State 2, Illinois 1
West Virginia 7, Ball State 6
Games played in state, no state teams involved
TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark, Myrtle Beach
Pittsburgh 6, Virginia Commonwealth 1
The Ripken Complex, Myrtle Beach
Cornell 4, Hartford 3
Hartford 3, Seton Hall 1
Old Dominion 3, Rutgers 2
Virginia 4, Seton Hall 1
Virginia Tech 1, Toledo 0, 10 innings, G1
Toledo 1, Virginia Tech 0 G2
Sparrow Stadium, Florence
Rhode Island 6, North Carolina 3
Lexington Sports Complex
Delaware 5, Canisius 1
George Mason 13, Canisius 3
Riley Park, Sumter
Morehead State 5, New Jersey Tech 3
UNC Asheville 4, New Jersey Tech 1
UNC Asheville 3, Morehead State 2
Charleston Southern Ballpark, Charleston
North Florida 14, St. John's 2
Goose Creek
Lafayette 7, Maryland Baltimore County 5
Richmond 9, Lafayette 0
Belmont Abbey 10, Southern Wesleyan 3, G1 - SW: Drew Carson 2-3, 2 RBI
Belmont Abbey 7, Southern Wesleyan 1, G2 - SW: Trevor Walker 2-3, R
Benedict 4, Lincoln 2, G1 - Ben: Mitchell Dixon, 3-4, R, RBI
Benedict 10, Lincoln 4, G2 - Ben: Rodney Beach H, 3 RBI
Catawba 6, Newberry 4, G1 - New: Albert Baur HR, 2 RBI
Newberry 1, Catawba 0, G2 - New: Cole Cromer CG 4-hitter
Charleston Southern 5, North Florida 4, 13 innings - CS: Cole Murphy 2-5, 3 R
Erskine 3, Limestone 0, G1 - EC: Richard Dix 2-3, R, 2 RBI
Erskine 12, Limestone 7, G2 - EC: Brandon Overstreet 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI
Francis Marion 7, Flagler 4, G1 - FM: Nicholas McGee 2-4, R, 2 RBI
Flagler 12, Francis Marion 9, 10 innings, G2 - FM: Casey Clauss 3-5, 3 RBI
Georgia College 8, USC Aiken 2, G1 - Aik: Ty Barkell 2-3, R, RBI
USC Aiken 1, Georgia College 0, G2 - Aik: Trevor Hutton, 8 shutout IP
Georgia Perimeter 6, Spartanburg Methodist 2, G1 - SM: Mason Berne H, R
Georgia Perimeter 8, Spartanburg Methodist 7, 11 innings, G2 - SM: Dominique Jackson 1B, 2B, 2 R, RBI, SB
Harvard 2, Wofford 1, G1 - Wof: Matt Ramsay 2-4
Harvard 3, Wofford 1, G2 - Wof: Derek Hirsch, 1-3, RBI
Indiana 15, College of Charleston 1 - CofC: Tommy Richter 1-3, R
Lander 13, Young Harris 2, G1 - Lan: Chris Hyatt 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI
Lander 10, Young Harris 0, G2 - Lan: Kyle Boraski no-hitter
Miami (Ohio) 4, Furman 3 - Fur: Jordan Simpson 2-run HR
North Greenville 11, Emmanuel 7, G1 - NG: Tony Davila 3-4, HR, 3 R 2 RBI
North Greenville 9, Emmanuel 6, G2 - NG: Jae Roberts 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
Presbyterian 8, Holy Cross 7, 11 innings - PC: Glen Casaceli 4-5, 2 RBI
South Carolina 4, Clemson 1 - SC: Jack Wynkoop 6 IP 5 H, 1 R, 7 K
Southeastern CC 8, USC Salkehatchie 4, 8 innings, G1 - Salk: Gavin Bishop 2-3, R, RBI
Southeastern CC 9, USC Salkehatchie 2, G2 - Salk: Brody Gibson 2-3, RBI
USC Sumter 4, Brunswick 2, G1 - Sum: Michael Carpin CG
USC Sumter 4, Brunswick 1, G2 - Sum: Justin Hawkins 2-3, HR
USC Upstate 5, St. Joseph's 1, G1 - Up: Brian Boocock 7 IP, 0 ER, 9 K
USC Upstate 12, St. Joseph's 5, G2 - Up: J.J. Shimko 2-4, R, 3 RBI
Winthrop 9, Jacksonville 1 - Win: Babe Thomas 2-4, 4 R, 3 RBI
Postponed
Coker at Mars Hill, DH (perhaps canceled)
Florence-Darlington Tech at St. Johns River, to 1 p.m. Sunday
USC Beaufort at Florida Memorial, DH, to Sunday
Canceled
Florence-Darlington Tech vs. East Georgia
The Chanticleer Classic
Kent State 9, Coastal Carolina 1 - CC: G.K. Young 2B
Ball State 2, Illinois 1
West Virginia 7, Ball State 6
Games played in state, no state teams involved
TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark, Myrtle Beach
Pittsburgh 6, Virginia Commonwealth 1
The Ripken Complex, Myrtle Beach
Cornell 4, Hartford 3
Hartford 3, Seton Hall 1
Old Dominion 3, Rutgers 2
Virginia 4, Seton Hall 1
Virginia Tech 1, Toledo 0, 10 innings, G1
Toledo 1, Virginia Tech 0 G2
Sparrow Stadium, Florence
Rhode Island 6, North Carolina 3
Lexington Sports Complex
Delaware 5, Canisius 1
George Mason 13, Canisius 3
Riley Park, Sumter
Morehead State 5, New Jersey Tech 3
UNC Asheville 4, New Jersey Tech 1
UNC Asheville 3, Morehead State 2
Charleston Southern Ballpark, Charleston
North Florida 14, St. John's 2
Goose Creek
Lafayette 7, Maryland Baltimore County 5
Richmond 9, Lafayette 0
Friday, February 27, 2015
Wrapping up Friday's other S.C. baseball action
* Furman freshman Will Gaddis was brilliant in the Paladins' 5-1 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore. The right-hander from Brentwood, Tenn. allowed four hits, one unearned run and stuck out 10.
* Speaking of brilliant pitching, College of Charleston's Taylor Clarke struck out 11 and allowed no runs in a 4-2 victory over Indiana. I didn't realize until I listened to the Cougars' broadcast that Clarke made his way south after Towson announced plans to drop baseball.
* Lander's 5-3 loss to Young Harris dropped the Bearcats' record to 6-8 this season. Twitter follower Jason Lizotte points out that's just one loss less than Lander's total during its magical 52-9 season in 2014.
* G.K. Young's home run in the bottom of the 13th inning gave Coastal Carolina a 4-3 victory over West Virginia in the Chanticleer Classic. Regulation had ended in a 2-2 tie after the Mountaineers scored twice in the top of the ninth. Both teams scored a run in the 12th.
* The Citadel also got some late magic. Clay Martin's walk-off single ended a 9-8 victory over Alabama State. The Bulldogs rallied from 2-0, 5-3 and 8-5 deficits.
* Newberry's Albert Baur was named region co-hitter of the week among NCAA Division II players last week and he doesn't appear ready to step. Down. He was 5-for-6 with a pair of homers and four RBIs, but the Wolves lost to Catawba, 12-8.
* Southern Wesleyan got a nice road win, handing Belmont Abbey its first Conference Carolinas loss of the season, 4-2.
* Speaking of brilliant pitching, College of Charleston's Taylor Clarke struck out 11 and allowed no runs in a 4-2 victory over Indiana. I didn't realize until I listened to the Cougars' broadcast that Clarke made his way south after Towson announced plans to drop baseball.
* Lander's 5-3 loss to Young Harris dropped the Bearcats' record to 6-8 this season. Twitter follower Jason Lizotte points out that's just one loss less than Lander's total during its magical 52-9 season in 2014.
* G.K. Young's home run in the bottom of the 13th inning gave Coastal Carolina a 4-3 victory over West Virginia in the Chanticleer Classic. Regulation had ended in a 2-2 tie after the Mountaineers scored twice in the top of the ninth. Both teams scored a run in the 12th.
* The Citadel also got some late magic. Clay Martin's walk-off single ended a 9-8 victory over Alabama State. The Bulldogs rallied from 2-0, 5-3 and 8-5 deficits.
* Newberry's Albert Baur was named region co-hitter of the week among NCAA Division II players last week and he doesn't appear ready to step. Down. He was 5-for-6 with a pair of homers and four RBIs, but the Wolves lost to Catawba, 12-8.
* Southern Wesleyan got a nice road win, handing Belmont Abbey its first Conference Carolinas loss of the season, 4-2.
Tigers get a leg up
I'm still feeling a little under the weather, so I stayed home and watched Game 1 of the Clemson-South Carolina series on ESPN3 Friday night.
(As an aside, announcers Roy Philpott and Marty Clary and Clemson's production crew did their usual bang-up job.)
Here are my thoughts after Clemson's 11-4 victory, which broke a four-game losing streak to the Gamecocks:
The victory, and the manner in which it was achieved, should have the Tigers relaxed for Saturday. Clemson starter Matthew Crownover, who hadn't walked a batter in his first two starters, walked the first two USC batters. The Gamecocks later loaded the bases but came up empty.
Clemson immediately took advantage by scoring four runs against Wil Crowe.
Crowe had been moved from the Gamecocks' No. 2 starter to No. 1 spot because he had outperformed Jack Wynkoop over the first two weekends, but Crowe had it rough in the early going Friday.
Clemson added four runs in the third on back-to-back home runs by Chris Okey and Weston Wilson to make it 8-0.
USC pulled within 8-3 on Connor Bright's three-run homer, but missed on opportunities to make it closer. The Gamecocks got just one run out of a bases-loaded fifth inning, and did that only because of a Clemson error. Defensive miscues had frequently come back to bite the Tigers during their recent misfortunes in the rivalry, but the damage was minimal Friday.
Particularly damaging to the Gamecocks' cause was Kyle Martin's bases-loaded liner that hit Max Schrock for the third out of the sixth inning. If the ball gets through, it's likely a two-run single to make the score 8-6 and perhaps create some tension in the Clemson dugout.
But it didn't get through.
Crowe pitched well after the third and helped lessen the amount of work needed from the USC bullpen.
Wilson's second home run of the game salted things away in the seventh.
Failing to get hits in key situations has been a recurring problem for Clemson in recent seasons, and that carried over into the season-opening series with West Virginia. That hasn't been the case recently; the Tigers have scored 10 or more runs in four of their last five games.
Still, coach Jack Leggett has some teaching moments to keep his team focused the rest of the series: The Tigers was unable to keep the Gamecocks from making the game interesting. There was a lapse of concentration by a Clemson batter on a popup in front of the plate. Had he run instead of watched, he probably would have been on when the ball fell untouched.
The bright spot for the Gamecocks was they got the tying run to the plate in a game they once trailed by eight runs. They'll lament not doing a better job when they had chances to turn the screws on the Tigers.
Also, USC's Elliott Caldwell continued to make a strong case for not being in a platoon situation at one of the outfield spots.
In spite of the lopsided final margin, it was a good opener to the series.
Round Two comes at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Fluor Field in Greenville. There will be video streaming at GreenvilleDrive.com
Bring it on.
(As an aside, announcers Roy Philpott and Marty Clary and Clemson's production crew did their usual bang-up job.)
Here are my thoughts after Clemson's 11-4 victory, which broke a four-game losing streak to the Gamecocks:
The victory, and the manner in which it was achieved, should have the Tigers relaxed for Saturday. Clemson starter Matthew Crownover, who hadn't walked a batter in his first two starters, walked the first two USC batters. The Gamecocks later loaded the bases but came up empty.
Clemson immediately took advantage by scoring four runs against Wil Crowe.
Crowe had been moved from the Gamecocks' No. 2 starter to No. 1 spot because he had outperformed Jack Wynkoop over the first two weekends, but Crowe had it rough in the early going Friday.
Clemson added four runs in the third on back-to-back home runs by Chris Okey and Weston Wilson to make it 8-0.
USC pulled within 8-3 on Connor Bright's three-run homer, but missed on opportunities to make it closer. The Gamecocks got just one run out of a bases-loaded fifth inning, and did that only because of a Clemson error. Defensive miscues had frequently come back to bite the Tigers during their recent misfortunes in the rivalry, but the damage was minimal Friday.
Particularly damaging to the Gamecocks' cause was Kyle Martin's bases-loaded liner that hit Max Schrock for the third out of the sixth inning. If the ball gets through, it's likely a two-run single to make the score 8-6 and perhaps create some tension in the Clemson dugout.
But it didn't get through.
Crowe pitched well after the third and helped lessen the amount of work needed from the USC bullpen.
Wilson's second home run of the game salted things away in the seventh.
Failing to get hits in key situations has been a recurring problem for Clemson in recent seasons, and that carried over into the season-opening series with West Virginia. That hasn't been the case recently; the Tigers have scored 10 or more runs in four of their last five games.
Still, coach Jack Leggett has some teaching moments to keep his team focused the rest of the series: The Tigers was unable to keep the Gamecocks from making the game interesting. There was a lapse of concentration by a Clemson batter on a popup in front of the plate. Had he run instead of watched, he probably would have been on when the ball fell untouched.
The bright spot for the Gamecocks was they got the tying run to the plate in a game they once trailed by eight runs. They'll lament not doing a better job when they had chances to turn the screws on the Tigers.
Also, USC's Elliott Caldwell continued to make a strong case for not being in a platoon situation at one of the outfield spots.
In spite of the lopsided final margin, it was a good opener to the series.
Round Two comes at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Fluor Field in Greenville. There will be video streaming at GreenvilleDrive.com
Bring it on.
State scoreboard, Feb. 27
Catawba 12, Newberry 8 - New: Albert Baur 5-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Clemson 11, South Carolina 4 - CU: Weston Wilson 2 HR, 4 RBI
College of Charleston 4, Indiana 2 - CofC: Taylor Clarke 8 IP, 0 R, 11 K
Edward Waters 12, Voorhees 0, G1
Edward Waters 12, Voorhees 1, G2
Erskine 2, Limestone 1 - EC: Austin Gambrell CG 1-hitter, 0 ER
Florence-Darlington Tech 11, Glen Oaks 1 - Tech: Zach Wimmer 5 shutout IP
Furman 5, Maryland Eastern Shore 1 - FU: Will Gaddis 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 10 K
North Greenville 13, Emmanuel 8 - NG: Taylor McCuen 2-5, 4 RBI
Southern Wesleyan 4, Belmont Abbey 2 - SW: Julio Lara 2-4, 3 RBI
St. John's 9, Charleston Southern 4 - CS: Chase Shelton 2-5, R, RBI
The Citadel 9, Alabama State 8 - Cit: Clay Martin GW RBI B9
USC Aiken 8, Georgia College 5 - Aik: Tyler Moore 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI
USC Beaufort 10, Florida Memorial 9 - USCB: GW run T9
Winthrop 8, Jacksonville 7 - Win: Kyle Edwards 2-4, HR 4 RBI
Wofford 9, Harvard 2 - Wof: Kody Ruedisili 3-3, R, RBI
Young Harris 5, Lander 3 - Lan: Thomas Berry 2-4, RBI
Canceled
Coker at Mars Hill
Postponed
St. Joseph's at USC Upstate, to part of a 1 p.m. Saturday DH
Chanticleer Classic
Springs Brooks Stadium, Conway
Kent State 5, West Virginia 2
Coastal Carolina 4, West Virginia 3, 13 innings - CC: G.K. Young HR B13
TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark, Myrtle Beach
Illinois 1, Ball State 0
Games in state, no S.C. teams involved
Sparrow Stadium, Florence
North Carolina 4, Richmond 3, G1
North Carolina 5, Rhode Island 3, G2
The Ripken Complex, Myrtle Beach
Old Dominion 3, Rutgers 0
Seton Hall 3, Cornell 0
Virginia 5, Hartford 1
Virginia Tech 9, Toledo 1
Virginia Commonwealth 5, Pittsburgh 4
Lexington Sports Complex
Canisius 10, UNC Asheville 3
George Mason 12, Delaware 4
New Jersey Tech 4, Delaware 2
Charleston Southern Ballpark
St. John's 8, North Florida 6
Goose Creek
Maryland Baltimore County 4, Lafayette 1
Richmond 3, Maryland Baltimore County 2
Clemson 11, South Carolina 4 - CU: Weston Wilson 2 HR, 4 RBI
College of Charleston 4, Indiana 2 - CofC: Taylor Clarke 8 IP, 0 R, 11 K
Edward Waters 12, Voorhees 0, G1
Edward Waters 12, Voorhees 1, G2
Erskine 2, Limestone 1 - EC: Austin Gambrell CG 1-hitter, 0 ER
Florence-Darlington Tech 11, Glen Oaks 1 - Tech: Zach Wimmer 5 shutout IP
Furman 5, Maryland Eastern Shore 1 - FU: Will Gaddis 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 10 K
North Greenville 13, Emmanuel 8 - NG: Taylor McCuen 2-5, 4 RBI
Southern Wesleyan 4, Belmont Abbey 2 - SW: Julio Lara 2-4, 3 RBI
St. John's 9, Charleston Southern 4 - CS: Chase Shelton 2-5, R, RBI
The Citadel 9, Alabama State 8 - Cit: Clay Martin GW RBI B9
USC Aiken 8, Georgia College 5 - Aik: Tyler Moore 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI
USC Beaufort 10, Florida Memorial 9 - USCB: GW run T9
Winthrop 8, Jacksonville 7 - Win: Kyle Edwards 2-4, HR 4 RBI
Wofford 9, Harvard 2 - Wof: Kody Ruedisili 3-3, R, RBI
Young Harris 5, Lander 3 - Lan: Thomas Berry 2-4, RBI
Canceled
Coker at Mars Hill
Postponed
St. Joseph's at USC Upstate, to part of a 1 p.m. Saturday DH
Chanticleer Classic
Springs Brooks Stadium, Conway
Kent State 5, West Virginia 2
Coastal Carolina 4, West Virginia 3, 13 innings - CC: G.K. Young HR B13
TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark, Myrtle Beach
Illinois 1, Ball State 0
Games in state, no S.C. teams involved
Sparrow Stadium, Florence
North Carolina 4, Richmond 3, G1
North Carolina 5, Rhode Island 3, G2
The Ripken Complex, Myrtle Beach
Old Dominion 3, Rutgers 0
Seton Hall 3, Cornell 0
Virginia 5, Hartford 1
Virginia Tech 9, Toledo 1
Virginia Commonwealth 5, Pittsburgh 4
Lexington Sports Complex
Canisius 10, UNC Asheville 3
George Mason 12, Delaware 4
New Jersey Tech 4, Delaware 2
Charleston Southern Ballpark
St. John's 8, North Florida 6
Goose Creek
Maryland Baltimore County 4, Lafayette 1
Richmond 3, Maryland Baltimore County 2
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