Wednesday's tournament roundup

ACC
* Clemson gave its NCAA Tournament at-large bid prospects a boost with a 5-3 victory over Duke. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Matthew Crownover gave up two runs in the second, then was in control over the remainder of his 7 2/3-inning stint.

If the Tigers can beat ACC regular-season champion Miami tonight behind staff ace Daniel Gossett, Clemson may be able to breathe a little bit easier about what it will be doing the final week of May.

SEC
* South Carolina, to be kind, laid an egg in its opener against Mississippi State, losing 12-0 in game halted after seven innings because of the mercy (10-run) rule.

Things appeared to be falling in USC's favor in it national seed quest: Vanderbilt and Mississippi lost earlier in the day, as did Florida, the only probable SEC lock to be a national seed.

Mississippi State and USC both had some early chances. The Bulldogs converted, the Gamecocks didn't. Then, an eight-run seven settled the issue for sure.

The Gamecocks struggled in most phases of the game: starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery had control issues; the bullpen was roughed up; the defense had some shaky moments; there was bad baserunning and USC's offense was held to a season-low two hits. The final 15 USC batters were retired.

Now, the Gamecocks must beat Florida Thursday to avoid another two-and-out in the SEC. USC almost certainly will be a first-round host even if it loses to the Gators. A win today and another win or two later in the week could move the Gamecocks solidly back into the national seed discussion.

SoCon
* Furman certainly didn't let a disappointing end to the regular season impact its mind-set entering the Southern Conference Tournament. The Paladins beat regular-season champion Western Carolina, 3-2, on Wednesday to stay in the winners bracket.

The Paladins were two outs away from finishing fifth in the conference last weekend before some shaky defense contributed to a loss to Appalachian State and an eighth-place finish. But Furman responded well, beating UNC Greensboro in a play-in game to earn the date against Western Carolina.

Furman got solid pitching and enough hitting to slip past the Catamounts and advance to play Appalachian State today.

* The Citadel  fell behind 7-1, but had a chance to tie the game in the ninth inning before losing to Davidson, 9-7.  The Bulldogs had 12 hits, but left 11 runners on base.

* Wofford also fell into the losers bracket, falling to Samford, 4-2. Terriers pitchers held the Bulldogs to five hits, but two unearned runs proved to be the difference in the game.

Wofford and The Citadel meet today, so the Palmetto State is guaranteed of having one of them around on Saturday.

Big South
* A sprinkler malfunction at Winthrop's stadium left the field unplayable and forced the tournament to be moved back by a day. Now, the event is scheduled to end on Sunday.

The episode also caused for innumerable Internet references to the "rainout" incident in the Kevin Costner movie "Bull Durham."

Charleston Southern meets Campbell in an elimination game, while Coastal Carolina and Winthrop meet in a winners bracket game.

CAA
* College of Charleston faces host UNC Wilmington today in second-action of the tournament. There's a chance the Cougars could play two today. If both they and regular-season champ William & Mary lose today, the Cougars would play Northeastern today.