State scoreboard, Tuesday, May 25

USC's Wes Clarke checks his swing during Tuesday's SEC
 Tournament loss to Alabama. (Palmetto State Baseball photo)

Columbia International wins NCCAA World Series

Columbia International, in its first full season as a varsity program, won the National Christian College Athletic Association's World Series Tuesday with an 11-2 victory over Southwestern Christian at the J.B. "Red" Owens Complex in Easley.

Grant Bodison and Rafael Gonzales had three hits apiece, with Bodison driving in four runs. Two of those came in a four-run third when the Rams broke a 1-1 tie. Joshua Hernandez hit his team-leading 18th homer and Justin Parish went the first five innings to pick up his team-high eighth victory. 

The Rams were 9-13 in their inaugural season in 2020 before it was shut down by COVID-19. This year, coach Jonathan Johnson led his team to a 38-26 mark, including nine straight wins in the NCCAA playoffs. One regular-season highlight was a series win over then-No. 1 NAIA power Tennessee Wesleyan.

Elsewhere

Chanticleers roll in Sun Belt opener

Coastal Carolina scored in its final six innings to take a 15-1 run-rule victory over Little Rock in its opening game of pool play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Montgomery, Ala. The Chanticleers clubbed out 13 hits - six of them for extra bases - while pitchers Shaddon Peavyhouse and Matt Joyce combined on a three-hitter.

Alex Gattinelli and Dale Thomas homered for Coastal, which can clinch a spot in the semifinals with a win over South Alabama in a pool play game on Wednesday.

ACC Tournament loss assures Clemson of 1st losing season since 1957

Clemson entered the ACC Tournament a long shot to avoid its first losing season since 1957. Louisville played long ball to make sure that long shot didn't come to reality.

The Cardinals smacked seven home runs and scored in seven of eight innings to win, 15-10. Even if Clemson (24-27) should beat Georgia Tech in its other pool play game on Wednesday, it would lose any tiebreakers and not be able to play for the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Caden Grice hit a pair of home runs, including a two-run blast in the top of the first as Clemson went up 2-0, but the Cardinals answered. In fact, both teams scored in the first four innings, with the Cardinals leading 9-8. A four-run sixth proved to be the coup de grace.

Grice became the ninth Tiger to hit two homers in an ACC Tournament game. Adam Hackenberg had four hits and joined Bryce Teodosio in homering.

Alex Binelas hit three homers, while Henry Davis and Ben Metzinger had two apiece for the Cardinals.

Clemson's last losing season was in 1957, when teams played far fewer games. Bill Wilhelm began his legendary tenure in 1958.  The Tigers will miss the NCAAs for the first time since 2008 and only the second time since 1987.

USC loss all but ends meager hosting hopes

Whatever slim hopes South Carolina had of being a top-seed and regional host wilted under a broiling central Alabama sun. Alabama scored six unearned runs in the third inning and coasted to a 9-3 victory in an SEC Tournament single-elimination round game in Hoover.

Carolina (33-21) entered the week hopeful of outperforming Florida in the league tournament to perhaps jump the Gators among SEC teams in host contention. Instead, Florida won its opener and USC continued its history of underperforming at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.  The lone avenue for USC to host would be if the NCAA decides against allowing a Top 16 seed to host and instead sends it to Columbia as a top seed and USC as a No. 2

C.J. Weins, thrust into the midweek starter role because of injuries after having seen little action most of the season, was plagued by wildness, but still deserved a better fate.

A passed ball on a swinging third strike on what should have been the second out of the third led to the Crimson Tide's outburst. Weins contributed three of his four wild pitches and a walk during the inning. He left trailing just 1-0, but Bama got a two-run single and three-run homer off the bullpen.

Braylen Wimmer had two hits, including a two-run homer, for Carolina. Wes Clarke added a solo shot, his 22nd. Julian Bosnic was the bright spot for USC out of the bullpen, striking seven and allowing a walk and a hit over four innings.

ACC Tournament
Truist Field, Charlotte
Pool play
Louisville 15, Clemson 10 - Cle: Adam Hackenberg 4-4, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI
Virginia 3, Virginia Tech 2
Pitt 5, North Carolina 3

NCCAA World Series
J.B. "Red" Owens Complex, Easley
Championship game
Columbia International 11, Southwestern Christian 2, CIU wins title - Col: Justin Parish W, 5 IP, 2 R

SEC Tournament
Hoover (Ala.) Metropolitan Stadium
Single-elimination round
Florida 4, Kentucky 1, Kentucky eliminated

Alabama 9, South Carolina 3, USC eliminated - SC: Julian Bosnic 4 IP, 1 H, 7 K

Georgia 4, LSU 1, LSU eliminated
Mississippi 7, Auburn 4, Auburn eliminated

Sun Belt Conference Tournament

Riverwalk Stadium,  Montgomery, Ala.
Pool play
Coastal Carolina 15, Little Rock 1, 7 innings - Coa: Zack Beach 2-3, 3B, BB, R

Arkansas State 9, Troy 6
Georgia State 9, Louisiana Monroe 6
Appalachian State 1, Texas State 0

Grant Bodison hit .394 with 9
homers while playing in 30 of Columbia
International's 64 games. (CIU photo)

Player of the day: Grant Bodison, Columbia International, 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI