The 2026 season of college baseball’s most exciting rivalry has come to an end. The Clemson Tigers defeated an in-state rival for the third consecutive year, taking two of the Gamecocks’ three games to capture the series title.
The event began late Friday night after long delays due to heavy rain at Columbia Founders Park. The Tigers and Gamecocks were even tied for the first few innings until South Carolina scored four runs in the third inning, including Ethan Lizama’s RBI single that turned into two runs on a Clemson throwing error. KJ Scobey had another hit for the Gamecocks in the same inning. Tigers ace Aidan Knaak had another mediocre performance, going five innings and allowing four earned runs on just three hits.
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The Clemson bullpen performed well in relief against Knack, but the lack of offense will hinder any Tigers rally. Gamecocks starting pitcher Josh Gunther gave the performance of a lifetime on the biggest stage of his career. The junior right-hander went 7 innings and allowed just 3 hits, adding 10 strikeouts and 1 walk. Gunther’s performance was electric and he gave way to a dominant bullpen. South Carolina scored two more runs in the sixth inning and one more in the seventh, and that was all the Gamecocks needed to win 7-0, their first win in the series since 2023. It was a game filled with mistakes and a lack of energy from the Tigers that we’ve rarely seen this year.
Saturday is a new day as the series moves to Segla Park for a “neutral” venue match between the two rivals. The big news of the day was the stellar performance of Clemson senior left-hander Michael Sharman of Tennessee. Sharman completely dominated the Carolina lineup, allowing just one run on four hits and four strikeouts in the game. Sharman’s offense got a big boost when Nate Savoie hit a three-run home run in the third inning, and that was enough. Jarren Purify scored the fourth run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth quarter, and the Tigers won 4-1 on Sharman’s arm to even the series.
The series rubber game took place on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with clear, blue skies and temperatures hovering in the low 70s. The scoring started again, with the Gamecocks scoring two runs in the second inning on Dawson Harman’s RBI single. South Carolina opened the scoring in all three games of the series, but the Gamecocks were unable to hold the lead in the final two games. South Carolina then scored two runs in the top of the second inning, and Clemson responded with two runs in the top half of the inning, driving it home on a wild pitch from Jacob Jarrell. Ty Dalley summoned the infield cutter to bring home the tying run to end the second inning.
The Tigers didn’t waste any time in the third inning, taking their first lead of the game on a two-RBI single by Tyler Lichtenberg and scoring by Savoie and Triston McCrady. The momentum carried over into the fourth inning when Daly extended his home run lead among active players with his first home run in a Clemson uniform, a hit to right field in left field at Cajun Cafe. The Bengals are starting to close in on a series win with a 5-2 lead, and they’re doing well out of the bullpen. After relieving Taran Bell in the fifth inning, senior Drew Titsworth shut out the Gamecocks with no hits and three strikeouts. Titsworth got into trouble in the seventh inning but eventually got out of trouble and kept South Carolina off the scoreboard.
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The rest of the damage came in the sixth inning when McCrady hit an inside hit to right field that plated Jarrell and Jason Fultz to give Clemson a 7-2 lead. The Tigers added a few runners in the final inning but could never get past home plate again.
In the top of the ninth inning, freshman right-hander Danny Nelson received permission to end the game. He fearlessly struck out the first two Gamecock batters and hit 97 mph on a pitch. With one out, the Tigers needed just one ball-carrier in front of Savoie to put their Southern rivals away, en route to a 7-2 victory and third straight in the series.
The Palmetto Series has been dominated by Clemson since head coach Erik Bakich took over in 2023. The Tigers are 8-3 against the Gamecocks under Bakich, and Friday night’s loss in Columbia was Carolina’s only win over the past three seasons. Both teams were sidelined as the first game of the 2024 tournament was canceled due to weather.
Michael Sharman won the Bob Bradley Award as Clemson’s series MVP, while Josh Gunther’s performance Friday night earned him the Tom Price Award as South Carolina’s MVP.
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The Tigers are 10-1 heading into the season, while the Gamecocks fall to 7-5. Clemson will play Michigan State live on Wednesday at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina, while South Carolina will face USC Upstate the same night. As a school, the Tigers now have wins over their opponents in football, boys basketball, boys soccer, boys tennis, softball and volleyball, as well as today’s baseball series.
As Coach Bakich said after the first game, I hope they have fun Friday night.
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