The No. 13 Clemson Tigers took home their first win of the 2025 Palmetto Series versus South Carolina, 5-3, handing the Gamecocks their first loss of the season in front of a record-breaking 6,891 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Following three scoreless innings, the Tigers’ (8-1) win probability skyrocketed as Jarren Purify stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. He hammered his first home run of the season, which went 384 feet, thereby flipping the bat and putting Clemson up 5-3, sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy.
“As soon as I got here, I knew how important this rivalry was, not just for our team but the state of South Carolina,” Purify said. “Our objective and goal every season is to beat the Gamecocks.”
While there were still two innings left, the Gamecocks’ (9-1) offense continued to stagnate, and the Tigers were able to run away with the two-run victory at home.
The contest was chippy from start to finish, as expected. Clemson starting pitcher Aidan Knaak ended the top of the first with a strikeout on former Tiger Nolan Nawrocki, exchanging words back and forth as they walked back to their dugouts.
The fans loved this energy, continuing to feed into it for the rest of the night and rallying behind the Tigers through struggle and success.
“I like it,” head coach Erik Bakich said. “I would never tell any of our guys not to be themselves, and in that moment, Aidan normally doesn’t do that, but you know — in a rivalry series — big strike out there in the inning, go for it. Why not? So I thought it was cool.”
Clemson star and MLB prospect Cam Cannarella started the early offensive momentum for his team with a crispy bunt to third base, giving him just enough time to make it to first.
In the same frame, the dominant transfers for Clemson baseball caught attention as Josh Paino’s strong batting eye got him walked on a 3-2 count, setting up two Tigers on base. Michigan transfer and designated hitter Collin Priest followed by smashing a double to right field to put the Tigers up 2-0 early.
Priest finished the night with two hits and two RBIs — including a double — in four at-bats. The sophomore holds a batting average of .391 with nine hits, seven RBIs and four doubles.
“Collin can really impact the ball; he’s not just a power-hitter, he’s a good hitter,” Bakich said. “For him to hit a two-strike breaking ball like that to put us up by two, that’s huge… he certainly lengthens our lineup.”
Purdue transfer Luke Gaffney, one of the best freshmen hitters in college baseball last season who has sneakily carved out a strong defensive start, also made many plays on both sides of the ball. The 6-foot-1 first baseman logged two hits, one run and seven putouts.
Knaak played 4.2 innings and recorded four hits, three earned runs and four walks — a season-high. However, he also recorded a season-high nine strikeouts.
“There’s obviously a lot of good there, you know, how good of a pitcher he (Knaak) is, and we haven’t seen what he’s truly capable of yet,” Bakich said. “So I have a feeling he’s going to settle in as we keep going.”
Senior Lucas Mahlstedt stepped up to the mound to close the first game of the Palmetto Series and pitched a clinic for the Tigers. The second-year transfer recorded a season-high four strikeouts in three innings pitched, collecting his third save of the year as he sealed his team’s home victory.
On the season, Mahlstedt holds a bolstering 0.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts against zero walks in 7.2 innings pitched.
After Clemson won last year’s series 2-0, it’s safe to say that Clemson fans are in for yet another great season of one of the best rivalries in college baseball history.
The Tigers will continue the Palmetto Series against the South Carolina Gamecocks at the series’ neutral site, Fluor Field, in Greenville, South Carolina, Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
