On Sunday afternoon, the No. 13 Clemson Tigers completed a three-game sweep against the South Carolina Gamecocks to wrap up the annual Palmetto Series at Ray Tanner Field at Founders Park in Columbia, South Carolina.
After a scoreless first half of the ball game, the Tigers (10-1) took the lead in the fifth inning off an RBI single from second baseman Jarren Purify. In the next inning, Clemson piled on three more runs after designated hitter Collin Priest launched a 3-run homer deep into right field.
“My teammates did a really good job getting on base, and good things happen when we get a lot of hits and keep it going,” Priest said after the game. “Our pitching honestly kept us in the game today, yesterday and Friday.”
The defense was stout for the Tigers all weekend, as they held the Gamecocks (9-3) to just two runs for the third straight game. Starter Justin LeGuernic pitched four scoreless innings with six strikeouts, allowing only five hits.
Reliever Joe Allen was credited with the win after going into the game to replace LeGuernic. Allen pitched three scoreless and hitless innings and struck out six of the nine batters he faced.
As for the series, the starting pitcher for Saturday’s contest, Ethan Darden, was awarded the Bob Bradley Award as Clemson’s Palmetto Series MVP. Darden threw for seven scoreless innings with six strikeouts and allowed only three runs in that matchup.
After the game, head coach Erik Bakich spoke about how proud he was of the team for earning the series sweep, especially in an environment like Columbia, South Carolina.
“Just proud of our guys,” Bakich said. “Obviously, this is a big deal for all of the Clemson family and Tiger nation. Happy we can contribute to being able to say that we took care of business with the rivalry.”
