CLEMSON, S.C. — Austin Gordon, Jackson Lindley and Casey Tallent combined to limit No. 23 South Carolina to two runs on seven hits in Clemson’s 5-2 victory at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday night.
The Tigers, who took a 1-0 lead in the series and won their fifth game in a row in the rivalry series dating to 2021, improved to 5-4 on the season, while the Gamecocks dropped to 9-1.
Lindley (1-1) earned the win by pitching 2.1 effective innings in relief with three strikeouts. Gordon pitched 4.2 strong innings in a starting role, allowing three hits, no runs and no walks with two strikeouts.
Gamecock starter Will Sanders (1-1) suffered the loss, as he yielded nine hits, five runs (four earned) and one walk with nine strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched.
Cooper Ingle led off the first inning with a home run, his third of the year, on the first pitch, then back-to-back one-out doubles by Blake Wright and Cam Cannarella plated another run in the frame. The Tigers took advantage of an error in the second inning to score a run, then they scored another run in the third inning after Cannarella’s second double of the game to take a 4-0 lead.
Gavin Abrams blasted a pinch-hit, solo home run in the sixth inning, the first of his career for a 5-0 Clemson lead.
Carolina scored a run in the seventh on an RBI single from Talmadge LeCroy. The Gamecocks got the tying run to the plate in the ninth after Carson Hornung’s RBI sacrifice fly and a single by former Clemson outfielder Dylan Brewer, but a groundout ended the game.
The series continues Saturday at Fluor Field in Greenville at 1 p.m.