The best rivalry in college baseball has concluded its 2026 edition. For the third straight year, the Clemson Tigers have emerged victorious over their in-state rivals, taking two out of three games from the Gamecocks to claim the series.
The action got going late Friday night after a lengthy rain delay at Founders Park in Columbia. The Tigers and Gamecocks were squared even through the first couple of innings until South Carolina put together a 4-run third inning, highlighted by Ethan Lizama’s RBI
single that turned into two runs on a Clemson throwing error. KJ Scobey knocked in another for the Gamecocks in the same inning. It was another so-so outing for Tiger ace Aidan Knaak, who went five innings and gave up the four earned runs on just three hits.
The Clemson bullpen did a decent job in relief on Knaak, but it was the lack of offense that would stymie any Tiger rally. Gamecock starting pitcher Josh Gunther put together the outing of a lifetime on the biggest stage in his career. The junior righthander went seven innings and only allowed three hits, adding 10 strikeouts and just one walk. It was a passionate performance from Gunther, who gave way to a dominant bullpen. South Carolina added two more runs in the sixth and one in the seventh, and that was all the Gamecocks needed to claim the 7-0 shutout win, their first in the series since 2023. It was a game marked by errors and a lack of energy from the Tigers, something we hadn’t seen much this year.
It was a new day on Saturday as the series shifted to Segra Park, the “neutral” site game between the two rivals. The big story from the day was the outstanding performance by Clemson senior lefthander Michael Sharman, the transfer from Tennessee. Sharman completely dominated the Carolina lineup, allowing just one run on four hits and four strikeouts en route to the complete game performance. Sharman got the big boost from his offense on a three-run home run by Nate Savoie in the third inning, which would prove to be enough. Jarren Purify added a fourth run on a sacrifice fly in the 4th, and the Tigers would ride Sharman’s arm to the 4-1 victory to even the series.
The rubber match in the series could not have come on a more beautiful Sunday afternoon, full of clear, blue skies and a temperature hovering in the lower 70s. The scoring got going early again, with the Gamecocks plating two runs in the second inning off Dawson Harman’s RBI single. South Carolina opened the scoring in all three games in the series, but the Gamecocks could not hold the lead in either of the final two matchups. Immediately following the two runs by South Carolina in the top of the second, Clemson responded with two runs of their own in the home half of the inning after a wild pitch brought home Jacob Jarrell. Ty Dalley would muster an infield chopper that brought home the tying run to conclude the second inning.
The Tigers didn’t waste any time in the third inning, taking their first lead of the game on a two-run RBI single from Tyler Lichtenberger, scoring Savoie and Tryston McCladdie. The momentum carried into the fourth inning when Dalley belted his first home run in a Clemson uniform, a right field shot just left of the Cajun Cafe, extending his home run lead amongst active players. Going up 5-2, the Tigers began to close in on the series win, and they got an excellent performance from the bullpen. After relieving Talan Bell in the fifth, veteran Drew Titsworth kept the Gamecocks at bay, allowing no hits and striking out three. Titsworth worked himself into a jam in the seventh, but worked out of trouble to keep South Carolina off the scoreboard.
The remaining damage came in the sixth inning when McCladdie slapped a liner to right field that plated Jarrell and Jason Fultz to put Clemson up 7-2. The Tigers added a few baserunners over the final innings, but could never push another run across home plate.
In the top of the ninth, freshman righthander Danny Nelson got the nod to close out the ballgame. He fearlessly struck out the first two Gamecock batters, touching 97 mph on one pitch. With one out to go, a check-swing dribbler in front of Savoie was all the Tigers needed to put away their rivals to the south, claiming the 7-2 victory and their third straight series win.
The Palmetto Series has become dominated by Clemson since head coach Erik Bakich took over in 2023. The Tigers are 8-3 versus the Gamecocks under Bakich, and Friday night’s loss in Columbia is the only Carolina win over the last three seasons. Both teams are shorted a result due to game one of 2024’s contest being cancelled due to weather.
Michael Sharman takes home the Bob Bradley Award, Clemson’s MVP of the series, while Friday night’s performance by Josh Gunther earned him the Tom Price Award as South Carolina’s MVP.
The Tigers move to 10-1 on the young season while the Gamecocks fall to 7-5. Clemson will return to play on Wednesday against Michigan State live from Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., while South Carolina will host USC Upstate on the same night. As a school, the Tigers have now won their most recent outings against their rivals in football, men’s basketball, men’s soccer, men’s tennis, softball, and volleyball, to go along with today’s baseball series.
As Coach Bakich said after game one, I hope they had fun on Friday night.
To celebrate the win, make sure you head on over to Section 103 to snag yourself a fresh polo or trucker hat. I’ve got a couple of tees myself, and they will definitely be in the rotation once the weather warms up for good. Use our code STS10 for 10% off at checkout!
