South Carolina bests rival Clemson in series opener

South Carolina captured the opening game of the Palmetto Series by a score of 8-1 against a rival Clemson team. The opener was the only game of the series that will be played at Founders Park, as Saturday's game will be played at Fluor Field in Greenville and Sunday's game will be at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson.

Both teams have been very successful at producing runs this season, but this game actually came down to defense — or lack thereof, in Clemson’s case. The Tiger's defensive miscues really hurt them in the fifth inning when South Carolina capitalized by scoring five runs on a multi-error inning.

Much to the chagrin of Gamecock fans, Clemson's catcher Chris Okey helped their starter Charlie Barnes get several close calls by skillfully presenting borderline pitches to the umpire. However, he might have gotten a little too aggressive with his framing efforts. In the fifth inning he was called for catcher's interference on a pitch where his glove made contact with a swing from Danny Blair. Blair was awarded first base, allowing South Carolina to build momentum in their big inning.

First baseman Alex Destino lead the way for the Gamecocks offensively, collecting five hits and four RBIs, including a single with the bases loaded in the fifth. After a slow start to the season, Destino has been scorching hot over his past four games, with 12 RBIs over that span.

Coach Chad Holbrook praised Destino, saying that, “It was a terrific performance by him. I think the more and more comfortable he gets playing first base, the more he will be himself in the batter’s box.”

Sophomore Clarke Schmidt worked a career-high eight scoreless innings. He finished with nine strikeouts, also a personal best. Through his first three starts, South Carolina's ace now has an ERA of 0.43. His deep outing allowed Holbrook to rest his bullpen for the remainder of the series.

Holbrook acknowledged that the fans played a role in South Carolina’s win: “It was a great crowd – a great atmosphere. You know, Friday nights in this park — we’re playing Clemson — it’s always great.”

Highly touted Clemson freshman Seth Beer hit a home run off of Reed Scott in the bottom of the ninth to break up the shutout. Beer, who enrolled early this spring and should technically still be a high school senior, already has three home runs this season.

The Gamecocks and Tigers will play tomorrow at Fluor Field at 2:30 p.m. Clate Schmidt, brother of Clarke, will get the ball for Clemson. Freshman Braden Webb will make his third start of the season for the Gamecocks and will try to help them secure a series victory.