South Carolina dropped its first series of the 2026 season against No. 15 Clemson over the weekend. The Gamecocks dominated the Tigers at home Friday night in the opening 7-0 loss, but they could not find the series-clinching win, dropping Saturday's matchup 4-1 and Sunday's finale 7-2 at Clemson.
Gamecocks take opener with dominant pitching performances
Opening the 2026 Palmetto Series at Founders Park, the Gamecocks dominated, winning 7-0 against No. 15 Clemson, handing the Tigers their first loss of the season following an hour and 45-minute rain delay.
Junior pitcher Josh Gunther made his first start of 2026 after coming in as a reliever in his first two appearances of the season.
Battling against Clemson ace junior Aidan Knaak, the first hit came in the bottom of the third on a single into left field from junior right fielder Patrick Evans.
After Evans stole second, Knaak went on to walk the bases loaded. His command of pitches continued to be an issue as the Gamecocks took the lead on a wild pitch.
Grabbing the early momentum, senior outfielder Ethan Lizama drove in a run, singling up the middle, accompanied by a Tiger error that allowed senior centerfielder Tyler Bak to score as well.
Capping off the third, sophomore shortstop KJ Scobey drove in the fourth Gamecock run before fifth-year catcher Talmadge LeCroy was thrown out at third base to end the inning.
Clemson had a chance to score some runs of their own in fifth after an error at first and a double from sophomore shortstop Tyler Lichtenberger put two Tigers in scoring position. Gunther showed his resiliency, striking out the next two batters, keeping the score 4-0.
In the sixth, the Gamecocks continued to have disciplined at-bats and work counts in their favor. With a runner in scoring position, Scobey came up clutch once again, doubling into left center field and driving in his second RBI of the game for a 5-0 lead.
Attempting to calm junior reliever Justin LeGuernic, the Tigers met at the mound. Nonetheless, the Gamecocks took a 6-0 lead into the seventh inning on a wild pitch the next batter LeGuernic faced.
Gunther ended his night in the seventh inning with a career-high 10 strikeouts. Gunther threw seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and one walk.
"He was special, and I'd like to tell you I'm surprised, but I'm really not. I think he's a really great pitcher, and I think he'll continue to pitch well for us all year," head coach Paul Mainieri said.
The Tigers continued to struggle, falling into a 7-0 deficit in the seventh inning on a throwing error at first base that allowed Bak to score.
Junior left-hander Alex Valentin closed out the final two innings without surrendering a hit and striking out five batters to give the Gamecocks a 7-0 win in the series opener.
Series evens up following a 4-1 loss to Clemson
South Carolina baseball dropped its second game against No. 15 Clemson 4-1 Saturday at Segra Park in Columbia.
Junior pitcher Amp Phillips made the start against Clemson and struggled to find a groove against the Tigers. Phillips only made it 3.1 innings with three strikeouts, six hits and four earned runs.
Senior left-handed pitcher Michael Sharman pitched a complete game against South Carolina on Saturday, finishing with four strikeouts, no walks and one run on 78 total pitches. Sharman was very effective in pitching to contact, causing South Carolina to ground out 11 times.
“Their pitcher did to us today what our pitchers did to them last night, pretty much dominated the game," Mainieri said. "Different styles. I don’t think we struck out very many times, but, you know, this kid seemed to throw a first-pitch strike to everybody.”
The Gamecocks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning after freshman second baseman Will Craddock doubled with two outs. An RBI single from Lizama scored Craddock to give South Carolina the early advantage.
The Tigers responded right back in the bottom of the third after back-to-back singles put two runners on to lead off the inning. Sophomore catcher Nate Savoie blasted his fourth home run of the season to give Clemson a 3-1 lead.
Clemson continued to avenge its offensive struggles from Friday after a walk and a single opened the fourth inning. Junior pitcher Brandon Stone entered with two on and immediately gave up a walk to load the bases. Stone finished with 4.2 innings of work with two strikeouts, one walk and no earned runs.
Stone managed to escape the jam with minimal damage, only giving up one run off a sacrifice fly to keep the Gamecocks down 4-1 after four innings.
The Gamecock offense continued to struggle against Sharman, with a single from Craddock in the sixth inning being the first hit since the third for South Carolina.
The Tigers were able to load the bases in the bottom of the eighth after three straight two-out singles, but Stone was able to strike out senior outfielder Jack Crighton to avoid anymore additional damage.
South Carolina was unable to come back against the Tigers, losing 4-1, tying the weekend series 1-1 between the two rivals.
South Carolina drops series tafter 7-2 loss in final game
South Carolina lost the series to the Clemson Tigers, 7-2, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Freshman pitcher Riley Goodman started against Clemson, but gave up two runs early and was pulled in the third inning after allowing two walks, two hits, two wild pitches and two earned runs..
Clemson sophomore pitcher Talan Bell began the game with a quick first inning, but Scobey got the first hit for the Gamecocks on a single to left field in the second inning.
After back-to-back outs, fifth-year designated hitter Logan Sutter hit a double off the left field wall to advance the runners to second and third. Junior third baseman Dawson Harman cashed in two runs with a base hit that scored Scobey and Sutter to give the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead.
Goodman found himself in a bases-loaded situation after a hit, walk and hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the second inning. The Tigers tied the game at 2-2 after a wild pitch and an RBI groundout, but a strikeout got Goodman out of the jam.
After Goodman was pulled, sophomore Zach Russell entered the game, inheriting a runner on first base. Two consecutive hits for the Tigers drove in two more runs, taking the lead, 4-2.
Junior pitcher Hudson Lee replaced Russell in the fourth inning, and senior transfer outfielder Ty Dalley hit his first home run with Clemson to give the Tigers a 5-2 lead.
Clemson added to its lead with a two-RBI single with the bases loaded against sophomore pitcher Cooper Parks.
The Gamecock offense stalled out after the second inning, going scoreless and only managing one hit in the final seven innings, losing the rubber match against Clemson, 7-2.
"You've just got to keep it going, and we just couldn't maintain it," Maineri said. "Wish I could tell you why, it's the same hitters."
What's next?
South Carolina will play USC Upstate on March 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Founders Park. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.