Tigers Put ‘Exclamation Mark’ on Rivalry Weekend

While the Tigers took both games a season ago, one of the games was rained out and never made up. While that is technically a sweep, this was Erik Bakich’s first time sweeping the Gamecocks in a three-game set.

With the 8-2 win on Sunday, No.11 Clemson has now won five consecutive games in the series, and the Tigers are 6-2 against South Carolina since Bakich’s arrival prior to the 2023 season.

“It’s not easy to come in here and play as well as we did, and especially when you have the opportunity to get the sweep and put the exclamation mark on the weekend,” Bakich said after the Tigers completed the sweep. “Incredible effort all the way around.”

The rivalry is something Bakich has emphasized since taking over as head coach. It’s something that gets mentioned at least once each day inside of the baseball facility. That approach has led to a lot of success for the Tigers, particularly over the past two seasons.

“It’s just something that we prioritize so much,” Bakich added. “Something we talk about and focus on all year long. It is just part of the fabric of being a Clemson Tiger. It’s one of the reasons you come to Clemson. To play in rivalry games against South Carolina.”

South Carolina won the series two games to one in Bakich’s first season, which undoubtedly left a bitter taste in the mouth of every person inside the program.

Reliever Joe Allen, who was one of the heroes of the Tigers’ win on Sunday, was a member of that team. The junior right-hander pitched a career-high three innings in relief and was downright dominant, striking out six of the 10 hitters he faced. The six strike outs were also a new career-high.

Helping his head coach notch his first three-game sweep over the rival Gamecocks is something Allen won’t soon forget.

“He’s a guy that you will literally run through a brick wall for,” Allen said. “I have never met a coaching staff like this. Everyone in our bunker, everyone in our locker room will do everything for him.”

How Clemson went about sweeping the series makes it that much sweeter for Bakich and his players. The Tigers came to life in the late innings of all three games.

In Friday’s 5-3 victory, Clemson pushed across an insurance run in the seventh. On Saturday, after South Carolina pulled to within 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the Tigers responded by scoring three runs in the top of the ninth to win 5-1. Then, in the series finale on Sunday, Clemson plated seven runs in the final two innings to blow the game wide open and literally put the exclamation mark on things.

“It means a lot. It means a lot in every sport,” Bakich said. “When you can shine a positive light on Clemson and take care of business against your rival and get the bragging rights all year long, it doesn’t get much better than that.”