At Clemson, the “Standard” is not simply a football slogan; it is a cross-sport truism. On a sun-drenched Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the No. 15 Clemson Tigers topped off a day of dominance in a game with “kicking the chicken,” defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 7-2 to end the annual rivalry series for the third season in a row. Clemson has now won nine of the last 12 season series against the rival’s fiercest foes with the victory. Perhaps more impressive for the Tiger faithful, Clemson officially reached the "Triple Crown" of bragging rights, beating South Carolina in football, basketball, and baseball in the same academic calendar year. “We get to attack a new challenge every single day,” Dabo Swinney frequently says of his program, and head baseball coach Erik Bakich’s team appears to have internalized that after an early-opening dip.
Dalley Delivers the Knockout Blow
Ty Dalley, sophomore, was the headline of that afternoon. The transfer gave him his first signature moment while in a Clemson uniform; finishing 1-for-2 with two RBIs, two walks, a stolen base and a run scored. But his 383-foot blast in the fourth broke the spine of the capacity crowd. Facing his former teammate, South Carolina pitcher Hudson Lee—who had transferred from Clemson after last season—Dalley welcomed him back to Upstate by launching a first-pitch moonshot to right field. Dalley was not just a force at the plate; he provided the defensive play of the game in the fifth, jumping to the wall and robbing the Gamecocks of a run-scoring opportunity. "Nothing slides," Chad Morris says of the new offensive standard, and Dalley demonstrated that holds for outfield grass as well.
The Rally in the Valley
South Carolina sprung into an early 2-0 lead in the second inning after Dawson Harmon scored a two-run single off Clemson starter Talan Bell. But the Tigers promptly, showing the “strain” and determination demanded of all teams’ coaching staff, regardless of the level of success on every team's football, responded in an instant. Clemson plated two in the bottom of the second on a wild pitch and a Dalley fielder's choice to knot the game. In the third, Tyler Lichtenberger stepped in the middle, leading with the go-ahead heroics, lacing a two-run single into left-center to set the Tigers up 4-2. In the sixth, Tryston McCladdie put the game out of reach, fighting his way from a 1-2 count to lace a two-run single of his own and extend the lead to 7-2.
Dominance on the Bump
If bats were fireworks, Clemson pitching staff were the “anchor point.” Bell exited after four good innings, the bullpen slammed the door wide open to allow only one hit in the final five frames. Drew Titsworth: He pitched three hitless innings to bring in his first win of the season. Joe Allen: He threw a perfect eighth inning. Danny Nelson: The freshman phenom struck out two in the ninth to seal the series. "I like our roster, I like our experience," Swinney said earlier this week about the athletic department's overall body of talent, and the way the team was able to hold the Gamecocks to three runs over the last 18 innings of the series only validated his words.
Injury Report
The only blemish on the afternoon was the apparent injury to freshman Jason Fultz, who hurt his left wrist sliding into home in the sixth. Though he was briefly back on the field, Jay Dillard would eventually replace him. Just like Bryant Wesco Jr. and Sammy Brown, who are still among the football stars of this week, Fultz will likely be monitored closely as the Tigers head into this intense week.
What’s Next?
Clemson (9-1) heads to Greenville on Wednesday to face Michigan State at Fluor Field before returning home for a four-game tilt against LaSalle beginning Friday.