Tigers, Gamecocks Win On Diamond

Clemson, ranked #20 in the country, improved to 15-6 with a 5-3 victory over Elon in game one of a doubleheader at Doug Kingsmore Stadium Tuesday. Clemson and Elon, who fell to 12-6 with the loss. The teams played a twinbill Tuesday night due to expected inclement weather during what would have been Wednesday's scheduled game.

Clinton McKinney (1-0) pitched a career-high 3.0 innings in relief and allowed only two hits with three strikeouts to earn his first win as a Tiger. Matt Vaughn came on in the ninth to record his first save of the year. Elon starter Cory Harrilchak (0-1) took the loss for Elon, as he pitched 6.0 innings and allowed three runs on 12 hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

Brad Miller and Mike Freeman started the bottom of the third inning with infield singles and Ben Paulsen's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. After a Kyle Parker single to centerfield plated Miller, Freeman scored on a wild pitch to give Clemson a 2-0 lead.

Elon answered with two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Mike Melillo hit a one-out single and Chase Austin followed with his first home run of the season to tie the score.

Clemson squandered an opportunity in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Tigers had the bases loaded with no outs and Parker hit a lineout to shortstop Neal Pritchard, who stepped on second base for a double play. Jeff Schaus flied out to centerfield to end the inning.

Clemson took a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning. Matt Sanders led off the inning with a single. After a sacrifice bunt and flyout, Addison Johnson reached on an infield single. Miller then singled through the right side to score Sanders.

Clemson added two insurance runs in the eighth inning. Wilson Boyd reached on a passed ball after striking out and Jason Stolz moved Boyd to second with a sacrifice bunt. John Nester hit his second home run of the year, a line-drive, two-run, opposite-field long ball to give Clemson a 5-2 lead.

Justin Hilt led off the top of the ninth inning with a single and Pritchard singled to right. With two outs, Zeth Stone hit a run-scoring single to right field to cut the Clemson lead to 5-3. But Bennett Davis flied out to right field to end the game.

The teams combined for 27 hits in the game. Elon had 11 different players tally a hit, led by Austin and Pat Irvine with two hits apiece. With a hit in the first inning, Harrilchak extended his hitting streak to 18 games and reached base safely for the 51st straight game. Clemson had eight different players with a hit, led by Miller and Freeman with three hits apiece.

The Tigers won the nightcap, 8-7, as five pitchers combined for nine strikeouts.

In Charleston, South Carolina broke out of the gates early with eight runs in the second inning and added six
more in the middle innings on its way to a 14-2 victory over College of Charleston on Tuesday night at Patriots
Point. Carolina improves to 15-6 on the year while the loss drops the Cougars to 17-4 for the year. The Gamecocks
return home for a non-conference tilt with Georgia Southern on Wednesday night, first pitch at Carolina Stadium set
for 7 p.m.

Carolina starting pitcher Blake Cooper notched his second straight quality start as he limited the Cougars to one run
on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 5.2 innings of work. He earned the win and improved to 3-2 for
the year. College of Charleston starter Nick Osterman lasted only 1.2 innings and suffered the loss dropping his
record to 1-1. An error in the second inning didn't help the Cougar right-hander as he allowed six runs, all
unearned, on four hits in defeat.

The Gamecocks belted out three homers in the game with the middle of the order providing the power. Nick Ebert,
Kyle Enders and Andrew Crisp (4-5-6 in the lineup) all homered for Carolina. South Carolina now has 40 homers
on the year with home runs in 20 of 21 games played. South Carolina finished with 11 hits in the contest. Crisp had
a 3-for-4 night at the plate and tied his season-high with three RBI. Whit Merrifield, DeAngelo Mack and Kyle
Enders were each 2-for-4 as well. Nick Ebert and Jackie Bradley, Jr. each drove in two runs. College of Charleston
had eight hits in the game with Clay McCord and Austin Morgan both tallying two hits.

South Carolina batted around in the top of the second sending 13 batters to the plate and taking an 8-0 lead. Andrew
Crisp opened the frame with a double and Casey Rihn was hit by a pitch with one out to give the Gamecocks
runners on first and second. Carolina then became the beneficiary of an error as shortstop Joey Bergman threw low
to third base allowing Bobby Haney to reach base and Crisp to round third and score for the first Gamecock run.
Rihn also moved up to third base on the play and then scored on a fielder's choice RBI off the bat of Jackie Bradley,
Jr. With two outs and a two-run lead, the top of the order for the Gamecocks strung five consecutive hits together.
Whit Merrifield tallied a RBI double, DeAngelo Mack singled home a run, Nick Ebert blasted a two-run homer and
Kyle Enders doubled. Crisp in his second at bat of the inning was also hit by a pitch, Bangs walked to load the
bases and Rihn drove in the eighth run as he was hit by a pitch for the second time in the inning.

The Gamecocks added three runs in the top of the fourth building a double-digit advantage. Back-to-back home
runs by Enders and Crisp highlighted the frame along with a RBI base hit from Bradley, Jr. as Carolina went ahead
11-0. South Carolina scored another three spot in the top of the fifth inning to go ahead by 14 runs. After loading
the bases with one out, Crisp drove in two more runs with a single to right field. On the play, right fielder Clay
McCord struggled fielding the ball which allowed for Enders to score all the way from first base. College of
Charleston got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the fifth with McCord driving in the Cougars' first run of the
game on a RBI single. College of Charleston would also score in the eighth on a RBI base hit from Joash Brodin.

Tuesday's game was the third this season with South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner coaching against one of his
former assistants. College of Charleston head coach Monte Lee served as an assistant from 2003-08 on the
Gamecock coaching staff. Coach Tanner was 3-0 in games this year vs. his former assistants.