Tiger Baseball Team to Play Host to South Carolina Wednesday Night

April 8, 2009

Clemson vs. South Carolina Clemson (20-11), ranked as high as #20 in the nation, will host South Carolina (21-10) on Wednesday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM. The Gamecocks hold a 2-0 advantage in the four-game season series after rallying for a 7-6 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night in Columbia.

Wednesday’s game will be shown live via webcast at ClemsonTigers.com. The two teams will play one more time on April 22 in Columbia as well.

Watch Clemson vs. South Carolina Live on ACC Select!

The Series Clemson and South Carolina have met 285 times on the diamond, with Clemson holding a 163-120-2 lead in the series dating back to 1899. South Carolina is Clemson’s most-played rival in history.

Earlier this season on April 7 at Carolina Stadium, DeAngelo Mack’s two-run single in the ninth inning lifted South Carolina to a 7-6 win over the Tigers. On Feburary 28, South Carolina scored two runs in the ninth inning to top Clemson 3-1 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Mack also hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Gamecocks the win.

In 2008, South Carolina won all four matchups. In 2007, South Carolina won the first three meetings before Clemson won the final matchup by a score of 14-5 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. In the 2006 season, the Tigers won three of four meetings, while the two teams split the four-game season series in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

The Tigers hold a 92-42 lead over the Gamecocks in games played at Clemson and 45-25 lead at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Leggett was also 3-8 against the Gamecocks as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he is 31-37 all-time against South Carolina.

The Starting Pitchers The starting pitchers for both teams have yet to be announced.

The Gamecocks South Carolina, led by 13th-year Head Coach Ray Tanner, enters Wednesday’s game at #20 Clemson with a 21-10 overall record and 5-7 SEC mark after rallying for a 7-6 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday night in Columbia. South Carolina also won one of three games at home against #4 Arkansas over the weekend. The Gamecocks, who are 6-4 on the road, are 10-2 in games decided by two runs or less.

South Carolina is averaging 7.3 runs per game and hitting .301 with a .527 slugging percentage and .392 on-base percentage. The team has also totaled 63 doubles, six triples, 55 home runs, and 27 stolen bases in 41 attempts.

Nick Ebert is hitting .349 with a team-high 11 homers and 32 RBIs along with an .814 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage. DeAngelo Mack is batting .361 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs, while Whit Merrifield is hitting .301 with a team-high 10 steals.

The pitching staff has a 4.95 ERA and .242 opponents’ batting average along with 260 strikeouts against 147 walks in 274.1 innings pitched. Senior lefthander Alex Farotto has either a decision or save in all 10 of his relief appearances. He is 3-2 with five saves and a 4.35 ERA. The Gamecocks are fielding at a .975 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #20 in the nation, enters Wednesday’s game against South Carolina with a 20-11 overall record and 9-6 ACC mark after falling 7-6 at South Carolina on Tuesday night. The Tigers also won two of three games at home against Duke over the weekend. The Tigers sport a 15-4 home record as well.

Clemson is averaging 6.4 runs per game and hitting .286 with a .429 slugging percentage and .378 on-base percentage. The Tigers have also totaled 52 doubles, seven triples, 29 home runs, and 38 stolen bases in 50 attempts.

Ben Paulsen is hitting a team-best .388 with 10 doubles, two triples, seven homers, 35 RBIs, a .678 slugging percentage, and .447 on-base percentage. Mike Freeman is batting .320 with a .434 on-base percentage, while Kyle Parker and Jeff Schaus both have five home runs.

The pitching staff has a 3.63 ERA and .246 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 83 walks against 264 strikeouts, good for a 3.2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Tomas Cruz has a 2-1 record, two saves, and a 2.36 ERA in 26.2 innings pitched over 13 relief appearances. The Tigers are fielding at a .968 clip as well.

Cruzing on the Mound Junior righthander Tomas Cruz (Amarillo, TX) has used his ability to change speeds to allow him to be extremely effective out of the bullpen in his first season at Clemson in the 2009 season. In 26.2 innings pitched over 13 relief appearances, the junior college transfer is 2-1 with two saves, a 2.36 ERA, and .152 opponents’ batting average. He has also allowed just 14 hits and eight walks with 23 strikeouts.

Gamecocks Rally Late to Top Tigers 7-6 DeAngelo Mack’s two-run single in the ninth inning lifted South Carolina to a 7-6 come-from-behind win over #20 Clemson at Carolina Stadium on April 7. The Tigers took a 6-5 lead with two outs in the seventh inning on Ben Paulsen drove in two runs. Tomas Cruz pitched 4.0 stellar innings in relief, allowing just one hit, one run, and no walks with five strikeouts.