The good news for the South Carolina Gamecocks: they'll have an opportunity tomorrow to win the series against the Clemson Tigers. However, the Tigers were the better team on Saturday as they came away with a 5-0 win at Fluor Field in Greenville.
It was an uphill battle for freshman Braden Webb (2-1) as he struggled with command for much of the afternoon. Webb recorded three walks in the first inning, the third with the bases loaded, to make it 1-0 Tigers. He didn't get much help from his defense, either. An L.T. Tolbert error allowed Clemson to take a 2-0 lead in the second, while a misthrow by Webb to 1st in the 5th opened the door for a Chris Okey two-RBI triple to make it 4-0 in the 5th. Chase Pinder tacked on a leadoff homer in the 6th to stretch the advantage to 5-0.
The Gamecocks' offense was non-existent and didn't threaten Clemson's lead at all as they were kept off balance all day by solid pitching. Clate Schmidt (3-0), taking the mound a day after his brother, Clarke, earned the win for the Gamecocks after an eight-inning gem of five-hit, nine-strikeout ball while walking none at Founders Park, didn't last as long but did take a no-hitter into the 6th inning. He exited after allowing a single hit and four walks while striking out six over 5.1 innings. Pat Krall stepped in and pitched 3.2 innings of one-hit, four strikeout relief to earn the save.
With today's loss, Carolina falls to 10-1, while Clemson improves to 7-2. The scene shifts to Clemson and Doug Kingsmore Stadium tomorrow for the third and final game of the series, set for 2:00pm.