ACC Blogger Live: ACC (Clemson) vs. SEC (SC) for the CWS Final

Posted by Brandon Rink on June 26, 2010 under ACC Baseball | Comments are off for this article

After playing almost 70 games, it all comes down to the rubber match of the Battle of the Palmetto State for a chance to advance to the CWS Final…and we’re here with our commentary, yours, and Clemson v. South Carolina banter in this crucial game for pride and prominence.

CWS Showdown: Clemson vs. South Carolina, Part Two

Posted by Brandon Rink on under ACC Baseball | Comments are off for this article

All eyes on Clemson ace Casey Harman today as he tries to pull his team through in Omaha.

After playing almost 70 games, it all comes down to the rubber match of the Battle of the Palmetto State for a chance to advance to the CWS Final…

Clemson Tigers (45-24) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (51-16), Saturday at 7:00 ET

What’s on the Line: Everything, for both teams. Lose and go home – win and advance to the CWS final. It’s bragging rights on a whole ‘nother level. Clemson loses and 2002’s memories are replaced with the failure of losing two in a row to rival South Carolina again in 2010.

For Starters: South Carolina coach Ray Tanner is going with righty (6-5, 4.39 ERA) – normally they’re two-starter. Dyson pitched 7 1/3 innings in the win over Arizona State Tuesday with 4 earned runs, 8 hits, and 4 strikeouts.

The Tigers will start ace lefty Casey Harman (8-3, 3.77 ERA). Harman defeated the Sun Devils as well with 6 innings of work — allowing 3 earned runs and 7 hits with 5 strikeouts.

2010 NCAA Tourney Elimination Game Records: Clemson- 3-0. South Carolina- 4-0.

In case you missed it, your lineup and bullpen notables were up yesterday.

Pick: Since May 20th, Clemson has been playing with their backs against the wall. Down 3 games in the Atlantic, they swept the division-leading Seminoles to take the division. On the road at Auburn, they choked away a late lead to force a winner-take-all the next day on the road – and won 13-7 to get their own Super Regional. At the Clemson Super Regional, they dropped game one 5-4 to the Crimson Tide, but came back the next day with a 19-5 win and finished Bama off the next day with a 8-6 win.

So it’s not a surprise (well, a little), that when they finally were cruising – adversity struck once again with losing Friday’s game 5-1 to the rival Gamecocks. South Carolina has made a strong run of their own with 3 straight wins on the brink of elimination at the CWS. I expect this to be a tight game, but with Clemson’s best pitcher on the mound – and some Tigers hitters chomping at the bit to break out today after last night – Clemson takes this one behind a big game from Harman and just enough runs to edge out the Gamecocks.

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CWS Breakdown, Game Three: Clemson vs. South Carolina

Posted by Brandon Rink on June 25, 2010 under ACC Baseball | 12 Comments to Read

Clemson ace Casey Harman is a big part of the Tigers' plans for the rest of the CWS, but will Leggett save him for a later game?

Clemson Tigers (45-23) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (50-16), Friday at 9:00 ET

What’s on the Line: Clemson wins and they’re in the Championship Series. Lose and they play again at 7 ET Saturday for a winner-take-all. The Tigers are in prime position for a knockout punch as South Carolina is coming out of a 12 inning thriller on Thursday versus Oklahoma, while Clemson had the day off Thursday after 2 wins in 3 days of play at the CWS so far.

For Starters: South Carolina coach Ray Tanner is going with lefty Michael Roth (1-1, 1.37 ERA with no starts and 35 appearances). Roth pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings against Oklahoma Thursday night with 1 strikeout.

Clemson’s going with righty freshman Dom Leone (3-1, 4.53 ERA), according to Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt, who pitched in relief Wednesday against Oklahoma. He also pitched the deciding game of the Clemson Super Regional with 5 2/3 innings in a win with 3 strikeouts and 1 earned run on 3 hits.

Key SC Relievers: Righty Matt Price closes for the Gamecocks with 10 saves on the season, but SC coach Ray Tanner said he was out for this game in the post-game presser – Price pitched 3 innings Thursday with no hits allowed and 5 strikeouts. Righthander Jose Mata (7-1, 2.51) has 32 appearances and figures to get in on the action with Roth starting.

Gamecocks Lineup Notables: Centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. is South Carolina’s top hitter with a .374 average, 13 home runs, and 58 RBIs. First baseman Christian Walker hits clean-up hitting .324 with 49 RBIs and 8 HRs. Rightfielder Whit Merrifield crosses the plate the most for South Carolina with 18 more runs scored at 72 than the nearest Gamecock batter – leads SC in steals at 12 as well. South Carolina hits .302 as a team.

South Carolina in the CWS Thus Far: Gamecocks dropped game one 4-3 in a game spread over the entire day due to rain. South Carolina recovered with an 11-4 blowout of Arizona State and extra innings come-back win over Oklahoma – down 2-1 in the 12th, the Gamecocks got 2 two-out RBI singles to tie and take the lead.

Season Series: Clemson won 4-3 at home, lost 7-5 at a neutral site, and torched their rival 19-6 in Columbia for a 2-1 season series advantage.

Pick: An elimination rivalry game at the College World Series – does it get any better? Don’t think so. Looking over South Carolina’s roster/stats, season series, and season to date – make no mistake by looking at the records – Clemson is the better team here. The Tigers played a much tougher schedule to get to this point and I think it shows in this one – Clemson cruises with a 3 to 4+ run win to advance to the CWS Final.

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