Rowdy record crowd sees Tigers take game one over Gamecocks

Dominic Listi rifled an RBI single to right field.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Friday, February 28 2025

CLEMSON - Erik Bakich wanted a rowdy Doug Kingsmore Stadium. He got just that on night one of the rivalry series – and a record crowd too, his team responding to the energy and more to capture game one over South Carolina, 5-3.

No. 7 Clemson (8-1) has won six in a row at home over the Gamecocks (9-1) and has lost just once to South Carolina at home since 2018.

A record 6,891 fans squeezed into Clemson’s friendly confines to see Cam Cannarella get an early rally going with a two-out bunt against the shift down the third base line for an easy basehit. Josh Paino walked after that and Collin Priest cashed in with a double lined to the right-field wall for two runs.

Back to the top of the order in the second inning, Dominic Listi rifled an RBI single to right field for one run, and Paino walked with the bases loaded for another score in the frame.

Clemson ace right-hander Aidan Knaak started strong and feisty, including a strikeout of former Tiger Nolan Nawrocki where he stared down the former teammate afterward.

He ran into some trouble in the third inning, and Nawrocki’s sacrifice fly to center field got the Gamecocks on the board. With two on, Talmadge LeCroy unloaded the bags with a double down the third base line to bring South Carolina within a run.

Knaak matched his season-best in strikeouts by the fourth inning and topped that with a ninth strikeout in the fifth inning, but with two on and topping 100 pitches, Knaak’s day was done in favor of sophomore lefty Jacob McGovern (1-0). McGovern worked out of the jam with a high pop-out just into foul territory.

The Gamecocks threatened again in the sixth inning by getting two aboard with two out, but McGovern registered his first strikeout to strand them.

With Clemson’s relief pitching holding the score in check, Jarren Purify took the first offering his way in the seventh deep to left field and over the fence for his first homer of the season.

Lucas Mahlstedt carried the rest with three shutout frames for his third save of the season, but not without some drama, South Carolina putting a leadoff runner aboard in the ninth inning and sending a flyout to the left field wall and an outstretched glove of Listi.

"Great way to set the tone in this series," Bakich said postgame. "Unbelievable crowd. Electric crowd. We've got to figure out how to play South Carolina more times and get that crowd more often. We feed off the energy and just appreciate the students were making a ton of noise. Everyone that was lined up, it was like a sea of people down the left-field line. And everybody in their seats clapping and standing up with two outs and two strikes just making noise -- all those things, our players just feed off that energy...

"We had pitching, we had some defense, we had some timely hitting...the exclamation mark that really felt like that final nail when (Purify) hit that bomb...It's super-valuable to have a guy like (Mahlstedt) that can be extended and save a game and go length for us. That's big-time...We're happy with the win tonight, but there's a lot more to do this weekend. Certainly not satisfied."

Priest, Cannarella and Gaffney all registered multi-hit efforts.

Clemson improved to 58-29 against South Carolina all-time in Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The series continues at Greenville’s Fluor Field on Saturday (1:30 p.m./SECN+).

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Aidan Knaak Ks former Tiger Nolan Nawrocki and stares him down 👀

Clemson South Carolina is underwayyyy 🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/NRQC5mQTnk
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) March 1, 2025

Two outs? We'll take two runs! @collinpriest13 rips a drive down the left-field line to score @CamCannarella and @PainoJosh.

B1 || USC 0, CU 2

📺https://t.co/UAzf8CLFwo pic.twitter.com/ktRnlYwWlM
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) March 1, 2025

Dabo Approves✅@aidan_knaak records his sixth, seventh, and eighth strikeouts of the night, sending the Gamecocks down in order.

M4 || USC 3, CU 4

📺https://t.co/UAzf8CLFwo pic.twitter.com/1WAfeAAmeQ
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) March 1, 2025

Another for the Tigers!@dominiclisti drives in @TheLukeGaffney to extend the Clemson lead!

B2 || USC 0, CU 3

📺https://t.co/UAzf8CLFwo pic.twitter.com/aR4vyV5qRv
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) March 1, 2025

As we were saying...@JarrenPurify goes DEEP to left field to extend the Clemson lead‼️

🚀 384 ft
💨 99 mph

B7 || USC 3, CU 5

📺https://t.co/UAzf8CLFwo https://t.co/xcyKVYQV88 pic.twitter.com/iuBqO9NQjW
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) March 1, 2025

THAT'S A WINNER‼️

See how the Tigers closed out their Friday night victory against the Gamecocks! pic.twitter.com/b1mjjXY7Lc
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) March 1, 2025