The temperature wasn’t the only thing that was chilly in Greenville this afternoon. South Carolina’s bats also went cold, as they dropped the second game of the series against in-state rival Clemson 6-3. Though the Cocks were never totally out of this game, they were never quite in it, either. Hopefully being back at home will help them come away with a victory in the final game of the series tomorrow.

The Tigers first got on the board in the second inning. Steve Duggar led things off with a single and Garrett Boulware followed that with a double, which brought Duggar home for their first run of the day. Jay Baum and Tyler Krieger later knocked back-to-back one-out singles to put Clemson up 2-0.

CU added to their lead in the third inning. Krieger and Thomas Brittle each had one-out singles, then Steve Wilkerson laced a two-out single to left, which got Krieger across the plate. Shane Kennedy walked to load the bases with Tigers, which ended starting pitcher Colby Holmes’ day. Adam Westmoreland came on to take over pitching duties, and Duggar promptly roped a base hit to center that brought in two more runs and made it 5-0 Clemson.

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The Yardcocks finally got on the board in the sixth inning, when Max Schrock and LB Dantzler belted back-to-back home runs. They added their third and final run in the eighth inning. Schrock led off with a walk, but Dantzler grounded into a double play. Joey Pankake knocked a two-out double into left field, though, and then scored when Grayson Greiner had a double of his own into left. Unfortunately, that was the end of Carolina’s offensive production for the day.

The Tigers added a final insurance run in the top of the ninth inning. Baum provided a one-out base hit, then moved to second on a passed ball, and scored when Brittle singled to right.

Holmes worked 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on eight hits and also issued a walk. He takes the loss and falls to 1-1 on the season. Westmoreland had a very solid outing, as he gave up just one run on three hits and didn’t walk anyone. He also retired 11 batters in a row at one point. Tigers freshman Clate Schmidt was very impressive as well. In his seven innings of work, Schmidt allowed  two runs on five hits and issued three walks. He earned the win and improves to 2-0 on the season. Matt Campbell got the save, his third.
Tomorrow’s rubber match is set to begin at 3 p.m. at Carolina Stadium. Follow @CockyCountry on Twitter for live updates and positive/negative reactions where necessary.