The No. 10 South Carolina softball team (25-6, 2-4 SEC) defeated the Clemson Tigers (24-10, 6-3 ACC) 6-0 at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field on Tuesday night to take the first game of the Palmetto Series in the 2025 season.
Sophomore pitcher Nealy Lamb gave the Gamecocks a gem of a performance for the Gamecocks, throwing five shutout innings and picking up the winning decision.
South Carolina had an impressively strong start over Clemson, scoring three runs off the bat of junior infielder Arianna Rodi. Rodi hit her 11th home run of the season, scoring redshirt junior utility player Quincee Lilio and sophomore infielder Karley Shelton to give the Gamecocks the early advantage.
“I was really excited to come out there and put a stamp on it in the first inning,” Rodi said. “Show them we want to control the tempo of this game.”
Lilio scored her second run of the game one inning later thanks to an RBI double from Shelton, her 12th double of the season.
The Gamecocks got two runs on the board in the fourth inning, after senior infielder Brooke Blankenship singled and senior outfielder Emily Vinson reached base with a walk. Shelton brought in her second RBI of the game with a single to score Blankenship. Rodi picked her fourth RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Vinson.
The Tigers loaded the bases in the sixth inning with one out with sixth-year pitcher Sam Gress on the mound. She struck out freshman infielder Macey Cintron to get the second out.
The Gamecocks played a calm seventh inning to pick up the 6-0 victory in the first of two games against Clemson.
“You have a win like that against Clemson, and you just feel like it's for the fans, and it's for the community, and it's for everyone that supported us,” head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said.
Dominant pitching
The Gamecocks were able to seal the win with effective pitching from Lamb and Gress. Lamb gave the South Carolina offense some breathing room by only allowing two Clemson hits in her five innings.
“Nealy gave us her heart,” Chastain Woodard said.
Gress was put into the game in the sixth inning, throwing for two more shutout innings to close out the game. Gress struck out one batter in her outing while working out of late-inning trouble and finishing with a 65.1 strike percentage rate.
Effective offense
The Gamecocks hit for a .320 batting average as a team compared to the .200 average Clemson brought to the table. The Gamecocks saw more runners on the base paths beyond base hits, as the Gamecocks drew three walks while Clemson drew zero.
South Carolina was also able to out-pace the Tigers by having eight total hits, compared to the five hits that Clemson was able to bring in. Rodi and Shelton shined with runners on the base paths, driving in all six runs, while Clemson was not able to capitalize on the runners it put on the bases.
The rivalry continues
Both the Gamecocks and the Tigers entered the matchup fired up to play in the Palmetto Series, one of the premiere rivalries on the college sports landscape.
Lamb expressed that this game was a great opportunity to show what they are capable of, and that the rivalry brings an added excitement to the game and drive from the Gamecocks.
“It's always a little more sweet getting to beat Clemson,” Lamb said.
What's next?
No. 10 South Carolina (25-6, 2-4 SEC) is on the road to compete against the No. 3 LSU Tigers (30-2, 5-1 SEC) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Friday, March 28. The game starts at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.