Epps-led Tigers make Gamecocks look inept

COLUMBIA -- The largest crowd in Carolina Stadium history showed up Sunday. It looked like a pedestrian midweek game, though, after a couple of hours and a few innings.

It's not exactly breaking news that South Carolina fans don't like to stick around to watch Clemson handle the Gamecocks -- in any sport, baseball included.

And that's just what the No. 13 Tigers did in the series' deciding game, using a six-run second inning -- and leadoff hitter Chris Epps' grand slam -- to vault to a 19-6 victory against No. 15 USC in front of 8,214 fans.

"We kind of hit on all cylinders today," Tigers coach Jack Leggett said. "It was one of those games when it was tough to stop us."

Yeah, you could say that. The 19 runs are the most Clemson has scored in Columbia -- ever. The previous high

was 18 in 1917.

It's the most runs for the Tigers against USC, in any location, since 1962.

Reserve catcher Phil Pohl book-ended Epps' grand slam with one of his own in a five-run ninth that punched at USC's wounds.

By then, only those in orange and purple remained at Ray Tanner's jewel of a ballpark. The Gamecocks had headed for home -- and some left hours earlier.

"We didn't let our fans get involved today," said Tanner, USC's veteran coach. "We were taken out of it early."

Epps went 7-for-14 with a pair of homers and six RBIs on the weekend to win the Clemson MVP.

Jackie Bradley Jr., in his first full weekend back from a broken hand, won the Gamecocks' honor after a 6-for-12 series that included a homer and four RBIs.

Folks depart the weekend impressed by the 9-1 Tigers. "I like our team," Leggett said. "I like the way we're playing."

Those same folks are likely wondering about the Gamecocks, who dropped to 6-4 after losing consecutive series to East Carolina and now Clemson.

"I think that's fair," Tanner said. "I think it's OK to question whether we're a good team or not. I think we are, but we've got to prove it between the lines."

Clemson leapt out to leads in each game, but Sunday was different, because it just continued to build and build and build.

The Tigers had help. USC walked and hit 12 Clemson batters, and half of them scored.

"It was just one of those days," said Whit Merrifield, who played third base for the Gamecocks this weekend. "I think we're a much better team than we showed."

Freshman left-hander Tyler Webb hadn't allowed a run in his first 8 2/3 innings, but he didn't make it out of the second Sunday.

Webb (0-1) threw strikes, but not enough. He had four walks and a hit batter in 1 1/3 innings. All four walks were on a full count.

Webb fell behind another hitter, Epps, and he made the youngster pay. He blasted a 2-1 pitch over the tape in dead-center field for a grand slam that pushed the Tigers to a 4-0 lead.

That was it for Webb. On reliever Steven Neff's first pitch, Mike Freeman made it 5-0 with a solo shot to right.

It was just a sign of things to come.

South Carolina finally got a little bit going on Nick Ebert's two-out, two-run triple in the fifth. That cut the Tigers' lead to 8-3.

Clemson responded, though, in the top of the sixth with freshman Richie Shaffer's three-run homer. The two-out blast made it 11-3, and the Tigers only padded the lead from there to send fans streaming from the stadium.

Clemson sophomore Scott Weismann (2-0) was quite good, mixing his pitches and hitting spots. He went six strong innings, allowing a pair of earned runs on five hits. He struck out five.

Notes

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South Carolina Gamecocks

Gamecocks shortstop Bobby Haney missed Sunday's game with a sprained left shoulder. He could miss a week or two, Tanner said. ... Former USC offensive line coach Eric Wolford was at the game, wearing a Gamecocks jacket. Wolford left in December to become the head coach at Youngstown State. ... Freeman's glove-to-shortstop turn of an eighth-inning double play merited a mention; it was outstanding. ... Merrifield's infield single in the eighth extended his hit streak to 24 games, one shy of the USC record.

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com, check out the Gamecocks blog at postandcourier.com/blogs/gamecocks and follow him on Twitter (@gamecocksblog).