Road Trip: The Perfect Storm

CLEMSON, SC -- The thirty mile-per-hour wind was not the only storm in Doug Kingsmore Stadium Saturday as South Carolina hit three home runs and held Clemson to two hits in a 12-0 drubbing. Gamecock starter Harris Honeycutt worked seven solid innings striking out seven Tiger hitters.

"They played extremely well. Everything they did today was right," said Clemson coach Jack Leggett. "The way they swung the bats. They had timely hits. They got the leadoff man on base. Honeycutt pitched very well. Once they got the lead he smelled it and was able to throw strikes. They are a good baseball team and they were the perfect storm today."

"It was a great day for us," said South Carolina coach Ray Tanner. "We did everything right. Coming on the road against a good team like this, this you have to be at your best. Honeycutt was really sharp. We played great defense and got a couple of timely home runs. We were almost perfect today. This is as good as we can play."

The Gamecock offensive flurry started early quieting the orange-clad 6217 in attendance. South Carolina scored a pair in the first on doubles by Cheyne Hurst and Justin Smoak. The slugging Gamecocks followed with three more in the third on a long opposite-field three-run home run into the wind by Phil Disher.

Two pitches after Tiger reliever D.J. Mitchell couldn't handle a foul pop near the Tiger dugout, James Darnell slammed a Mitchell pitch to left benefiting from a stiff breeze for a three run home run.

The stiff wind aided Justin Smoak's a two-run homer in the seventh. It looked like a pop to short off the bat but the thirty mile per wind carried the ball over the wall.

Honeycutt walked four and struck out seven, all looking. Curtis Johnson, Nick Fuller, and Jordan Costner all appeared in relief.

"I didn't run the count deep a whole lot," Honeycutt said. "I let my defense play behind me. It is a great rivalry. To shut out a highly ranked team like Clemson is a wonderful thing to do"

The teams continue the series Sunday in Columbia at 1:30 ET.

"I didn't in my wildest dreams so that whole thing coming," Leggett said. "We have to put it behind us and get ready to play tomorrow."