Clemson pitcher Aidan Knaak stares down former teammate Nolan Nawrocki after strikeout vs. South Carolina
Things got heated in the South Carolina-Clemson baseball game on Friday, when Clemson pitcher Aidan Knaak struck out his former teammate, Nolan Nawrocki. As Knaak was walking to the bullpen, he stared down Nawrocki. He made sure to lock eyes with Nawrocki as he walked to the Clemson dugout.
In the top of the 7th inning, Clemson led South Carolina 4-3. Collin Priest had two RBIs for the Tigers. Talmadge LeCroy also had two RBIs for the Gamecocks. In 4.2 innings of work, Aidan Knaak allowed four hits with three runs and four walks.
Clemson scored four runs in the first two innings of the game.
In the top of the 9th, the Tigers pushed their lead to 5-3. And that would be the final score as Clemson would prevail victorious. Jarren Purify had a solo home run in the win for the Tigers. Pitcher Jacob McGovern got the win for the Tigers. Lucas Mahlstedt threw three innings to tally his third save of the 2025 season. They’re currently ranked No. 7 in the country. They’ll take a 1-0 lead in the series between the heated rivals. Gamecocks starting pitcher Matthew Becker (2-1) gave up four runs in 3.1 innings of work. He took the loss for South Carolina.
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The South Carolina-Clemson rivalry continues to be one of the best rivalries in college sports and moments like what we saw on Friday night is exactly why. The two teams will continue their three-game series on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. On Saturday, they’ll play in Greenville, South Carolina, which will be a neutral field (Fluor Field). Then on Sunday, the game will be played in Columbia, South Carolina, for a home game for the Gamecocks.
It was the first loss of the season for South Carolina, who dropped to 9-1 overall. Clemson currently sits at 8-1 overall. A crowd of 6,891 fans were in attendance for Friday night’s game between the two rivals.