South-Carolina
Clemson baseball posts second consecutive victory against in-state rival South Carolina
CLEMSON — Another game, different day, same result.
Clemson hit three home runs Sunday to power past South Carolina 5-4 and claim a second consecutive victory by a 5-4 margin against the Gamecocks.
Clemson also won the first game 5-4 on Saturday after Friday’s opening game of the annual three-game series was postponed by rain. No makeup date for that game has been set.
The Tigers (9-1), ranked No. 10 nationally, got home runs from Will Taylor, Nolan Nawrocki and Blake Wright on Sunday, but had to rally from an early deficit.
The Gamecocks (8-3), ranked No. 12, got a two-out, two-run home run from Cole Messina in the top of the first, scoring Dylan Brewer, who had drawn a one-out walk.
Clemson responded with a solo home run by Taylor – his fourth of the season – in the bottom of the first, but the Gamecocks extended their advantage to 3-1 on Dylan Brewer’s RBI single in the top of the third.
The Tigers tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on Jimmy Overtop’s RBI groundout and an RBI single by Andrew Ciufo.
Clemson took its first lead of the day, 4-3, in the bottom of the sixth when Nolan Nawrocki launched his second home run of the season to left field, then extended the lead to 5-3 on a blast by Wright in the bottom of the eight.
South Carolina’s Ethan Petry pulled the Gamecocks within a run with a solo homer in the top of the ninth.
Clemson’s Will Taylor heating up
Will Taylor has awakened in a big way for the Tigers.
The junior outfielder had just one hit in his first 23 at-bats this season and was batting .043 through seven games, but in the Tigers’ last three games has five hits in nine at-bats. He has scored six runs, hit four home runs and walked four times during that span.
His latest home run came in the bottom of the first inning in the Tigers’ 5-4 win against South Carolina on Sunday.
Solid pitching helps Tigers notch ninth win
Clemson got strong pitching against South Carolina on Sunday. Starter Aidan Knaak, a freshman righthander, scattered four hits and three runs over five innings.
Relievers Drew Titsworth (1-0), who got the victory, combined with Nick Clayton, Matthew Marchal and Austin Gordon to allow only one hit and one run over the final four innings. No South Carolina player had more than one hit and Clemson pitchers struck out nine batters.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer
Dawn Staley & Gamecocks on ‘rusty’ start in huge win over Southern U
Dawn Staley and Joyce Edwards on their ‘rusty’ start in their first game in two weeks that turned into a massive 69-point win NCAA tournament.
Sports Pulse
COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.
That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.
For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.
Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.
“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”
The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.
“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”
The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.
“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”
Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.
“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”
Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.
“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”
As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.
“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.
She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.
“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.
She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.
Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.
“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”
Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.
“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”
She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.
“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”
On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.
It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.
With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.
Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
Rochester, N.Y. — An Orleans County man faces a peeping tom charge in South Carolina after a woman said he left an audio recording device in her home.
According to an incident report from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, an officer responded to the home Jan. 24 for a report of a possible peeping tom or voyeurism incident. The victim told the officer she had been in a relationship with Nicolas Vagg from May-October 2024 and said he traveled from New York to visit her in 2024.
The woman told the officer she found a small black rectangular device in her bedroom. She later determined it was a recording device. She said she connected the device to her phone and found audio recordings captured during her time with Vagg, as well as others from her interactions with another man after she and Vagg broke up.
Vagg, 32, of Albion turned himself in Tuesday, according to the report. He was charged with sex/ peeping tom, eavesdropping or peeping.
Georgetown County Detention Center records indicate Vagg was initially held on $2,000 bond and released later Tuesday.
The victim received a no-contact order of protection, according to the incident report. Vagg’s next court date is scheduled for May 28.
ANNAPOLIS, – MAY 07: Jospeh O’Conner launches his boat at Sandy Point State Park, on May 7, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. Governor Larry Hogan has relaxed the ban on outdoor activities, such as boating, tennis, camping, fishing, state park facilities will be open while the stay-at-home order is still in effect. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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