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
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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