The Reedy River Rivalry is moving to Doug Kingsmore Stadium for the rubber match between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers. USC won the game on Friday night in Columbia, 3-2 on a walk-off sac fly. The Tigers would respond with a 5-1 victory in Greenville at Fluor Field.
Gamecocks (7-4) vs Clemson (9-1) | First Pitch scheduled for 2:00
Today's pitching matchup will be between LHP John Gilreath (0-0, 0.00 ERA) for the Gamecocks and LHP Jake Higginbotham (2-0, .730 ERA) for the Tigers.
Higginbotham has pitched 12.1 innings in his two appearances, facing 42 batters and throwing 154 total pitches. He has thrown 101 total strikes, accounting for 66% of his pitch count. And 27 of the 42 batters he has faced have received first-pitch strikes in their at-bats; 93% of those batters have gone on to be retired in that at-bat.
Higgy is averaging only 12.486 pitches per inning which is good enough for best between the three weekend starters. Hennessy is averaging 14.4 (including Friday night's game) and Crawford went from 14.22 to 15.2 after yesterday's outing against the Gamecocks.
Higginbotham has retired 11 leadoff batters and has pitched NINE '1-2-3' innings; in all of those nine innings, he has thrown less than 13 total pitches.
He has given up only SEVEN hits, TWO runs (1 ER), ZERO walks and has recorded 10 strikeouts with a .568 WHIP.
Gilreath has started just one game so far this season but has appeared in three. He has thrown 11.1 innings giving up just FIVE hits and ONE walk. No runs have been scored on him and he has struck out 10 batters.
The pitching in this series has been the difference in each of the first two games. Gilliam with a throwing error to first that would plate the winning run at third base in Friday's game. Gamecocks pitching staff walking 10 Clemson batters in the game at Fluor Field on Saturday led to their deficit and ultimate defeat.
There is no reason to think today will be any different with only TWO combined runs scored on both starting pitchers.
