COLUMBIA — After Erik Bakich watched his 15th-ranked Clemson team fall in shutout fashion in game one of the rivalry series on Friday, it was readily apparent the head coach was not pleased with how the contest played out.

Not only did Bakich call his team’s performance in the series-opening loss “disappointing,” but there was something else that wasn’t sitting right with him. While he didn’t go into specifics, Bakich apparently wasn’t thrilled with some of the happenings on the field at Founders Park on Friday night.

“Let me phrase this in a way that….. Let me just…. I will just answer it this way,” Bakich said after the series opening loss, pausing after each phrase. “We will just keep it about our mistakes and take those and correct those. But that is not what I am talking about and not what I told (the team).”

After Michael Sharman’s complete game performance led the Tigers to a bounce-back 4-1 win at Segra Park on Saturday, Bakich went into a little more detail, presumably calling out some of the antics during the Gamecocks’ celebration after their win in game one.

“We got another big one (Sunday), which is why we don’t celebrate out of control like we just won the World Series after one win,” Bakich said after his team evened up the series. “We still got a lot to play for, and it is a big one (Sunday).”

The comments are sure to make Sunday’s rubber match at Doug Kingsmore Stadium even more emotionally charged. Clemson has won eight of the last 11 season series, which includes taking six of the past seven games against South Carolina.

A win on Sunday would give the Tigers their third straight series win over their biggest rival. Obviously, the environment at DKS was already going to be raucous, and Bakich’s comments are likely to add a little fuel to that fire.

“This rivalry and this series is its own thing,” Bakich said. “This series means so much to so many people, including us. I would just look at it in the isolation of the importance of playing well (Sunday) and coming out with an edge and doing whatever we have to do to come out on top.”

Photo courtesy of Peter McLean/Clemson Athletics