Tuesday was "National Pancake Day," but Easley's hometown hero Joey Pankake had more to celebrate than the free pancakes he had for breakfast at IHOP.

See his interview after the game.

Pankake hit the game-winning run for the Gamecocks in Tuesday's game against the Blue Hose.

Pankake hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, breaking a 1-1 tie. The hit would help USC defeat Presbyterian 2-1 in non-conference play.

Carolina tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning as T.J. Costen led off with a triple to right-center and scored on a ground out.

Pankake then smacked a 2-1 pitch over the left-centerfield wall. The homer was Pankake’s first of the season and also his first career RBI in a Gamecock uniform.

See box score in the attached .pdf.

The Gamecocks will be back in action this weekend as college baseball’s premier rivalry takes center stage. South Carolina and Clemson meet in a three-game series Friday at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday’s contest is in Columbia at Carolina Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday’s series finale at Doug Kingmore Stadium in Clemson will begin at 2 p.m. also and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com.