Wolfpack ride 6-run inning to take series opener over No. 8 Tigers |
CLEMSON - Coming off their third loss of the season against No. 5 Georgia after extra innings Wednesday, No. 8 Clemson hoped to rebound in the first game of their series against NC State. However, that was not the case as they dropped their second straight game, losing 6-1. This marks their first losing streak since the end of last season in the Super Regionals against Oklahoma.
The first inning started out promising for the Tigers (11-4). After a quick three outs by the Wolfpack, junior utility player Alex Brown hit a triple. This was followed by a sacrificial fly from senior outfielder McKenzie Clark to send Brown home and give Clemson the early 1-0 lead. That would be short-lived. In the top of the second inning, the Wolfpack (14-3) had the bases loaded three times and scored twice before a change of pitcher for Clemson from junior right-hander Brooke McCubbin to senior left-hander Millie Thompson. That didn’t stop NC State from putting up another four runs before the end of the second inning to give them a 6-1 lead. Neither team scored in the third inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Clemson had an opportunity to cut into the Wolfpack’s 6-1 lead. With no outs, they got the bases loaded set up by two walks and a single from redshirt senior infielder Alia Logoleo. Catcher Jojo Hyatt came up to bat, lined out, and NC State had a double play getting freshman outfielder Kennedy Ariail out at first. This was followed by redshirt senior Arielle Oda with a line out to end the inning without the Tigers taking advantage of getting the bases loaded. The fifth and sixth innings would result in three fast outs for each team, sending the game into the final inning as NC State maintained their 6-1 lead. In the top of the seventh, the Tigers would change their pitcher once again and have senior right-hander Regan Spencer finish out the game. The Wolfpack failed to score in the seventh, leaving Clemson with the chance in the bottom of the inning to have a big inning and take the game from NC State. However, they failed to record a single hit and the inning ended with a 6-1 loss for the Tigers. For Clemson, it is their worst loss of the season thus far. For McCubbin, this was the fifth start of the season. She pitched 1.1 innings. Out of the nine batters she faced, McCubbin allowed two hits, three walks and five runs. Further, she only had two strikeouts, a season-low for her. Thompson pitched a total of 4.2 innings, only five hits and one run. She had one strikeout and threw a total of 44 strikes. Spencer pitched just one inning, allowing one walk but no hits out of the four batters she faced. This game was the first of Clemson’s double-header against NC State. The second game was originally slated to start at 3 p.m. but will now have the first pitch at 3:52 p.m. (ACCNX). The series will conclude on Sunday, March 3 (noon/ACCNX). B1 | Tigers are on the board! M6 | That arm, though 💪 ACC Opener at McWhorter pic.twitter.com/JdILNWSSgU
After Brown leads off with a triple into left, Clark brings her home with a sac fly. Clemson leads 1-0
📺 ACCNX pic.twitter.com/bDqoLWCvSr
Logoleo ends the top of the sixth with the long-distance throw to Cagle at first. Logoleo will lead of the bottom of the sixth at the plate
📺 ACCNX pic.twitter.com/cPBS9O42Vr
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