Tigers ride power surge to run-rule Spartans in NCAA Regional opener |
CLEMSON - Maddie Spell’s third offering of Friday’s Clemson NCAA Tournament Regional was smashed to left field for a basehit by Tigers center fielder
McKenzie Clark.
With one out, the SoCon champion UNC-Greensboro Spartans opted to intentionally walk national player of the year finalist and ACC player of the year Valerie Cagle, and Tigers senior right fielder Caroline Jacobsen made UNC-G pay shortly after by crushing a ball high up the light pole that splits the left field gap for three runs. Next up, Clemson shortstop Alia Logoleo destroyed another pitch to the road beyond the center field wall, and the Tigers only poured it on from there with a 14-hit performance. Safe to say, No. 16 national seed Clemson’s bats have returned. The Tigers (47-9) shook off some struggles at the plate down the stretch, where they lost seven of their previous 17 games coming in after a 37-1 start, to top UNC-G (37-21) 17-2 on Friday. Clemson faces regional 2-seed Auburn (41-17) in a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday (ESPN). The ACC Tigers defeated Auburn 1-0 in last year’s Clemson Regional winner’s bracket matchup. Auburn defeated 3-seed Cal State Fullerton 12-2 in the Friday finale. Clemson scored seven runs in all in the first frame, tallying six hits with run-scoring knocks also coming from JoJo Hyatt and Reedy Davenport as well, with Davenport sending a third pitch of the inning over the fence for two scores. "Obviously very happy with results today and it was really nice to see our offense come out and explode in the first inning. It's no secret that we've struggled offensively lately and specifically in the ACC Tournament. For us to come out and swing the bats like we did was really impressive and took a little pressure off of everybody," Clemson coach John Rittman said. Spell (12-6), the SoCon tournament’s most outstanding player honoree, was charged all seven first-inning runs with five hits and two walks over 2/3 innings pitched before being pulled. The Tigers were back at it in the second inning, loading the bases for catcher Aby Vieira, who snuck a hit through the right side to score two more in her first return to the lineup since April 11 due to injury. Jacobsen added to the lead in the third inning with a two-run double to right center, and Maddie Moore then joined the home run action with a two-run shot to center. In Clemson's last at-bats four innings in, Cagle added an RBI single, another Tiger scored on a Logoleo bases-loaded walk and two more crossed the plate on a Moore two-run single to center. Clemson left-handed starter Millie Thompson (14-3) worked in and out of trouble, stranding five runners over three innings of work with a lone run charged over four hits – tallying all three strikeouts in the first inning. Clemson was no-hit in its ACC Softball Championship finale versus Duke last Friday. In that final 17-game regular-season stretch, the Tigers scored three or fewer runs in seven games, including five of the losses. "To come out in the first inning like that, it was exactly what we needed. You know in postseason you have to get hot to win games and I think that gives us a lot of confidence moving forward that we know we can do it and we can be back to where we were in the start of the season," Davenport said. Jacobsen went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and three runs scored on Friday, while Moore tallied four RBIs. "I was just ready for the opportunity to hit with runners on and make the most of it," Jacobsen said. Clemson has run-ruled 16 opponents this season, with the previous edition coming against Pitt in late April. UNC-G came in as winners of six-straight and 11-of-13 en route to a conference title. Clemson topped UNC-G for a third time this season, also winning two in an invitational at McWhorter Stadium early in the season.
B1 | If you intentionally walk Valerie Cagle, Caroline Jacobsen is going to make you pay 🤯
— Clemson Softball 🥎 (@clemsonsoftball) May 19, 2023
Tigers lead 3-0
📺 ESPNU
📻 @1055TheRoar pic.twitter.com/gqXcwLWFiR
B1| Excuse us, 4-0
— Clemson Softball 🥎 (@clemsonsoftball) May 19, 2023
Logoleo hits a solo bomb👏
📺 ESPNU
📻 @1055TheRoar pic.twitter.com/Jr8bHPbLlT
.@clemsonsoftball defense 💪 — even from their fans!
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 19, 2023
Watch three straight web gems from the Tigers’ win in their regional opener.#RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/WbJkrN4APD
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