For the second straight year, Clemson has advanced to championship weekend at the ACC softball tournament.
In doing so, the Tigers further strengthened their chances of making postseason history.
Valerie Cagle took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, Alia Logoleo belted two home runs, and No. 16 Clemson exacted some revenge with a 4-1 win over No. 2 Virginia Tech on Saturday at Pittsburgh’s Vartabedian Field. The Tigers (39-14), who were swept by the Hokies (41-7) during the regular season, will take on the winner of Friday’s other semifinal between Duke and Florida State in Saturday’s title game.
It’s a chance for Clemson to claim its first-ever conference tournament championship in just its third year as a program. The Tigers lost to Duke in last year’s tournament final.
And if Clemson hadn’t already sewn up an opportunity to host its first-ever regional in the NCAA Tournament, Friday’s result may have done it. The fifth-seeded Tigers, who began the day 11th in the NCAA’s latest RPI rankings, have picked up wins over two of the league’s top four seeds this week after knocking off Notre Dame (No. 18 RPI) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Virginia Tech, the ACC’s regular-season champ, is ranked second in the RPI.
Cagle certainly did her part Friday. A hit batter in the third inning was the only baserunner Virginia Tech mustered against the Tigers’ star two-way player until Bre Peck led off the home half of the fifth with a single. But Cagle induced a double play and a popup to keep Clemson’s 3-0 lead intact at the time.
Tech scored in the sixth on Emma Ritter’s fielder’s choice, but Cagle got Morgan Overaitis swinging for the final out to limit the Hokies’ damage in the frame. Cagle scattered four hits, struck out two and walked one in the complete-game victory.
Logoleo got Clemson on the board in the second with a solo home run, her team-leading 13th of the season. Clemson’s sophomore shortstop accounted for two of the five hits the Tigers had against Tech ace Emma Lemley, sending another no-doubter to straightaway center in the seventh for some insurance.
McKenzie Clark walked in the fourth and scored on Marissa Guimbarda’s infield single. Arielle Oda’s sac fly in the fifth scored Sam Russ, who tripled earlier in the frame.
The Hokies got the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but Cagle got Mackenzie Lawter to ground into a fielder’s choice to snap Tech’s 10-game winning streak. Clemson has won six straight.
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