Clemson softball – Page 14 – Syndication Server

Clemson softball moves past Liberty in walk-off fashion

Clemson softball (16-6) walked off with an extra-innings win over Liberty at McWhorter Stadium in the third game of the Tiger Invitational. Following a win earlier on Sunday against Illinois the Tigers were hoping to finish the day 2-0 with a win …

Clemson softball (16-6) walked off with an extra-innings win over Liberty at McWhorter Stadium in the third game of the Tiger Invitational.

Following a win earlier on Sunday against Illinois the Tigers were hoping to finish the day 2-0 with a win over the Liberty Flames. This was the teams’ first match-up of the Tiger Invitational. The Flames came into the game winless on the weekend, after they suffered two losses to Illinois earlier in the weekend.

Kyah Keller’s pinch-hit two-run single capped off a 5-4 win for the Tigers.

Led by Sam Russ (1-2) and Marissa Gumibarda (2-4), Clemson pounded out 10 hits in its latest win.

“Every win is special,” Clemson softball head coach John Rittman said postgame. “We are still such a young program-its a milestone that means a lot to our program because we have really been a winning program since day one. We continue to grow, we continue to improve, our leadership, our culture is great and that’s what means more to me than anything on the field.”

In the bottom of the first, Russ hit a bomb to right field — her first home run as a Tiger — to give Clemson an early 1-0 lead.

“It felt great, I was going up there just free-swinging, and she happened to come in on me which is my favorite- I was excited for that, and I just put a good swing on it,” Russ said following Clemson’s win over Liberty.

Clemson dealt with some defensive woes, which enabled the Flames to jump out to a 3-1 lead. The Tigers made a pitching change in the top of the fifth, bringing in right-hander Brooke McCubbin.

Behind McCubbin (3-1), Clemson’s defense was able to keep the Flames from adding any more to their lead, but could not capitalize on offense.

In the bottom of the sixth, Guimbarda hit a double to right-center field giving the Tigers a much-needed momentum shift. Arielle Oda came in to pinch run for Guimbarda. Bailey Taylor later hit a single to center field that advanced Oda home and narrowed Liberty’s lead 3-2.

McCubbin shut down Liberty’s offense in the top of the 7th allowing only 1 hit and striking out 2 hitters.

Valerie Cagle does what she does best, in what was a time of need for the Tigers.

In the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, Cagle hit a single to left-field, which advanced Russ home to tie the game.

In the top of the eighth, Courtney Poulich was placed on second for the Flames due to the International Tiebreaker rules used in tournament play. K.C. Machado’s sacrifice-fly scored Pulich, which gave Liberty a 4-3 leading heading into the bottom of the inning.

With two outs and two runners on bases, Keller stepped up at-bat as a pinch hitter for Maddie Moore.

Keller hit a single up the middle bringing two runners home to give the Tigers a narrow victory over the Liberty Flames by a score of 5-4 and ended a great day at McWhorter Stadium.

Clemson finishes out play in the final game of the Tiger Invitational on Monday, March 14th at 4 p.m.

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Clemson shuts out Illinois behind Thompson’s dominant outing

Clemson was able to continue its winning streak with a 4-0 win over Illinois on Sunday, which was also marked as the 100th game in program history for the Tigers. Left-hander Millie Thompson came out strong with four strikeouts and only allowed two …

Clemson was able to continue its winning streak with a 4-0 win over Illinois on Sunday, which was also marked as the 100th game in program history for the Tigers.

Left-hander Millie Thompson came out strong with four strikeouts and only allowed two hits in the first 3 innings against Illinois. Thompson would continue to shut down the Illinois offense throughout the game.

She finished Sunday’s contest with 11 strikeouts over seven innings. Thompson gave up five hits — including just one extra-base hit — and didn’t allow any runs to pass.

In the bottom of the second, Bailey Taylor hit an RBI up the middle to advance Cammy Pereira home to put the Tigers up 1-0.

In the bottom of the third Clemson advanced their lead when Marissa Guimbarda came up to bat with two runners on second and third. Guimbarda hit a bomb out to centerfield that flew over the fence bringing the lead to 4-0.

That was Guimbarda’s fifth home run of the season.

In the top of the sixth inning, Thompson recorded her strikeout No. 10 and her 37 overall of the season. She finished off the game allowing no runs which was the first complete-game shutout of her career with the Tigers.

Clemson will be going directly into their first match-up against Liberty of the Tiger Invitational at 3 pm.

This win made Head Coach, John Rittman, the winningest current head coach in the first 100 games of a program at Clemson, and advances the Tigers record to 15-6 on the season.

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Bart Boatwright’s Photo Gallery: Clemson downs Illinois

Clemson defeated Illinois 3-1 Saturday afternoon on a chilly, windy afternoon. The Clemson Insider was on hand for all of the action, Check out some great pictures from the win in Bart Boatwright’s Photo Gallery.

Clemson defeated Illinois 3-1 Saturday afternoon on a chilly, windy afternoon. The Clemson Insider was on hand for all of the action,

Check out some great pictures from the win in Bart Boatwright’s Photo Gallery.

Cagle throws complete game en route to 3-1 win over Illinois

Seventeenth-ranked Clemson defeated Illinois 3-1 Saturday afternoon at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson in their first of two meetings this weekend with the Illini in the Tiger Invitational. It all came down to a big first inning for the Tigers, who …

Following today’s win, the Tigers are now 7-0 in games where they score in the first inning and have scored 18 runs in the first so far in 2022.

Clemson ace Valerie Cagle earns the win in the circle, throwing a complete game and improving to 6-4 on the season. Left-hander Tori McQueen suffers the loss for Illinois.

The Tigers got on the board quickly in the first inning. With bases loaded, Periera hit a two-RBI single to left field, bringing in McKenzie Clark and Sam Russ to give the Tigers the 2-0 lead after one.

Clemson struck yet again in the fourth. With a runner at second, infielder Kyah Keller came in clutch with an RBI single to left center to extend the Tiger’s lead to 3-0.

Illinois chipped away at Clemson’s lead in the fifth, scoring a run off of an RBI single by Illini right-fielder Danielle Davis, but it proved to not be enough. Clemson outlasted Illinois with a final score of 3-1.

With the win over the Illini, Clemson improves to 14-6 on the season.

Clemson resumes play in the Tiger Invitational Sunday, March 13, with games against Illinois and Liberty at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. respectively on ACCNX.

Clemson softball announces changes to Tiger Invitational schedule

In anticipation of cold weather on Saturday, March 10, Clemson softball head coach John Rittman has announced schedule changes for the Tiger Invitational. Updated Clemson Schedule | Updated Tiger Invitational Schedule Date Time Away Home Saturday, …

In anticipation of cold weather on Saturday, March 10, Clemson softball head coach John Rittman has announced schedule changes for the Tiger Invitational.

Updated Clemson Schedule | Updated Tiger Invitational Schedule

Date	Time	Away	Home
Saturday, March 12	9:30 a.m.	Illinois	Liberty
Saturday, March 12	12 p.m.	Liberty	Clemson
Saturday, March 12	2:30 p.m.	Illinois	Clemson
Sunday, March 13	10 a.m.	Liberty	Illinois
Sunday, March 13	12:30 p.m.	Illinois	Clemson
Sunday, March 13	3 p.m.	Liberty	Clemson

All Clemson contests are still available to watch on ACCNX.

–Courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

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No. 15 Clemson overtakes Mercer in mid-week shutout

No. 17/15 Clemson came away with the shutout win Wednesday evening over the Mercer Bears with a score of 3-0 at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson. The second inning proved to be the difference maker for the Tigers, scoring all three runs on the day …

Left-hander Millie Thompson earns the win for the Tigers in the circle, improving to 3-1 on the year, and Brooke McCubbin walks away with the save. Freshman right-hander Hannah Pitts draws the loss for the Bears.

The Tigers are now 12-1 this season when they are the first to score no matter the inning.

After a scoreless first inning, the Tigers quickly got on the board in the bottom of the second with Moore’s RBI double to right center and McKenzie Clark’s two-run double to put Clemson up by three after two, eventually good for a final score of 3-0. With the win, the Tigers improve to 13-6 on the season.

Clemson hosts the Tiger Invitational this weekend at McWhorter Stadium with opponents in Illinois and Liberty. The Tigers open up play against Liberty on Saturday, March 12, with first pitch scheduled for 1:30pm on ACCNX.

Clemson Softball Week 4 in review: Tigers drop three amidst first ACC matchup

Clemson softball entered its fourth week of competition coming off of a strong showing at the Clemson Classic with five wins in the book and being named tournament champs. The Tigers started off the week strong with a more-than-convincing win over the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, but into the team’s first ACC series matchup of the season against a top-10 opponent in Virginia Tech, Clemson struggled to manufacture runs along with some costly errors, ultimately dropping its first series of the season.

“It was a tough weekend, but there was a lot we can learn,” head coach John Rittman said following Sunday’s loss. “There were a lot of positives. When you play a schedule as tough as ours and you learn from your losses, it is going to bode well for you. I liked the way we competed and pitched. We made a few defensive mistakes over the course of the three games that hurt us. Without these mistakes, it would have been a very evenly matched series. We are a young program that continues to fight and battle and will learn from these games moving forward.”

The Tigers opened up play last week with a mid-week matchup on Tuesday at McWhorter Stadium, where they faced Gardner-Webb. Redshirt sophomore Valerie Cagle and graduate Marissa Guimbarda hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning to earn Clemson the 6-0 shutout win over the Bulldogs. Regan Spencer earned the win, improving to 3-0 on the season in the circle for the Tigers.

With her home run on Tuesday, Guimbarda improved to 52 career home runs which situates the Georgia native within the top five on the NCAA active player list for most career home runs.

On Friday, Clemson opened up its first ACC weekend matchup of the season with No. 6 Virginia Tech at McWhorter Stadium. What began as a battle of the aces in the circle between Cagle and Keely Rochard quickly came to a close in the fourth inning once the Hokies got the bats rolling, scoring six runs. The Tigers tried to put together a rally both in the fifth and seventh, but ultimately fell short by a score of 6-1.

Cagle took the loss in the circle with four strikeouts through 3.0 innings. Virginia Tech’s Rochard earned the win for the Hokies.

In game two, Clemson dropped its second game of the weekend series on Saturday by a score of 4-0. Errors proved to be costly for the Tigers, having three of the four opposing runs scored unearned. Millie Thompson started in the circle for the Tigers, pitching three innings and picking up two strikeouts. With the loss, Thompson moved to 2-1 on the year.

Sunday’s series finale began as a rematch of Friday’s pitching face-off between Cagle and Rochard, both of whom kept the game scoreless through five innings of play.

Virginia Tech took the lead for good in the sixth, scoring three of its four runs thanks to a three-run homer to center field by Morgan Overaitis. Clemson looked to respond with runs scored in the sixth and seventh, but that proved not enough. Clemson succumbed to the series sweep in game three by a score of 4-2.

Cagle took the loss, pitching 6.1 innings, shifting to 5-4 on the season in the circle. Rochard earned the win along with freshman Emma Lemley, who tabbed the save for the Hokies.

The Tigers (12-6 overall, 0-3 ACC) look to bounce back this week, hosting Mercer for a mid-week matchup on Wednesday, March 9, at McWhorter Stadium with first pitch set for 6 p.m. Later in the week, Clemson will host yet another tournament this weekend at McWhorter Stadium with opponents in Liberty and Illinois. The Tigers open up play at the Tiger Invitational on Saturday, March 12, versus Liberty. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on ACCNX.

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Cagle Homers as Tigers fall in series finale

CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 14/9 Clemson Tigers and No. 6/6 Virginia Tech Hokies entered into a pitcher’s duel rematch from Friday night with CU’s Valerie Cagle and VT’s Keely Rochard keeping the opposition scoreless through five innings. The Hokies …

CLEMSON, S.C. — The No. 14/9 Clemson Tigers and No. 6/6 Virginia Tech Hokies entered into a pitcher’s duel rematch from Friday night with CU’s Valerie Cagle and VT’s Keely Rochard keeping the opposition scoreless through five innings. The Hokies were able to capitalize on more chances with runners on base to ultimately win the game, 4-2.

“It was a tough weekend but there was a lot we can learn,” said head coach John Rittman. “There were a lot of positives. When you play a schedule as tough as ours and you learn from your losses, it is going to bode well for you. I liked the way we competed and pitched. We made a few defensive mistakes over the course of the three games that hurt us. Without those mistakes, it would have been a very evenly matched series. We are a young program that continues to fight and battle and will learn from these games moving forward.”

The top of the lineup started strong for the Tigers as Sam Russ and McKenzie Clark had first-pitch hits to put two runners on with no outs in the first inning. Both were left stranded to end the inning, and Clemson went on to leave seven runners on base combined between the first three innings.

The Tigers made another push to score in the fifth inning after Clark led off by getting hit by a pitch. She advanced around to third before being stranded as the inning came to a close. Clemson left 10 stranded over the course of the game.

Virginia Tech took the lead in the top of the sixth with a three-run homer out of center. Clemson responded in the bottom half of the inning with Grace Mattimore sparking the offense with a lead-off pinch-hit double into left field.

—Courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

Bats stay quiet as Clemson softball drops series to Virginia Tech

After seven straight wins, the Clemson softball team suffered a tough loss on Friday night at home in their ACC-opening series against the Virginia Tech Hokies by a score of 6-1. On Saturday, the Tigers dropped the series with a 4-0 loss. The Hokies …

The Hokies came into this series 11-3 on the season while the Tigers came in 12-3. The Tigers were looking to get some redemption in Game 2 at McWhorter Stadium.

It was a slow start for the Tigers after the Hokies came in with lots of momentum Saturday. In the top of the first inning, there were two errors made by the Tigers that resulted in the Hokies taking an early lead of 2-0 that proved costly for the Tigers.

“We made some early mistakes that Virginia Tech was able to capitalize on,” said Clemson coach John Rittman. “When you’re facing a tough pitching staff, it’s hard to get behind early in the game.”

In the top of the second, the Tigers starting catcher, Aby Vieira, was injured after making contact with Jayme Bailey of the Hokies while tagging her out. JoJo Hyatt was moved to aid the Tigers at catcher after Vieira was assisted off the field. There has been no update currently on Vieria’s injury.

The Tigers continued to struggle going into the top of the third. Kelsey Bennett hit a single to right field, advancing Emma Ritter home for the Hokies to give them a 3-0 lead.

Later in the top of the fifth, the Hokies scored again after Bennett singled to right field and Emma Ritter advanced home after an error by the catcher. It was Ritter’s third run of the game for Tech.

The Tigers struggled on offense on Friday and Saturday with seven total hits between the two days. There were no runs for either team in the final two innings of the game, leaving the final score of 4-0. If the Tigers want a chance at a win Sunday, they need to come out ready to fight against the top-10 program of Virginia Tech.

The teams will finish up the series back at McWhorter Stadium at noon Sunday.

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14th-ranked Tigers shut out Bulldogs for seventh-straight win

No. 14 Clemson earned its seventh-straight win Tuesday afternoon by a score of 6-0 over the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson. The Tigers got on the board quick in the first, but the game ultimately came down to a huge third inning where Clemson brought in a total of four runs with back-to-back home runs from two-way player Valerie Cagle and outfielder Marissa Guimbarda.

Righthander Regan Spencer earned the win in the circle for the Tigers, her third win of the season. Starter Andrea Lyon took the loss for the Bulldogs.

Clemson got the scoring started in the bottom of the first with a sac fly to left field by the graduate Guimbarda that brought in Sam Russ with the bases loaded to put the Tigers up 1-0.

With runners on first and second and no outs in the third, Cagle hit a three-run bomb to right field to extend Clemson’s lead to 4-0. Guimbarda quickly followed suit, hitting a solo homer to left field for her second RBI of the day.

Into the fourth, Guimbarda struck yet again, this time with an RBI double to center field for the final score of 6-0.

Guimbarda led the Tigers on the day with three RBIs, two hits, a double, and a homer. With her home run, Guimbarda improved to 52 career home runs and extended her streak to three straight games with a ball leaving the park.

The Tigers open up ACC play for the 2022 season with a three-game series this weekend versus Virginia Tech. Game one is scheduled for Friday, March 4, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. at McWhorter Stadium.

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