CLEMSON, SC - The Lady Tigers were coming off a heartbreaking walk-off 3-2 loss at No.17 UGA in which they led for 5 innings. They bounced back at home against Louisville this weekend, taking the first 2 games, but they lost 4-2 in extra innings on Sunday, preventing the sweep and snapping an 8-game home win streak.
Sophomore Millie Thompson was in the circle on Friday and pitched a complete game, allowing just 4 hits and 2 runs with 9 K's, improving to 6-1 on the season. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the 4th when Sam Russ walked and scored on an error. Thompson gave Louisville its only runs of the game on a 2-out, 2-run HR in the 5th, which also gave the Cardinals their only lead of the game. The Tigers answered quickly, tying the game 2-2 in the 5th with a bases-loaded, full-count walk by Keller with 2 outs. It was also Keller who reached on the error in the previous inning to allow Russ to score the first run of the game. The Tigers broke the tie in the 6th with a 2-out rally. After Maddie Moore led off with a double, Clark drew a 2-out walk on full count and stole 2nd. Cagle drove in 2 runs with a single, and Guimbarda drove in one more with another single to give the Tigers the 5-2 win.
On Saturday, Valerie Cagle was back in the circle and shut out the Cards as the Tigers run-ruled them 8-0 in 5 innings. Cagle gave up just 2 hits and 3 walks with 7 K's, improving to 8-6 on the season. Keller drove in Russ with a single in the 2nd, and Logoleo hit a 2-out, 2-run HR to make it 3-0. Clark and Cagle hit back-to-back homers in the 3rd, followed by a Guimbarda single and Russ double. Keller drove in another run with a sacrifice grounder to make it 6-0. Clark led off the 5th with her second HR of the game followed by singles from Cagle and Guimbarda. Aby Vieira, in her first start since injuring her lower leg against VA Tech, delivered a 2-out walk-off single to win the game 8-0 by run rule. Clark, Cagle, Guimbarda and Russ each went 2-3, with a pair of homers from Clark and one apiece from Cagle and Logoleo. Clark had just one HR all season until last weekend and has hit 3 in the last 6 games. The Tigers tallied 11 hits in the 5 innings. It was the Tigers' 8th run-rule win of the season and 13th shutout. The win clinched the Tigers' first ACC series of the season after opening the ACC slate against two top-10 teams in VA Tech and Duke.
Unfortunately, the Tigers were unable to complete the sweep on Sunday. With Spencer in the circle, the Tigers were in good shape with a 2-0 lead through the first 4 innings. Clark gave them a 1-0 lead with a 2-out single in the 3rd, and Vieira, making her second straight start after returning from injury, added an RBI single in the 4th after Russ walked on full count and stole second. However, Spencer allowed the Cards to tie the game in the 5th with a single, a full-count walk and a 2-out double. Cagle, who pitched a shutout the day before, started the 6th inning in the circle and struck out the side. In the bottom half, Logoleo was thrown out at home plate in an attempt to score the go-ahead run. Cagle pitched another 1-2-3 inning with a K in the 7th, but in the 8th, she gave up a single and a 2-run HR to put the Cards up 4-2, their first lead of the game. Guimbarda led off the bottom of the 8th with a single, and Logoleo represented the tying run with 2 outs, but she popped up after a 15-pitch at bat to end the game.
The Tigers are 21-10 on the season and 3-6 in the ACC with their first-ever home game against the Gamecocks on Wednesday at 7:00. The Tigers beat the Gamecocks 6-0 in Columbia last season, the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Click the link below for live coverage of the inaugural rivalry game in Clemson!
Post-game comments from Rittman are below.
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