Baseball
KYLEE PLAYS HEROIN AGAIN, CLEMSON OPENS NCAA REGIONAL WITH 10-2 RUN-RULE WIN OVER UPSTATE IN 5 INNINGS
- 2025-05-17 12:37:14
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CLEMSON, SC - The scrappy, local Upstate team came in ready to battle on Friday. Ironically, the two teams also met in the Tuscaloosa Regional last season, and the Tigers prevailed 8-0 by run rule. Upstate's head coach grew up in Seneca as a lifelong Clemson fan, so the irony was even thicker for him!
The Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning thanks to a leadoff single by Cintron, sac bunt by Vieira and an RBI single by Collins, who would come up with another big hit later. However, Upstate responded immediately with 2 runs in the next inning to take its first lead. They weren't exactly teeing off on ACC Pitcher of the Year Reese Basinger, but they were finding holes and reaching on slow-rolling infield singles. Rittman did not waste any time turning to veteran Brooke McCubbin, bringing her in with two runners on and one out. She did a great job getting out of the 3rd and would not allow a run for the rest of the game.
The Tigers responded in the bottom of the 3rd. Alex Brown drew a 2-out walk, and she scored all the way from 1st on a 2-out double by Maddie Moore to tie the game 2-2.
Sophomore Kylee Johnson, who was the hero of the ACC Championship with her 7th inning 2-run HR to beat FSU 2-1, played the role of heroin once again! I even said in the press box, "Let's see if she can be the hero again," and, sure enough, she drove a 2-out, 3-run HR to put the Tigers up 5-2 in the 4th. They gave her a standing ovation when she took left field after that. I asked her after the game what she's been eating for the last week because she had just 4 HR's all season and now has heroic homers in back-to-back games!
Maddie Moore would make another big play in the 5th. After stealing 2nd, she beat the throw at the plate on a dying quail to shallow center by Cintron, making it 6-2. That opened the flood gates! Vieira and Collins each doubled, pushing the lead to 9-2, and Pipkins hit a third consecutive double for the walk-off win by run rule.
The Tigers will face Northwestern, which beat Kentucky 4-0 yesterday, at 1:30 on Saturday. If they win that, they will just have to win one of two games on Sunday. If they lose, they will play an elimination game on Saturday at 6:30 against the winner of Kentucky and Upstate.
Post-game interviews are below!
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