No. 17 Tigers shut out No. 22 Gamecocks in Columbia |
No. 17 Clemson softball kept its tradition of beating the Gamecocks alive Tuesday in Columbia.
Clemson earned the rivalry season series split with a 7-0 win. Clemson jumped on top with a Julia Knowler solo homer to center in the second inning, and Aby Vieira kept the scoring going in the frame with an RBI double to right center. Maddie Moore added some insurance with a solo homer to right field in the third. Moore scored Clemson's fourth run in the fifth inning. She was originally called out but then safe upon review after an obstruction call on the South Carolina catcher. Knowler added a second RBI with a single in the seventh, and the runs kept coming with a squeeze play RBI from Alia Logoleo and a Vieira RBI grounder. Regan Spencer improved to 8-0 with 4 1/3 innings of 5-hit ball, totaling four strikeouts to one walk. Millie Thompson picked up her first save of the season over 2 2/3 innings of no-hit ball with four strikeouts. "It was a tremendous effort in the circle by both Regan Spencer and Millie Thompson," said Head Coach John Rittman in a Clemson news release. "Both came out with their A-games tonight to shut down a good South Carolina offense. Offensively, our batters put pressure on them all night. We had a couple big home runs, and we have lived on those because it's nice to see the ball leave the park, but we also had some big situational hits. Our batters had good two-strike approaches at the plate and a suicide squeeze, so we had a little bit of everything offensively and played tight defensively. We ended up coming out with a big win against the Gamecocks after losing a tough one in 12 innings a couple weeks ago. I am really proud of the effort and the energy we had tonight after the long road trip last weekend." Clemson lost in extra innings (12) to South Carolina, 6-4, at McWhorter Stadium in March. It was the Tigers' first defeat in the rivalry series. Clemson improved to 6-1 all-time versus the Gamecocks. Reigning national player of the year Valerie Cagle sat out while in concussion protocol from the weekend series at Syracuse (per the ESPNU broadcast). The Tigers improved to 28-11, while South Carolina dropped to 28-13. Clemson returns to action at home this weekend versus Duke, which is ranked as high as No. 1 in the polls. Playing the game we love with the people we love 🧡 TIGERS WIN! TIGERS WIN!!
Clemson leads 3-0 after four pic.twitter.com/zhlxzBkyLs
Clemson shuts out South Carolina, 7-0, to earn the 28th win of the season! Regan Spencer earns her 8th win of 2024, and Millie Thompson picks up her first save with four strikeouts! pic.twitter.com/1VqigyOCe9
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