No. 25 Tigers sweep Virginia in Saturday doubleheader |
The No. 25-ranked Clemson softball team scored seven of its nine runs on the day in the sixth inning during the Tigers' doubleheader sweep of the Virginia Cavaliers, 5-3 and 4-2. Valerie Cagle recorded two saves on the day, increasing her saves total on the season to three. Morgan Johnson hit her second home run of the season, and second within the last two weekends to put the Tigers ahead in the top of the sixth inning of game No. 2.
Clemson wins its eighth and ninth games in a row and moves to 12-2 on the season and 8-2 in the ACC. Clemson used a trio of pitchers in the first game of the day. Millie Thompson got the start and tossed 4.0 innings and struck out four batters while allowing two runs. Emma Whitfield earned the win after entering in the fifth inning and striking out two. Cagle earned her second save of the season shutting down the Cavalier threat in the seventh inning. Regan Spencer recorded her fourth win of the year and remained a perfect record in the circle at 4-0 in the second game of the day. The true freshman allowed two runs over 5.0 innings. Redshirt freshman Kyah Keller went 4-for-6 on the day and tallied two RBIs total. Johnson went 3-for-6 at the plate on the day and had the go-ahead home run in the sixth inning of game No. 2. The two teams will conclude the four-game series tomorrow at noon (ACCNX). Game One: Clemson 5, Virginia 3 The first game saw the two teams combine for one hit in the first three and a half innings before Virginia added two runs off a home run in the bottom of the fourth. Before the home run, Thompson had sent down nine of the 11 batters she had faced. Clemson cut the Cavalier lead in half their turn to bat in the fifth inning. Grace Mattimore began the inning with a single through the left side of the infield and was moved after a Johnson single. The next batter, Keller, grounded out to the shortstop, driving in the runner from third. Emma Whitfield entered the game for Clemson in the fifth inning and got herself into a jam early, loading the bases with one out. Back-to-back strikeouts got the redshirt freshman out of the jam unharmed with the Tigers still trailing 2-1. The Tigers would take the lead in sixth, scoring four runs on three hits to pull ahead, 5-2. The rally started with McKenzie Clark sending a triple to the left field wall. After back-to-back walks to load the bases, Alia Logoleo picked up her sixth RBI of the series on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at two apiece. The following batter, Mattimore, smacked a bases clearing double to left field and brought in the go-ahead runs, 4-2. Keller added an insurance run for the Tigers before the inning ended to increase the lead, 5-2. Cagle recorded her second save of the season after entering the game with one out in the seventh after a solo home run from Virginia made it a two-run ballgame. The Cavaliers put the tying run at the plate after a single, but a ground out ended the threat and gave the Tigers their 11th win of the season. Game Two: Clemson 4, Virginia 2 The game was once again a stalemate for the first three innings with just one hit combined between both teams. The Cavaliers got on the scoreboard first after a walk and a double put runners on second and third and a ground out brought the game's first run in. Virginia added to its lead in the fifth, using three hits to score a run and double the lead, 2-0. The Cavaliers threatened to plate more runs, but a fantastic throw from Cagle in left field met JoJo Hyatt at the plate and she secured the tag for the final out of the inning. The Clemson bats came alive during the top of the sixth inning for the second straight game. The inning led off with a Cagle double that landed down the left-field line. After a Mattimore walk to put two on the basepaths, Johnson hit a go-ahead three-run home run to put the Tigers in front. The Tigers added to their lead the following inning, capitalizing on a Cavalier error to plate an insurance run and double their lead, 4-2. Cagle recorded her second save of the season after coming in during the sixth inning. Cagle did not allow a single hit and stuck out one in the double-inning save. SAVING GRACE ?? MORGAN JOHNSON, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Yup, that's Valerie Cagle from deep ??
Mattimore gives us the lead on a two RBI double to left field! Oda, who pinch ran after Cagle walked, beats the tag at the plate ??
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We take the lead in the sixth, 3-2.
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