In a hard-fought showdown at the Clearwater Invitational, Clemson softball battled back from an early deficit to force extra innings, but the Tigers ultimately fell short, dropping a 6-4 decision to UCF on Saturday. The loss extended Clemson’s losing streak to four games, marking a tough stretch for the program that has been accustomed to early-season success.
Despite trailing 3-0 heading into the fifth inning, the Tigers ignited a rally that had UCF on its heels. Freshman Ava Wilson and sophomore Kylee Johnson set the stage, coming off the bench as pinch hitters and working deep into their at-bats to reach base.
Their grit forced UCF to make a pitching change, and the Tigers wasted no time capitalizing. Senior Alex Brown ripped an RBI double to right-center, putting Clemson on the board and shifting the momentum. Maddie Moore followed with a clutch RBI single, though she was controversially tagged out trying to stretch it into a double—a call that sparked a heated argument from Clemson head coach John Rittman, who was ejected for disputing the ruling.
With tensions running high, sophomore Julia Knowler came through with a sac fly to center, tying the game at 3-3 and electrifying the Clemson dugout.
As the game pushed into extras under international tiebreaker rules, UCF took advantage of its placed runner at second base. The Knights plated two runs on a single to left from Beth Damon and tacked on another insurance run with a double from Coco Jaimes, seizing a 6-3 lead.
The Tigers refused to go down without a fight. Aby Vieira delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, cutting the deficit to 6-4. With two runners aboard and two outs, Clemson had a chance to extend the game, but freshman Taylor Pipkins grounded out to second, sealing the Tigers’ fate.
Senior pitcher Brooke McCubbin turned in a gutsy performance in the circle, throwing 123 pitches across 7.1 innings while striking out four. She kept Clemson in the game, stranding six UCF runners and maneuvering around traffic on the bases. Senior Reese Basinger came in for relief, recording two quick outs to end the top of the eighth.
Clemson’s offensive effort was led by Knowler, who was perfect at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance and an RBI. Brown continued her strong showing with two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Moore, despite her controversial out, extended her reached-base streak to a program-record 26 games.
With the loss, Clemson falls to 3-6 on the season and 0-4 in Clearwater Invitational play, an uncharacteristic start for a team that has consistently been a force in collegiate softball since its inception in 2020. UCF, meanwhile, improved to 7-4 and snapped its own two-game skid.
The Tigers will look to snap their losing streak as they conclude their weekend in Florida with a matchup against Ohio State on Sunday at 10 a.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU, giving Clemson an opportunity to make a statement and bounce back before returning home.
Can the Tigers turn things around and reclaim their winning ways? One thing’s for sure—this team isn’t backing down from the fight.
