The Clemson softball team earned two one-run victories on Friday, defeating Elon 4-3 and Villanova 1-0 (8) in the Clemson Classic. Clemson moves to 7-6 on the season and 3-0 at home.
Freshman pitcher Macey Cintron dominated in the first game against Elon, striking out a career-high 10 Phoenix players, while senior pitcher Reese Basinger took charge in the second game against Villanova, recording eight strikeouts—just one shy of her career-high—against the Wildcats.
Game 1
Elon took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning after a hit batter was followed by a home run to left field from Ailee Seering. The Tigers responded in the fourth, loading the bases with two singles and a walk. Jamison Brockenbrough then singled up the middle to score two runners, tying the game 2-2.
Elon regained the lead in the fifth with a single, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI double to right from Chloe Hatzopoulos. It wasn’t until the sixth inning that Clemson took their first lead of the game, when Wilson led off with her second single and Collins drew her second walk of the day. A third walk by Brockenbrough loaded the bases, and Maddie Moore drove in two runs with a single to center. With that single, Moore extended her reached base streak to 29 games.
A three-up, three-down inning, including two strikeouts, sealed the Tigers’ first victory of the day.
Game 2
Clemson’s second game of the day turned into a pitcher’s duel, with neither team scoring for the first seven innings. Basinger struck out eight batters during that stretch and allowed only three hits. Moore came close to breaking the tie in the seventh with a deep fly ball that fell just short of the wall, leading to the Tigers’ second extra-inning game of the season.
Under the international tiebreaker rules, a runner was placed on second base in the eighth inning. Villanova advanced their runner to third, but the threat was erased when Collins made a great backhanded grab at shortstop to preserve the lead.
With Moore placed on second in their half of the inning, Knowler became the hero, hitting an RBI single through the right side that scored Moore and gave the Tigers a 1-0 victory.
The Tigers host Marshall for the final two games of the Clemson Classic.
