The Clemson softball team capped off a perfect 4-0 weekend with a pair of dominant wins over Marshall on Saturday and Sunday, scoring eight runs in both games. The Tigers finished the Clemson Classic with an impressive 8-0 shutout on Sunday.
Saturday
Clemson triumphed 8-3, powered by a five-run third inning. The Tigers totaled eight hits, seven of which were extra-base hits. Six different players contributed RBIs, including Collins, Brown, Knowler, Cintron, Viera, and Wilson, who drove in three RBIs. Freshman Wilson and Collins each hit home runs in the win.
Senior pitcher Brooke McCubbin earned her second victory of the season, tossing 5.2 innings with seven strikeouts.
In the third inning, with two outs, Maddie Moore walked and later scored on Knowler’s first-pitch double to right field, marking her ninth double of the season and 20th RBI, both team highs. Cintron then walked, and Viera followed with a double that scored Knowler, extending the lead to 2-0. Wilson then launched a 243-foot home run on the first pitch she saw, her third of the season, pushing Clemson’s lead to 5-0.
Marshall responded in the top of the sixth with back-to-back doubles that scored three runs, narrowing Clemson’s lead to just two. Cintron came in for relief, getting the next batter to fly out and preserving the Tigers’ lead, while earning her first career save.
Clemson answered right back in the bottom of the sixth with three more runs. On the seventh pitch of her at-bat, Collins crushed a 253-foot home run. Brockenbrough, who reached on an error and stole second, was then driven home by a double from Moore, making the final score 8-3.
Sunday
Reese Basinger delivered her 10th career complete game in an 8-0 run-rule victory, capping off the Clemson Classic. Basinger struck out five and lowered her ERA to below two, while Moore and Wilson each drove in two runs.
Clemson wasted no time, taking an early lead when Alex Brown scored on a throwing error, allowing Knowler to reach first and Moore to advance to second. After a walk to Cintron, Viera drove Moore in with a groundout to third. Wilson then brought Knowler home with a single, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead after the first inning.
The Tigers added a run in both the second and third innings. In the second, Cintron singled to left with runners on first and third, plating Brockenbrough and earning her 16th RBI of the season. Wilson then led off the third with her fourth home run of the season, another 243-foot blast to center.
The Tigers erupted for three more runs in the fifth inning. Freshman Riley Fennell singled to lead off the frame, followed by Brockenbrough, who beat out a bunt, allowing Fennell to reach third. Moore then tripled to bring both runners home, increasing her season RBI total to 10. Knowler wrapped up the game with a first-pitch single to center, driving in Moore for the final run.
With the weekend sweep, the Tigers now sit at 9-6 on the season and will continue their homestand on Wednesday against No. 9 Georgia. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
