Clemson softball couldn’t carry over the momentum from Friday’s series-opening win, falling 11–1 in five innings to No. 15 Stanford in Game 2 on Saturday afternoon. After scoring first and starting strong, the Tigers saw things unravel quickly as Stanford exploded with back-to-back big innings to take control and end the game early by run-rule.
The Tigers came into the day riding high after an impressive 7–5 win in Game 1, but Game 2 told a different story. Clemson scored the first run of the game in the top of the first. After back-to-back singles from Alex Brown and Aby Vieira and a walk drawn by Julia Knowler, shortstop Marian Collins stepped up with two outs and knocked a single into right center to score Brown. It was a solid start for Clemson, who looked poised to carry over their aggressive energy from the night before.
But Stanford wasted no time responding. In the bottom of the first, the Cardinal capitalized on two defensive errors and made Clemson pay. After a leadoff walk and a fielding mistake allowed runners to reach, Stanford’s Kyra Chan launched a three-run home run to give the Cardinal a 3–1 lead. They added another run before the inning ended to take a 4–1 lead and flip momentum firmly in their favor.
Things didn’t get any easier for Clemson in the second inning. Stanford stayed hot at the plate with back-to-back home runs — a two-run shot from Taryn Kern followed by a solo blast from Emily Jones — stretching the lead to 7–1. The Tigers rotated to their bullpen in an effort to slow things down, but the Cardinal’s weren’t done.
In the fourth inning, Stanford poured on four more runs, using a combination of aggressive baserunning and well-placed hits. After a walk and a pair of singles, Stanford took advantage of another Clemson error to push the score to 11–1. Olivia Duncan entered in relief and was able to stop the bleeding with two quick outs to end the frame, but the damage had already been done.
Clemson had one final chance in the top of the fifth to extend the game but couldn’t get anything going against Stanford’s pitching. A groundout, a pop-up, and a strikeout closed it out, giving Stanford the 11–1 win in five innings via the NCAA’s run-rule.
Marian Collins was the lone Tiger to drive in a run, finishing 1-for-3. Alex Brown and Aby Vieira both reached base leading to the Tigers’ only run. Defensively, though, Clemson struggled, committing three errors that directly led to multiple Stanford runs.
On the mound, Brooke McCubbin got the start but was pulled after just one inning. She was charged with four runs, though none were earned, thanks to the early defensive miscues. Macey Cintron pitched 2.1 innings in relief, allowing seven runs — only three of them earned — on eight hits. Duncan closed out the fourth with two groundouts in her sixth appearance of the season.
With the loss, Clemson falls to 29–11 on the season, while Stanford improves to 25–7. The series is now tied at 1–1, setting up a decisive Game 3 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
The Tigers will need to regroup quickly if they want to leave California with a series win. Cleaning up defensive mistakes and finding timely hits — something they’ve done consistently this season — will be key. Stanford, meanwhile, will look to ride Saturday’s dominant performance into the rubber match.
Clemson fans can catch the final game of the series on ACCNX as the Tigers try to bounce back and head home with a series victory.
