Mac Pavese is 21 games into her college career. Twenty-one. And she already looks like the best hitter in Clemson’s lineup.
The freshman first baseman went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a walk, and scored three times Tuesday night as No. 25 Clemson shut out College of Charleston 7-0 at McWhorter Stadium. Pavese hit her fourth home run of the year, a two-run shot off Ryley Kutter in the fifth that pretty much ended whatever slim hopes Charleston still had.
Here’s what makes her worth watching beyond the box score, though. She’s not up there hacking. She drew a walk Tuesday in a game where Clemson drew nine of them. How many freshmen show up to college already knowing how to lay off a pitcher’s pitch? Most of them need a full season before they figure that out. Pavese didn’t.
The Fifth Inning Told the Whole Story
Clemson was up 4-0 when Pavese came to the plate in the fifth. Game over, basically. And a lot of hitters, they check out in that spot. Take a lazy swing, maybe ground out. Doesn’t matter, right? You’re winning by four.
Not Pavese. Kutter left one over the plate and she turned on it. Two-run homer. 6-0. That’s the difference between somebody who’s just hitting well right now and somebody who can actually carry a lineup… and right now, she’s carrying it.
This is a team that beat No. 11 Georgia on the road and knocked off No. 12 Mississippi State in the last two weeks. Pavese keeps hitting like this in ACC play, pitching staffs across the conference are going to have a real problem.
She Wasn’t the Only One Working
Rest of the lineup showed up too. Nine walks on the night, which tied a season high.
Charleston starter Jules Raymond was wild from the jump. Six walks in three innings. Three wild pitches. Needed 76 pitches just to get through nine outs before they yanked her. Kutter came in and wasn’t much better, walking three and hitting Kiley Channell with a pitch.
Jamison Brockenbrough had a nice game, drawing two walks and scoring twice with an RBI single mixed in. Marian Collins doubled and drove in a run in the first. Macey Cintron singled one home in the fourth. Sarah Breaux picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice early. Everybody contributed.
Four Pitchers, Zero Runs
The pitching staff made this one easy. Four arms, four hits allowed, no runs. The program’s seventh shutout of the season.
Abby Dunning went two innings on 39 pitches. Gave up one hit. Sierra Maness came in and was probably the best of the four, going three innings with three strikeouts and just one hit allowed on 47 pitches. That’s her seventh win. Keira Crosby got through the sixth on 13 pitches, and Lexie Hames shut the door in the seventh.
Collins and Corri Hicks both had errors, so the defense wasn’t perfect. But the Tigers turned two double plays, and Charleston could only manage four singles and stranded five. Not much to worry about there.
Why burn your ace on a Tuesday in early March against a team sitting at 8-12? You don’t. Get everybody some work, keep the arms fresh, and move on.
What Friday Means
Georgia Tech. Six o’clock. ACC opener. That’s where the real season starts.
At 14-7 with seven shutouts and 1,557 people showing up on a random Tuesday, there’s something happening with this program. And if Pavese brings this same approach into conference play? Tiger fans deserve to know: this kid is just getting started.
