The No. 4 Clemson Tigers softball concluded their first ACC series against Syracuse Sunday, March 5th, at noon. The Tigers continued their dominant start on the year, defeating the Orange 1-0, improving their record to 20-1 on the season. However, it was a sleepy start to this Sunday’s match, as the game remained scoreless until the fifth inning.
Strong defense continued to be the story for Clemson as the Tigers made several key defensive plays on the field to keep it scoreless until Reedy Davenport hit a ground ball to second base, allowing Arielle Oda to cross home plate, breaking the scoreless tie, making it 1-0 Clemson. Oda reached base on a single and advanced to second base on a throwing error. Then, Ally Miklesh demonstrated excellent situational small-ball, bunting for a single, advancing Oda to third, and allowing her to score on the ground ball by Davenport.
The Tiger bats never really came alive in this Sunday matchup to close out the first ACC series of the season, as Clemson won 1-0 over Syracuse. However, a timely double-play ended the game, continuing to show just how strong this Tiger defense is.
Brooke McCubbin started the day in the pitching circle for the Tigers, ending the day with three strikeouts and allowing only one hit before being replaced by Reagan Spencer in the fifth inning. However, Spencer did not have her best effort today and was replaced promptly in the next inning by Valerie Cagle. Cagle would finish the day in the circle for the Tigers, allowing only one hit and tallying one strikeout, bringing her total to sixty-seven on the year.
Up next: Clemson Softball will take on the Mercer Bears on Wednesday, March 8th, at 6 pm.
