Welcome to another late-night of softball. 11th seed Clemson took on the 6th seed Texas in game two of a best-of-three series. The Tigers defeated the Longhorns 7-4 last night for the program’s first-ever Super Regional win. The victory came at about 1:30 a.m. ET due to a 90-minute weather delay.
Now the pressure is on Texas. It’s win or go home. For the Longhorns, Cambria Salmon would get her first start in the circle since March 10th. Clemson stuck with their ace, reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year, Reese Basinger.
The Longhorn bats got started early. Basinger hit the leadoff batter in the second to put one on base. Leighann Goode stepped up to the plate and hit a two-run home run. Texas was once again on the board first.
Salmon efficiently made it through Clemson’s order the first time. With the top of the lineup up the second time, adjustments were made. Alex Brown hit a double. Then Maddie Moore sent a no-doubter over the American Flag in center field. Her 17th home run of the season tied the game.
Reese Atwood sailed the second pitch of her at-bat beyond the left field wall, but it was barely foul. She stayed composed at the plate. Four pitches later, she connected and now successfully sent one out of the ballpark. The solo blast put Texas up 3-2. Clemson was able to get two outs before Basinger conceded back-to-back singles. A ground ball to Moore allowed her to tag the runner out to end the inning.
The Tigers were not going down without a fight. Aby Vieira kicked out the fourth with a single. Marian Collins was walked to put runners in scoring position. With two outs, Jamison Brockenbrough singled through the gap to bring one across the plate. Texas brought in right-hander Sophia Simpson to replace Salmon. Simpson immediately walked Brown to load the bases, bringing up Moore. Moore’s patience at the plate paid off when she earned the free pass, forcing in a run. Citlaly Gutierrez was brought in to close the inning. Clemson plated two to take their first lead.
Brooke McCubbin entered to start the fifth and collected two quick flyouts. Scott was walked. Clemson shortstop Collins collected a ground ball and threw it into the dugout. The fielding error automatically advanced the runners to second and third. This proved critical as Joley Mitchell’s double would score both runners.
Freshman Macey Cintron has demonstrated her promising talent throughout the season. The ACC Freshman of the Year picked up her 50th RBI of the season off a solo home run. With the score tied at 5, Texas brought in its fourth pitcher of the game: Teagan Kavan. Kavan previously got the start in game one. She recorded a ground out and a strikeout to get out of the jam.
In the circle, McCubbin collected two strong strikeouts in the sixth. She walked to the dugout screaming, firing up her squad. Kavan matched the energy. The sophomore had two groundouts and struck out Moore looking for a perfect three-up, three-down inning.
We entered extra innings tied at 5. Clemson had back-to-back singles. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third with no outs. It seemed everything was in Clemson’s favor. Strikeout. Line out. Ground out. Kavan closed out the Tigers’ threat. Onto the ninth.
Scott got a triple with two outs. Clemson intentionally walked Atwood, placing runners at the corners. A flyout from the next batter left both runners stranded. Three strikeouts swinging retired Clemson in the ninth. Kavan tallied 7 Ks in the game.
Texas led off the tenth with a base hit. Collins earned another fielding error off a ground ball, putting two runners on. A sacrifice fly from Kaydee Bennett scored one. Maloney’s single plated the second. The Longhorns tacked on two runs.
In extra innings, Clemson falls to Texas 7-5. The Longhorns snapped Clemson’s 11-game win streak to push the series to a rubber match. Game three will take place at 9 p.m. ET. It’s winner-takes-all for a ticket to Oklahoma City. Let’s go, Tigers.
