NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 16 seed Clemson Tigers went hit-for-hit with the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma Sooners, but ultimately dropped the opening game of the 2023 Norman Super Regional, 9-2. Following the loss, Clemson falls to 49-11, while Oklahoma improves to 55-1.
Valerie Cagle and Aby Vieira led the charge for Clemson at the plate as Cagle went 3-for-4, and Vieira added two hits of her own. The Tigers put up a combined eight hits with Ally Miklesh, Caroline Jacobsen and Alia Logoleo tabbing the other three. Jacobsen finished with both RBIs for the Tigers.
Cagle jumped on the first pitch of her first at bat with two outs and ripped a double through the middle of the infield to get a runner on, but the Tigers left her stranded at second. The Sooners took advantage of a hard-hit ball to left center by Jada Coleman for a double and advanced her with back-to-back hits deep into the outfield to take a 1-0 lead.
Clemson made a push to get on the board in the second after Vieira tallied a two-out single through the left side and advanced to second on a passed ball but was once again left stranded to end the top half of the inning. Oklahoma doubled its lead in the bottom of the second, again with two outs. The Sooners put runners on the corners after an error by Clemson and plated their second run on a passed ball.
The Tigers continued to try to strike with two outs in the third. Miklesh and Cagle tallied two consecutive singles, but both were left stranded following the last out. Clemson forced a 1-2-3 defensive inning to end the third and keep it within two runs. The Tigers continued to connect with the ball at the plate as Logoleo was hit by a pitch and Vieira recorded her second single of the game to have runners on first and second with only one out. The Sooners were able to pick up two outs to end the inning and force Clemson to leave them stranded. The Sooners added two additional runs with a two-run homer to take a 4-0 lead after four.
Clemson got on the board in the top of the fifth that started with McKenzie Clark getting hit by a pitch. Cagle advanced her to second with her third hit of the day. With only one out, Jacobsen drove a ball down the third base line for a two-RBI double to get the Tigers on the board. Logoleo joined her on the base paths, along with Maddie Moore, but Clemson was forced to leave them stranded after Oklahoma picked up two quick outs.
Oklahoma responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning that included a grand slam and solo home run to reclaim a 9-2 lead. The Tigers made a push in the sixth and seventh innings but weren’t able to capitalize on anything, dropping game one, 9-2.
Cagle started for the Tigers and threw four innings with two strikeouts before being replaced by Millie Thompson in the fifth. Thompson picked up three outs in the fifth, then Brooke McCubbin entered in the sixth and struck out one.
Up Next
The Tigers will square off against the Sooners in the second game of the series tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET.
