DURHAM, N.C. – The fifth-seeded Clemson Tigers defeated the fourth-seeded Virginia (32-18), 8-1, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championships to advance in the single-elimination tournament. With the win, the Tigers (34-16) advance to the semifinals for the fourth-consecutive season.
Clemson strung together 10 hits over the course of the seven innings led by junior Alex Brown who finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored. Valerie Cagle tallied two runs with three RBIs, while Arielle Oda and McKenzie Clark scored multiple runs finishing with three and two, respectively. Clark also notched two RBIs at the plate.
The Tigers scored one run in each of the top two innings after loading the bases in both. Cagle picked up her first RBI with a hard drive through the left side to score Clark in the first. Oda came home in the second after reaching off a single up the middle and advancing to third on back-to-back wild pitches. Brown brought her home with her first hit of the day with a single through the right side to make it 2-0.
In the circle, senior Regan Spencer didn’t allow a hit through the first three innings and picked up two strikeouts during that stretch. In the bottom of the fourth, the Cavaliers were able to capitalize on the leadoff batter reaching off a bunt and a single driven up the middle to make it 2-1 in favor of the Tigers.
Clark clocked her first RBI of the day with a bases-loaded sac fly to score Julia Knowler, who was hit by a pitch, in the top of the fifth that opened up the scoring gates for the Tigers that inning. With all of the runners advancing 60 feet on Clark’s sac fly, Brown added a base-clearing single to right field to score Aby Vieira, who reached on a single, and Oda, who walked, to push Clemson’s lead to 5-1. Brown’s single was her third hit of the game to mark her 20th multi-hit game and sixth multi-RBI game of the season.
The Tigers tacked on three additional runs in the seventh after Clark hit a double off the left field wall to score Oda, who had led off the inning with a walk. With Brown and Maddie Moore drawing back-to-back walks, the bases were loaded with no outs for Cagle to hit a hard bouncer through the infield to score both Clark and Brown. Clemson’s 8-1 lead would hold through the bottom half of the inning following three-quick outs from the Tigers’ defense.
Spencer pitched her fourth complete game of 2024 en route to her 10th victory. She finished the seven-inning outing with three strikeouts and only allowed two hits, both of which came in the fourth inning.
Up Next
Clemson advances to the ACC Semifinals for the fourth-consecutive year and will square off against top-seeded Duke on Friday, May 10. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. on ACC Network. This matchup will mark the fourth time the two programs have met this season, first in Durham, after playing a three-game series earlier this year at McWhorter Stadium.
