CLEMSON, S.C. – For the second-consecutive week, the No. 10/11 Clemson Tigers forced extra innings against a top-10 SEC foe in No. 8/9 Tennessee but dropped the nine-inning showdown, 2-1, on Tuesday afternoon.
Clemson finished the game with six hits, led by senior McKenzie Clark and junior Maddie Moore, each tallying two. Valerie Cagle and Arielle Oda added the other two hits for the Tigers.
The Lady Vols broke open scoring in the top of the third inning. After two runners got on off walks, Kiki Milloy hit a double off the right field fence to bring one around to score. Clemson picked up back-to-back ground outs to end the half inning and force Tennessee to leave two stranded. Clemson was able to get a runner around to third in the bottom of the third but left her stranded to make it 1-0 in favor of UT after three.
Clemson leveled things in the bottom of the fourth inning after Cagle singled and advanced to third on a single by Moore. Kylee Johnson drew a full-count walk to load the bases with two outs. Cagle was replaced at third by pinch runner Julia Bomhardt, who scored on the first pitch of JoJo Hyatt’s at bat off a wild pitch to make it 1-1, which held until the ninth inning.
In extras, Clemson got two runners on in the bottom of the eighth with two outs after Clark singled and Cagle was intentionally walked, but both were left stranded to send it to nine. In the top of the ninth, Tennessee plated the winning run after a batter drew a walk and was brought home on a double off the right-center wall. Clemson attempted to push back in the bottom of the ninth after Moore got a leadoff single but ultimately fell to the Lady Vols, 2-1.
Cagle pitched her fifth complete game of 2024. She picked up 10 strikeouts, her second-consecutive midweek matchup against a ranked opponent with double-digit strikeouts, but falls to 6-3 on the season.
Up Next
The Tigers are back home for a four-day home stand when they host the Tiger Invitational against Minnesota, Mercer, Longwood and Fordham. Tournament action begins on Thursday, March 7 with a doubleheader against Minnesota beginning at 4 p.m. Action all weekend can be found on ACCNX, and tickets can be purchased prior to the game online or at the gate.
