COLUMBIA, S.C. – Home runs from freshman Julia Knowler and junior Maddie Moore helped propel the No. 19/19 Clemson Tigers to a 7-0 victory against the No. 23/25 South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday evening in the Carolina Softball Stadium. The win moved the Tigers to 28-11 on the year, as South Carolina dropped to 28-13. This also moves Clemson’s all-time record against the Gamecocks to 6-1 and 4-0 in Columbia.
“It was a tremendous effort in the circle by both Regan Spencer and Millie Thompson,” said Head Coach John Rittman. “Both came out with their A-games tonight to shut down a good South Carolina offense. Offensively, our batters put pressure on them all night. We had a couple big home runs, and we have lived on those because it’s nice to see the ball leave the park, but we also had some big situational hits. Our batters had good two-strike approaches at the plate and a suicide squeeze, so we had a little bit of everything offensively and played tight defensively. We ended up coming out with a big win against the Gamecocks after losing a tough one in 12 innings a couple weeks ago. I am really proud of the effort and the energy we had tonight after the long road trip last weekend.”
Senior Regan Spencer won her eighth game of the season and holds a 13-game win streak dating back to her first win of the 2023 season on Feb. 19, 2022. The last time Spencer dropped a game was on April 23, 2022 – 717 days ago. The right-handed pitcher went 4.1 innings on Tuesday evening against the Gamecocks and struck out four. Senior Millie Thompson pitched the final 2.2 innings to earn her first save of the year. The lefty struck out four and didn’t concede a walk or a hit during her outing.
Clemson finished the seven-inning contest with nine hits with six different Tigers notching at least one, including two from Knowler and Alia Logoleo. Both Knowler and Moore scored two runs, and Knowler and Aby Vieira tallied two RBIs each.
Knowler opened the scoring for the Tigers with a solo shot to center field in the second inning. Logoleo followed with a single and was brought around to score following a double to right center by Vieira.
Moore added another solo home run to right field to open the third inning and make it 3-0 after three. Clemson scored again in the top of the fifth after Moore reached on an error, advanced to second on a ground out and moved to third following a single by McKenzie Clark. As Knowler reached on a fielder’s choice to South Carolina’s first baseman, Moore slid under the attempted tag at the plate to make it 4-0.
Up Next
The Tigers return home for the final three-game series in McWhorter Stadium during the 2024 regular season. Clemson will host Duke beginning on Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. The Tigers will continue the series on Saturday, April 13 at 1 p.m. for Senior Day where Clemson will honor its 10 senior student-athletes and one manager. The series will conclude on Sunday, April 14 at 6 p.m. on ACC Network.
Tickets for every home game are still available for purchase this season. Fans can grab theirs either online or by visiting the ticket table outside the main gate of McWhorter Stadium on the day of the game. For more information on how to manage your tickets, including transferring them if you aren’t able to make it, visit ClemsonTigers.com today.
