CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson Softball team dominated the No. 14/16 Duke Blue Devils to open ACC play with a 12-4 run-rule victory in only five innings. The Tigers improve to 18-6 (1-0 ACC), while the Blue Devils drop to 15-7 (0-1 ACC).
This was Clemson’s eighth run-rule of the 2025 season and the fourth in the last five games. Clemson also moved its win streak to 15 games, marking the first time since 2023 the Tigers have won 15 or more consecutive games. Tonight’s win marked the first win against Duke since 2022, when the Tigers run-ruled the Blue Devils in Durham, 10-2, and is the second Top 15 win by the Tigers in the last nine games, after Clemson defeated No. 10/11 Georgia on Feb. 26.
Clemson’s freshman class put on a show with six of the team’s nine hits, seven of the team’s 10 RBIs and six of the team’s 12 runs. Marian Collins led the Tigers going 2-for-2 with three RBIs and one run scored, while Ava Wilson added three RBIs on one hit and Macey Cintron scored twice and tallied two runs alongside Sam Minish. Senior Aby Vieira contributed a career-high three runs off one hit with one RBI.
Both sides traded outs and strikeouts in the first inning that included senior Reese Basinger getting the first two batters in the Blue Devils’ lineup looking. Basinger went on to finish the night with four strikeouts en route to improving to 6-2 in the circle. Duke got its leadoff batter on in the second, but Clemson’s defense held strong and forced the Blue Devils to leave her stranded at second.
The Tigers matched in the hits department in the bottom of the second as Cintron notched her 19th hit of the year with a single up the middle for Clemson’s first baserunner. She advanced to second on a wild pitch, and was replaced by Kennedy Ariail as a pinch runner with only one out. Vieira stepped to the plate and drove a single into shallow center that put runners on the corners and quickly stole second to put both in scoring position. Both came around to score as Collins delivered on a 1-1 count with a double over the head of Duke’s left fielder to score both Ariail and Vieira that gave Clemson the 2-0 lead.
To keep the momentum going in the second, junior Jamison Brockenbrough battled through a 10-pitch at bat to draw a walk that was followed by Collins and Brockenbrough moving up a base on a wild pitch that rolled all the way to the backstop. With the top of the lineup back up at the plate, senior Alex Brown sent her team-leading 31st RBI back up the middle to score both runners and make it 4-0 Clemson after two.
Clemson scored again in the third inning to push the lead to 8-0. After Cintron and Minish led off with a hit and walk, respectively, the Tigers took advantage of back-to-back throwing errors to score three runs. Collins followed with her third RBI off her second double of the game, this time into left center, to plate Wilson, who reached on one of the errors.
The Blue Devils responded in the top of the fourth with four runs of their own, including two solo shots, before Clemson was able to get out of the inning and respond with another four runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Senior Maddie Moore led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to center field. She advanced to second on a ground out by Julia Knowler but was joined on the bases by Cintron, who reached on an error. Moore was brought home on a double by Minish off the wall, and Wilson picked up her two RBIs with a single back up the middle.
Duke looked to hold off the run-rule in the top of the fifth after drawing a walk with two outs, but a fly ball in left field foul territory was caught by Kylee Johnson to secure the five-inning victory, 12-4.
Up Next
The series against No. 14 Duke continues on Saturday, March 8. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. on ACCNX. Fans can purchase tickets to catch all the action at McWhorter here.
