ATLANTA, Ga. – The No. 19/19 Clemson Tigers strung together 19 runs off 15 hits offensively while limiting Georgia Tech (26-20, 10-10 ACC) to only three hits in five innings for a 19-0 run-rule victory on Saturday evening at Mewborn Field. This is the largest shutout in program history and tied the largest margin of defeat for the Tigers. With the win, Clemson reached the 40-win mark for the fourth time in the last five years to improve to 40-12 (18-5 ACC).
Freshman Macey Cintron finished with four hits that included a double and a home run to lead the Tigers offensively. Cintron also picked up four RBIs to bring her season total to 45, which tied Valerie Cagle (2021) for the freshman RBI record. Additional Tigers that left the park included freshman Marian Collins and senior Maddie Moore, who tallied their 10th and 15th home runs on the year, respectively. Moore, Julia Knowler and Jamison Brockenbrough added multi-hit games, and Moore, Cintron, Brockenbrough, Alex Brown and Aby Vieira finished with multiple runs in a game that had 12 different Tigers scoring. The team also drew a program-record 11 walks with Brown and Vieira drawing three each.
The Tigers jumped ahead early after back-to-back doubles by Knowler and Cintron brought home a runner each. Knowler’s double was her 15th of the season, which tied Vieira for not only the team high this season, but the program record for doubles in a single season. Cintron’s was her eighth of the year, but more notably brought the Tigers’ double count to 87 on the year. This number tied the program record that was set during the 2023 season. The Tigers went on to surpass the previous mark with a double by Moore in the fourth inning to move the team count to 88.
Clemson’s offense continued to add runs in the first, scoring seven total runs throughout the inning. Collins drove the 10th home run of her freshman campaign out of the park for a three-run shot to extend the lead to 5-0. She is the fourth Tiger this season to hit double-digit home runs. Additional runs came off a full count walk to Moore with the bases loaded, and Brockenbrough came home off a wild pitch.
Clemson made it 8-0 with a single run scored by Kennedy Ariail in the top of the second before the Tigers added five more runs in the third. After Brockenbrough singled and advanced to third on a wild pitch and stolen base, she was brought home on a single by Brown. Moore followed with her second home run in as many days with an opposite field shot out of right. Clemson loaded the bases off a Cintron single and back-to-back walks from Vieira and Collins to allow Taylor Pipkins to pick up a two-RBI single down the third base line to make it 13-0.
In the fourth, Clemson tacked on four additional runs after Brown drew a walk and Moore doubled to put two in scoring position. Knowler drew a five-pitch walk, and Brown advanced home on the play due to a wild pitch. After the Yellow Jackets changed pitchers, Cintron stepped to the plate and swung on the first pitch of her at bat for a three-run homer to make it 17-0 after four. It was her 11th of the season, which sits second all-time for freshmen at Clemson.
Freshman Sam Minish and Riley Fennell added singles and scored runs in the top of the fifth to bring Clemson’s lead up to 19-0, which held for the remainder of the game.
Senior Brooke McCubbin made her 30th appearance of the year with the Saturday night start. She pitched four innings to earn her 12th win of the year and allowed only two hits. Sophomore Olivia Duncan entered in the bottom of the fifth and struck out three batters to secure the Tiger victory.
Up Next
The Tigers conclude the regular season with the series finale against the Yellow Jackets on Sunday, April 27. First pitch is slated for noon on ESPN2.
