CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson Tigers picked up a 2-1 walk-off victory in the first game before recording a dominant 14-4 run-rule victory in five innings in the second matchup of Saturday’s doubleheader against the California Golden Bears. The two wins on Saturday secured the series sweep for the Tigers to make it back-to-back weekends Clemson has swept an ACC opponent.
With the wins, Clemson improved to 27-10 overall and 9-3 in the ACC, while California dropped to 25-10 (6-6 ACC).
Over the course of the two games, Alex Brown finished with a team-high six hits – three in each game. Additional Tigers that contributed multiple hits on the day to bring Clemson’s total to 22 over the two-game stretch included: Maddie Moore (three), Aby Vieira (three), Julia Knowler (two), Macey Cintron (two), Marian Collins (two) and Kylee Johnson (two). Both Moore and Knowler scored three runs in the second game, while Brown scored twice in game two and once in the opening game. Jamison Brockenbrough picked up a run in each game to round out the group of Tigers that scored multiple runs on the day.
Game 1 (W) – Clemson 2, California 1
A pitcher’s duel broke out in the first game of the day as Clemson’s Brooke McCubbin and California’s Miranda De Nava kept jamming the opponent’s batters. Both pitchers allowed fewer than 10 hits as De Nava gave up nine on 105 pitches, while McCubbin allowed only six off 93 pitches. Keeping things close, McCubbin struck out three batters in her seventh win of the season, while De Nava struck out four in only her second loss of the year.
The lone run for California came in the top of the second inning when the Golden Bears led off the inning with a solo home run. The Tigers looked to answer in the bottom of the third and fourth innings, after Brown and Vieira led off both innings with a single, but Clemson left runners stranded in each inning to keep Cal ahead, 1-0.
The Tigers were on fire defensively throughout the first game to provide McCubbin with assistance in the circle. Brown made the first incredible grab of the game at the hot corner in the top of the third. She snagged a potential extra-base hit and completed the throw to first for the first out. Johnson matched her effort by turning the first of two team double plays of the game with a long run snag in left field and made the throw into Moore at second to catch the runner that wasn’t tagging on the play to end the inning.
Clemson turned its second double play in the top of the sixth inning to once again end the inning. After the leadoff batter got aboard, McCubbin struck out the second, and Collins caught a line drive shot up the middle at shortstop and completed the play with a throw to Knowler at first to get the runner.
With hope of scoring in the bottom half of the sixth, Cintron singled with one out. Collins advanced Taylor Pipkins, who was running for Cintron, to third with a double into left, but Clemson left both stranded to end the inning.
The Clemson defense came up with another run-saving play in the top of the seventh after a single landed in shallow left field, but Johnson came up with the ball to make the throw into Vieira behind the plate to catch the runner attempting to score and end the inning to give the Clemson offense an opportunity to rally.
The Tigers made their final push in the bottom of the seventh that paid off after Brockenbrough and Brown tallied back-to-back singles to put the winning run aboard with one out. Knowler drew a full count walk to load the bases with two outs to bring Cintron back to the plate. With a 1-1 count, Cintron drove the third pitch she saw into deep right field for a two-RBI single that gave Clemson the 2-1 walk-off win.
Game 2 (W – 5) – Clemson 14, California 4
The Tigers continued their offensive momentum into the second game of the day, as Clemson scored 10 runs in the first to mark the third-most in a single inning by the program. The inning was powered by seven hits, which tied for the second-most in a single inning, and three home runs behind the power of Vieira, Knowler and Moore to tie for the most team home runs in a single frame.
Brown led off the first with a double and came around to score on a California miscue. Knowler joined Moore, who had singled, on the bases with a walk, and both were brought home on a Vieira home run that traveled 240 feet. It marked Vieira’s third home run of the season and 12th of her career.
The next three batters reached on a double (Collins), single (Johnson) and walk (Pipkins) to load the bases with only one out. Brockenbrough notched her RBI with a four-pitch walk to bring home Collins. Back at the top of the order, Brown recorded an RBI with a sac fly to left field to score Johnson and make it 6-0.
In their second plate appearances of the inning, Moore and Knowler sent back-to-back homers out of right center to extend the Clemson score to 10-0. Moore’s home run traveled 251 feet for her ninth of the year and 40th RBI. Knowler followed with a 2-2 pitch driven 242 feet for a solo shot and her 11th of the year.
California got four combined runs back in the second and third innings to cut Clemson’s lead down to 10-4.
The Tigers capitalized again in the fourth inning after Vieira singled and advanced to third on a sac bunt by Collins. Kennedy Ariail replaced Vieira at third and came home on a groundout by Johnson to extend Clemson’s advantage to 11-4.
Clemson closed out the weekend in the bottom of the fifth inning. Brown and Moore recorded back-to-back singles with no outs to open the frame, and Knowler sent her second home run of the game, the team’s fourth, out of left center for a three-run shot to walk off with a 14-4 run-rule victory. This is the first time since March 16, 2024 that a Tiger has recorded multiple home runs in a single game, as Knowler picked up her team-high 12th homer that moved her into seventh all-time in a single-season alongside Caroline Jacobsen (2023) and McKenzie Clark (2022).
Senior Reese Basinger got the start in the circle in game two and faced 13 batters in her two innings of work. Cintron entered the game in relief in the third inning and pitched the final three frames with two strikeouts to pick up her sixth win as a freshman.
Up Next
The Tigers conclude the home stretch with a midweek game on Tuesday, April 1 against Gardner-Webb. Action is slated to begin at 6 p.m. on ACCNX. Fans can purchase tickets to catch all the action live in McWhorter Stadium by visiting this link.
