CLEARWATER, Fla. – The No. 13/12 Clemson Tigers claimed two top 25 victories on Friday afternoon and night against No. 5/5 Oregon, 6-5, and No. 23/21 Liberty, 9-4. Highlighting the day were home runs by sophomore Corri Hicks and freshman Mac Pavese against the Ducks, and a team single-game program record eight stolen bases against the Flames.
With the wins, Clemson opens the season 3-0 for the first time since 2024 when the Tigers open the year with three victories at the 2024 NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Ducks dropped to 1-1, and the Flames fell to 0-2 on their respective opening days.
Game 1 (W): No. 13/12 Clemson 6, No. 5/5 Oregon 5
The Tigers started the day with a bang by upsetting No. 5/5 Oregon, 6-5. Hicks hit her second home run in as many days to lead the offense, while Jamison Brockenbrough picked up an RBI and Pavese hit a solo home run in her Clemson debut and was the lone Tiger to score twice.
Graduate Abby Dunning earned her second win of the 2026 campaign after tossing 5.2 innings with seven strikeouts and only allowed four hits. Junior Sierra Maness closed out the game with one inning of work and one strikeout for her second save of 2026. Freshman Lexie Hames rounded out the pitchers with one out in her first collegiate start.
The Ducks took advantage of early Clemson errors to take a 2-0 lead in the first. Hicks answered with her second homer of the year that was a three-run shot into center to plate Kennedy Ariail, who was pinch running for Macey Cintron after a walk, and Pavese, who singled in her first collegiate at bat.
Oregon evened the game with a solo homer in the third and plated two more in the fourth after the Clemson defense recorded another error. The Ducks held the 5-3 advantage until the Tigers strung together a three-run sixth inning.
In the sixth, it was Pavese that kicked off the offensive attack. With one out, Pavese became the third Tiger in as many years to record a home run in their Clemson debut after sending a solo shot to deep center. The Tigers followed it with a two-out rally, taking advantage of the Ducks back-to-back fielding errors that allowed Taylor Pipkins and Ava Wilson to both reach base, with Pipkins scoring on the missed pop fly of Wilson’s at bat to level the game. Brockenbrough brought in the go-ahead run with a single up the middle to plate Wilson.
Clemson’s defense returned to the field in the top of the seventh and strung together a strikeout and two groundouts to claim the upset victory. This is the first top 10 win for the Tigers since Clemson defeated Texas in the opening game of the 2025 Austin Super Regional.
Game 2 (W): No. 13/12 Clemson 9, No. 23/21 Liberty 4
In the second game of the day, sophomores Marian Collins (3-for-3) and Taylor Pipkins (two RBIs) guided the Tiger offense. As a program, the highlight of the game from the six different Tigers that contributed to a single-game program record eight stolen bases. Collins and Pavese led the way with two stolen bases apiece, while Brockenbrough, Ariail, Pipkins and Sam Minish notched one. This is the most stolen bases in a game since Clemson tallied seven against both UIC and Ohio State in 2023.
In the circle, freshman Keira Crosby started in her first collegiate game and faced 18 batters in her 3.2 innings of work. Maness replaced her in the fourth and struck out two in her 3.1 innings to earn her first victory of 2026.
Similar to the Oregon game, Liberty got on the board in the first off a Clemson error. Clemson responded in the bottom of the second after Pavese and Hicks got on base off a walk and hit by pitch, respectively, and Pipkins drove them in with a double to center. Pipkins advanced to third on the play after an error and came home on a passed ball to make it 3-1.
The Flames closed the gap with a sac fly in the third, but Clemson answered back with two runs off an RBI double by Julia Knowler and a Liberty error. The Tigers tacked on two additional runs with a Kiley Channell double off the center field wall to plate Brockenbrough. Channell came home later that inning off another Liberty error to make it 7-2.
Liberty added its third run in the top sixth and one additional run in the seventh to bring their total to four. The Tigers rounded out their runs with two in the bottom of the sixth off an error and a sac fly from Kylee Johnson.
Up Next
The Tigers continue opening weekend action on Saturday, Feb. 7 against RV/RV Auburn. The game is slated for a 4 p.m. first pitch on MLB Network.
