CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 25/RV Clemson Tigers split action on Friday afternoon to open the Tigers Invitational. Clemson opened the day by run-ruling Wofford, 9-1, in five innings, before dropping a game to Georgia Southern, 8-7, to end the day in McWhorter Stadium.
The day was highlighted by five total home runs. Sophomore Corri Hicks hit one in the opening game against Wofford, while Mac Pavese, Marian Collins, Jamison Brockenbrough and Macey Cintron tallied one homer each against Georgia Southern.
Game 1 (W – 5): Clemson 9, Wofford 1The Terriers (14-3) found a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after Kate Platte ran home from second off of a fielder’s choice after getting on off an error. In the bottom of the second, Corri Hicks smashed a ball 265 feet over the center wall, plating herself and Marian Collins from third to give the Tigers the 2-1 edge.
In the bottom of the third, Jamison Brockenbrough bunted to reach first base to open the inning. Pavese reached first base off of a fielder’s choice that had all runners safe before Julia Knowler singled up the middle to return Brockenbrough home. With runners on second and third, Marian Collins plated Pavese with a sac fly to deep left field, making the score 4-1 heading into the fourth inning.
Clemson retained its momentum, scoring five in the bottom of the fourth. Hicks walked and Minish entered as a pinch runner. Pipkins doubled to place Minish at third, and Brockenbrough picked up two RBIs off of a single that brought both runners home. After stealing second, Brockenbrough scored off a single from Pavese. Macey Cintron then tripled off the right center wall to score Pavese, and pinch runner Ava Wilson rounded out the inning by scoring off an RBI single from Collins. The Tigers led 9-1 after four innings and held the Terriers scoreless in the top of the fifth to finalize the sixth run-rule of the season, including the fifth in the last six games.
In the circle, freshman Lexie Hames recorded her second win of the year after striking out seven while only allowing four hits. She faced 22 batters and didn’t allow an earned run to score.
Game 2 (L): Clemson 7, Georgia Southern 8
The Eagles (7-7) struck first with a solo home run from Kayla Christensen. The Tigers quickly responded as Pavese hit a homer of her own in the bottom of the first to tie the game. The ensuing at bat, Marian Collins repeated the feat, hitting her fifth home run of the season and putting the Tigers ahead, 2-1. Cintron reached on a fielder’s choice before advancing into scoring position off of a walk from Hicks. A single from Kiley Channell plated Cintron, giving the Tigers a 3-1 lead at the end of the first.
Brockenbrough joined in on the fun, recording a solo home run for her third long ball of the season in the bottom of the second to increase Clemson’s lead. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Corri Hicks walked to return Collins home. Georgia Southern closed the scoring gap in the top of the third inning, scoring two off of a home run from Delanie Thames to make it 5-3 in Clemson’s favor heading to the fourth.
In the fourth, Julia Knowler doubled to center field and was replaced by Kennedy Ariail as a pinch runner. Cintron joined the home run party with a two-run shot for her first homer of the 2026 season to push Clemson’s advantage back up to four runs at 7-3. The four home runs against Georgia Southern tied the program record for homers in a single game and marked the 17th time in program history the Tigers have accomplished the feat. The last time Clemson finished with four home runs was on March 29, 2025 against California.
After quiet fifth and sixth innings, the Eagles scored three runners off of a double from Thames in the seventh. Emma Davis singled to plate one more and tie the game. An additional single from Valerie Combs gave Georgia Southern the 8-7 edge and ultimately gave the Eagles the win.
Freshman Keira Crosby got her fourth start of the season and pitched three innings with three strikeouts. Junior Olivia Duncan entered to begin the fourth inning and threw 3.2 innings with three strikeouts before junior Sierra Maness entered. Maness suffered the loss to fall to 5-3 on the year.
Up Next
Clemson continues the Tiger Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 3:30 p.m. when the Tigers host the No. 19/12 Mississippi State Bulldogs. The game is available via a one-camera broadcast on ACCNX, and fans can purchase tickets ahead of the game by clicking here or by stopping by the ticket table outside the main gate.
