CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 25/RV Clemson Tigers drew 10 walks, including seven in the bottom of the fifth inning, to propel the Tigers to a 9-4 victory against Georgia Tech to open ACC play on Friday night in McWhorter Stadium. With the win, Clemson improved to 15-7 (1-0 ACC), while Georgia Tech dropped to 15-9 (3-1 ACC).
Freshman Sarah Breaux and junior Kylee Johnson led the Tigers with two walks each, while Jamison Brockenbrough, Kiley Channell, Mac Pavese, Julia Knowler, Marian Collins and Taylor Pipkins rounded out the walk count. Pavese stayed hot at the plate and led Clemson with two RBIs, and Collins and Corri Hicks finished with two hits each to power the Tiger offense.
Georgia Tech jumped out to a lead in the top of the first after loading the bases. A double into left field cleared them with two outs before Clemson could get out of the inning. The Tigers matched the effort with three-straight singles to lead off the bottom of the first that included an RBI single by Mac Pavese to score Jamison Brockenbrough.
Julia Knowler notched an RBI on the next at bat to bring home Kiley Channell, and a single from Marian Collins and a walk by Sarah Breaux loaded the bases for sophomore Corri Hicks. On the third pitch of her at bat, Hicks drove a ball through the left side for an RBI single to even the game at 3-all.
After the first, both programs were held off the board until the bottom of the fifth inning when Clemson put up five, four of which were with two outs. The inning was spurred by a seven-walk outing that began with Knowler drawing a one-out walk. Kennedy Ariail, who ran for Knowler, advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch and came home on an RBI double by Collins into center field.
Breaux drew the second walk of the inning to put two on, and then after the Yellow Jackets picked up the second out, Clemson drew five-straight walks to score four runs and take an 8-3 advantage. The Tigers scored once more in the sixth to extend it to 9-3 after six.
The Yellow Jackets got one run back in the top of the seventh with a solo home run and looked to strike again after loading the bases, but Breaux caught a line drive at third and stepped on the bag to turn the double play and secure the first win of ACC play.
Junior Sierra Maness threw her fifth complete game of 2026. She threw 126 pitches and struck out four while only allowing one earned run as she claimed her eight win of the year.
Up Next
The Tigers and the Yellow Jackets continue the series on Saturday, March 7. First pitch for the second game of the series is slated for 1 p.m. on ACCNX. Fans can purchase tickets ahead of the game by clicking here or by stopping by the ticket table outside the main gate.
