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Clearwater, Fla. – Redshirt sophomore JoJo Hyatt came up with a bases-loaded triple to walk-off Texas Tech in five innings. The No. 15/12 Tigers scored five runs in the first inning before Hyatt brought in three in the fifth as Clemson defeated the Red Raiders 8-0 in the Tiger’s opening game at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational.
Following the victory, Clemson moves to 4-1 on the year, as Texas Tech drops to 3-3. Also following today’s win, the Tigers have outscored opponents 35-4 this season.
Clemson jumped out to an early lead in the first inning as Sam Russ and McKenzie Clark got on base with a triple and walk, respectively. Valerie Cagle reached on an error that scored Russ, and two batters later, Alia Logoleo would reach on another Red Raider error to score Clark and Cagle.
Momentum continued to swing in Clemson’s favor as Cammy Pereira took her base after getting hit by a pitch. Both Logoleo and Pereira advanced to second and third to be in scoring position for Madison May bring them home after ripping a double into right center. After the first inning, the Tigers held a 5-0 lead.
Things slowed for the next three innings offensively, but Clemson’s defense kept up the pressure. In the circle, Cagle pitched 4.0 innings with eight strikeouts. Cagle moves to 2-1 on the year after keeping TTU off the board. She was replaced in the top of the fifth by freshman Brooke McCubbin, who pitched one inning and only had to face three batters before the inning concluded.
Clemson dominated the fifth inning that began with Marissa Guimbarda drawing a walk. A few batters later, Pereira and May were also both walked to load the bases for Hyatt with two outs. With a 1-0 count, Hyatt got ahold of the next pitch and sent it deep into right field to conclude the walk-off run-rule victory, Clemson’s fourth run-rule win of the season.
Up Next:The Tigers are back in action tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. against No. 18/15 Tennessee to continue play at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational.
