CLEMSON, S.C. - The No. 24/RV Tigers dropped the series finale to No. NR/RV Louisville, 7-6, on Sunday afternoon in McWhorter Stadium. With the loss, the Tigers fell to 19-9 (4-2 ACC), while Louisville improved 20-7 (3-3 ACC).
Junior Kiley Channell led the Tigers with three hits, one RBI and one run scored, and senior Jamison Brockenbrough tallied two hits and scored two runs. Freshman Mac Pavese and sophomore Marian Collins each finished with two RBIs, one hit and one run scored, and Kylee Johnson rounded out the Tigers with an RBI.
The Cardinals looked to strike first after getting runners on second and third with no outs in the top of the second. Righthander Sierra Maness picked up back-to-back strikeouts before Louisville loaded the bases on a walk. Maness completed the inning by snagging a potential hit up the middle to make the throw to first and end the inning with a clean slate.
The defense continued to hold down the fort, as Johnson laid out to make a diving catch to end the top of the third inning. The Tigers struck in the bottom of the inning with two outs as Brockenbrough singled and stole second to move into scoring position. Channell brought her home with a double into the right-center gap to make it 1-0 after three.
Clemson struck again in the fifth inning after loading the bases with no outs on a hit by pitch and two-straight singles. Pavese delivered the two-RBI single to start the scoring, and Collins followed with a two-RBI double, the 23rd double of her career, to make it 5-0 with no outs. Clemson loaded the bases with one out, and Johnson delivered an RBI single to right field to plate Collins and make it 6-0.
Louisville closed the gap down to one run in the top of the sixth, after the Cardinals scored five before Clemson could get out of the inning. Louisville scored two more in the top of the seventh to take a 7-6 lead, which held for the remainder of the game.
Maness got her 11th start of the year and pitched 5.2 with seven strikeouts. Graduate Abby Dunning pitched 1.1 innings and dropped to 6-4 after suffering the loss.
Up Next
The Tigers hit the road for a midweek at Western Carolina on Wednesday, March 18. Fans can catch all the action on ESPN+.