CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The No. 25/RV Clemson Tigers (20-9) defeated Western Carolina (16-9), 7-3, on Wednesday evening at the Catamount Softball Complex. Sophomores Macey Cintron and Taylor Pipkins each tallied solo home runs, while pitchers Abby Dunning and Sierra Maness struck out a combined 13 batters.
The Catamounts scored first after bringing a runner home in the bottom of the first inning. Western Carolina looked to extend that lead in the inning by loading the bases, but Dunning notched three strikeouts to end the threat in the first.
The Tigers got one run back in the top of the third inning after Marian Collins reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Junior Julia Knowler singled up the middle to bring Collins home and level things at 1-all.
In the fourth, Cintron and Pipkins pushed the Tigers ahead with solo home runs. Cintron homered on the third pitch of her at bat out of right field for her second of the season, and Pipkins drove a 2-2 pitch out of left center for her first of the year. Western Carolina got one run back in the bottom of the fourth, but Clemson maintained a 3-2 edge heading to the fifth.
Clemson’s bats continued in the fifth and sixth innings with two runs in each. In the fifth, Collins doubled and Knowler brought Kennedy Ariail, who was running for Collins, home on a standup triple to right field. Corri Hicks followed and brought home Knowler off a sac fly to center. In the sixth, Pipkins doubled and scored on an RBI single by Jamison Brockenbrough. Brockenbrough came home on an RBI double by Mac Pavese to extend Clemson’s lead to 7-2.
Dunning got her eighth start of the year. Through her 3.1 innings of work, she struck out seven batters. She was replaced in the bottom of the fourth by junior Sierra Maness, who made her 19th appearance. Maness struck out six batters to earn her 11th win of 2026.
Up Next
The Tigers continue their road stretch with a three-game series at Notre Dame. Action against the Fighting Irish is scheduled to begin on Friday, March 20 at 6 p.m.