Box Score (PDF)
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – For the first time in its inaugural season, the Clemson Softball team (9-7) required extra innings and came out victorious in an 8-6 decision over Stetson (6-7) Saturday afternoon at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Freshman infielder Hannah Goodwin hit her third home run of the season – also the Tigers’ third homer of the game and 21st of the season – to break a 5-5 tie in the top of the eighth with MK Bonamy on second base due to the NCAA’s international tiebreaker rule. The Tigers went on to score another run in the top of the inning thanks to Grace Mattimore’s single up the middle, which scored Alia Logoleo. The Hatters scored an additional run on a Clemson error in the bottom of the eighth, but Valerie Cagle, who earned her fourth win in the circle of the season, forced back-to-back groundouts to end the game.
Clemson drew first blood in the first after redshirt freshman Arielle Oda, who started at third base for the Tigers, drew a walk with bases loaded to score Bonamy and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Stetson took advantage of a costly infield error with two outs in the bottom of the second. The Hatters scored two runs on the play, claiming a 2-1 lead in the process. Then, Stetson shortstop Lizzie Shubert doubled to left center, which scored another two unearned runs and gave the Hatters a 4-1 lead.
Clemson responded in the third a with a four-run inning of their own. Mattimore doubled to left center with a 2-0 count before Cagle, who started the game in center field, belted her sixth homer of the season to right-center field. Immediately after Cagle’s home run, junior Marissa Guimbarda recorded her eighth homer of the season – and third of the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic I tournament – to tie the game 4-4. Later in the inning, Oda was at the plate with runners on first and second and singled to right field to tally her second RBI of the day, which also gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the third.
Then, the Hatters tied the game 5-5 in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single up the middle, which allowed Stetson left fielder Brianna Clary to round third and touch home with ease.
Cagle, now 4-6 in the circle on the year, stepped into the circle in relief of starting right-handed pitcher Logan Caymol in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Cagle, who threw three innings of relief in Clemson’s first game of the day, retired the side in order in the sixth and allowed just one single in the seventh.
The Tigers’ offense dealt Stetson left-handed pitcher Chloe Temples (5-2) her second loss of the season.
Up next, Clemson returns to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Sunday to take on Morgan State (2-5) at 10 a.m. Sunday’s contest against the Bears is set to stream on FloSoftball.com with a paid subscription.
For complete coverage of the Tiger softball team, follow @ClemsonSoftball on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.
