CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 8/9 Tigers clinched their first ACC series victory of the 2024 season with a 14-9 win against the NC State Wolfpack. With the win, Clemson improves to 13-4 (2-1 ACC), while the Wolfpack falls to 14-5 (1-2 ACC).
Clemson scored its 14 runs off 15 hits led by Alia Logoleo, Valerie Cagle, Maddie Moore and McKenzie Clark, all contributing a home run. Cagle and Logoleo finished the day with three hits each, while Cagle and Clark finished with three runs each. In total, eight Tigers had at least one hit. The Tigers finished the day with 13 RBIs, led by Cagle, Clark, Logoleo, and Moore.
NC State took advantage of early errors by the Clemson defense to take the lead in the first. The Wolfpack led off with a solo home run and added additional runs after the Tigers made three errors. Following the top of the first, NC State led, 5-0.
The Tigers answered in the bottom half of the inning with a McKenzie Clark bunt to put her on base, which proved to be a catalyst for the Tigers’ offense. Clark quickly advanced to second and then third off of two back-to-back wild pitches. With Valerie Cagle up to the plate, she singled through the middle to plate Clark for an RBI. Alia Logoleo then cut down the Wolfpack’s lead further after a two-run shot that went 282 feet out of center field, which also brought Maddie Moore home, who was on base off a single. After one, NC State led 5-3.
In the top of the second inning, Cagle only delivered four pitches to retire NC State’s three hitters thanks to clutch defensive plays by Alex Brown and Grace Hiller. The Tigers’ offense then produced three runs in the bottom of the second to give them their first lead of the day courtesy of a three-run homer by Cagle that left the park at a velocity of 72 miles per hour and traveled 260 feet. Logoleo singled and stole second to be in scoring position for Lindsey Garcia to hit an RBI double into right center. Garcia scored on the next at bat as the ball rolled through the legs of NC State’s Hannah Goodwin to make it 8-5 after two.
NC State responded in the top of the third scoring four runs to reclaim the lead, 9-8, with consecutive hits that brought runners home. The Tigers reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Cagle was brought home by a double into left center by Aby Vieira. The very next at bat, Moore sent the second pitch of her at bat 245 feet to center field for a two-run homer to make it 11-9 in the Tigers’ favor.
Clemson added three insurance runs following Clark’s three-run blast in the bottom of the fifth. After Oda walked and reached second on a throwing error by NC State’s pitcher that put Brown on as result of the fielder’s choice, Clark homered to center field to make it 14-9, which held for the remainder of the game.
Cagle started in her second consecutive game. She pitched 2.1 innings before being replaced by senior Regan Spencer. Spencer pitched 1.2 innings with two strikeouts to earn her first win of 2024. Brooke McCubbin pitched the final three innings to earn her first save.
