The No. 14 Clemson softball team defeated the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs 8-0 at McWhorter Stadium on Wednesday. The victory marked the Tigers’ fifth consecutive win to add to their 18-6 record (2-1 ACC) on the season, tying their longest win streak of the season.
Clemson run-ruled the Runnin’ Bulldogs, as the game lasted just five innings — the Tigers’ fourth such game of the season.
Head coach John Rittman’s team has hit its stride following back-to-back narrow losses, falling 2-1 to Tennessee and 5-3 to Minnesota last week. Clemson’s streak began last Thursday when the Tigers got their win back against the Gophers. Since then, Clemson has been unstoppable, outsourcing opponents 36-3 in its last four games.
Wednesday’s game gave the Tigers’ pitching staff its sixth shutout of the season, with senior pitcher Millie Thompson leading the charge. Thompson struck out four batters and allowed just one hit in her ten batters faced. She pitched in three innings, and the Tigers’ win allowed her to reach 3-0 in the season.
Infielder Arielle Oda led the Tigers on the offensive side of the plate, as Oda had two hits and two runs in two at-bats. Redshirt senior Alia Logoleo also put on a strong performance, leading the Tigers with three RBIs on the night while also tallying one hit and one run.
Logoleo’s game was highlighted by a two-run blast that soared over the left-field wall in the bottom of the second inning to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead.
Just reminding everyone that Alia's home run last night went 281 feet…
You're welcome ¯\_( ツ )_/¯ pic.twitter.com/f2K5aSMZY2
— Clemson Softball 🥎 (@clemsonsoftball) March 14, 2024
Oda and Logoleo weren’t the only Tigers to get a piece of the action, as senior outfielder McKenzie Clark scored two runs of her own, and junior Alex Brown, redshirt senior Valerie Cagle and graduate Julia Bomhardt scored one run each.
On top of her one-run performance, Cagle also showcased her reliability at the plate with two hits in three at-bats and two RBIs. Cagle has the highest batting average for Clemson this season with a .390, as well as leading the Tigers in hits with 32 hits and RBIs with 27.
The Tigers look to continue their win streak on Friday at 6 p.m. in McWhorter Stadium when they kick off a three-game ACC series against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
