The Clemson softball team entered the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational ready to battle, and while the team left the weekend with a 4-6 record, the Tigers showed plenty of fight. After dropping their first four games, the team pulled off a win to cap off its Clearwater, Florida, trip.
Game No. 1: Missouri 10, Clemson 6
Clemson came out swinging in its opening game, taking an early 5-0 lead against then-No. 16 Missouri thanks to a grand slam from freshman Ava Wilson. It was her first collegiate homer.
The Tigers couldn’t hold onto that lead as Missouri quickly responded with five runs in the second inning. From there, Missouri took advantage of two Clemson errors and added to its lead. Maddie Moore’s solo homer in the seventh kept things interesting, but it wasn’t enough. The Tigers fought hard but fell.
Game No. 2: Auburn 6, Clemson 3
The second game of the day didn’t go Clemson’s way either, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. Moore started things off with a solo home run, but Auburn answered quickly, taking a 2-1 lead after the first inning.
The Tigers couldn’t keep up, as Auburn extended its lead with a solo shot and a three-run blast in the second and third innings The Tigers couldn’t close the gap. Auburn took the game.
Despite the loss, Clemson showed they could hang with the best, as Auburn is now a top-25 team.
Game No. 3: Kentucky 7, Clemson 6
Down 7-2, Clemson put together a late rally, cutting the deficit to just one run, 7-6, in the seventh inning. With Macey Cintron’s two-run bomb and Julia Knowler’s solo shot, the Tigers kept the pressure on Kentucky.
Despite getting the tying run on base in the final inning, Clemson couldn’t seal the deal, as a strikeout ended the rally.
Game No. 4: UCF 6, Clemson 4
UCF took a 3-0 lead early, but Clemson clawed its way back, tying the game at 3-3 in the fifth. Knowler came through with a sac fly, and the Tigers got some key base hits to get the offense rolling.
The pitching held strong, and the game went into extra innings. In the top of the eighth, UCF capitalized, scoring three quick runs. Clemson responded with a run of its own, but it wasn’t enough. The Tigers fell 6-4.
Game No. 5: Clemson 11, Ohio State 3
At the end of the series, the Tigers found their groove. After trailing 3-0 early, Clemson exploded in a big way, winning 11-3 in a run-rule victory.
The offense came alive with four home runs — one each from Wilson, Moore, Cintron and Knowler. It was a complete team effort, with 11 total hits and five RBIs from the Knowler.
In the circle, Reese Basinger delivered a dominant performance, going 5.1 innings with nine strikeouts and only two hits allowed. The Tigers shut down Ohio State and finished the weekend with a bang.
After some tough losses in Florida, Clemson heads home with momentum from a big win and the confidence to turn things around.
The team will host a plethora of teams this weekend, beginning with Elon on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
