Tigers Take Series Opener 17-3 over Wolfpack
The No. 24/21 Clemson Tigers strung together 17 runs off 13 hits en route to a Friday night series-opening victory at the NC State Wolfpack (21-20 4-12 ACC). Clemson’s 17 runs were the most the team has scored in a single game this season and the fifth-most in program history. The victory also marked the eighth-straight ACC series opener win dating back to the Notre Dame game on April 19, 2024. Friday night’s game also marked Head Coach John Rittman’s 1,400 career game at the helm of a program. He holds an all-time record of 971-426-3, including a 221-75 record at the helm of the Clemson program.
With the victory, Clemson improved to 32-11 overall and 12-4 ACC play. Senior Reese Basinger earned her 13th win in the circle after pitching four innings with four strikeouts. Offensively, Jamison Brockenbrough was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored. Senior Alex Brown joined her with three hits, three runs and one RBI. Macey Cintron and Marian Collins rounded out the Tigers with multiple hits, clocking two each that included a home run by both of them. Freshman Taylor Pipkins also joined the home run crew with a solo shot.
The Tigers jumped ahead early after the top of the lineup loaded the bases in the first inning. Brown, who singled, came home to score as Cintron reached on a fielder’s choice. It was Cintron’s 32nd RBI of the season, which tied her for second alongside Alia Logoleo (2021) on the freshman RBI list at Clemson.
Senior Aby Vieira stepped to the plate with runners on the corners and executed a perfect squeeze bunt that had Moore sliding into home under the tag and runners being safe at both first and second. Cintron came home to score on a throwing error during Collins’ at bat to extend Clemson’s lead. NC State made it 3-1 at the end of the first after a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning.
Clemson extended its lead in the top of the second with eight additional runs. It began with back-to-back singles from Brockenbrough and Brown. They were joined by Moore, who walked, and Cintron picked up her second RBI of the night and 33rd of her freshman campaign to take sole possession of second. Vieira followed with another sac squeeze with the bases loaded to plate Brown and make it 5-1 in Clemson’s favor.
With the bases still juiced, Collins drove the fifth pitch of her at bat out of center field for a grand slam. It was her seventh home run of the year. Collins went on to finish the night with five RBIs to bring her season total to 31, good enough for fourth on the all-time freshman RBI list. Clemson scored two more runs after reloading the bases, and Moore knocked a two-RBI single up the middle to make it 11-1 after two.
Clemson struck again in the top of the fourth inning that began with Pipkins hitting a leadoff home run. It was her first of the year, and she became the fifth freshman to record a homer this season. Brockenbrough followed with a triple into right field, and Brown brought her home with a single to left. Cintron became the third freshman to hit a home run in the contest with a three-run shot that stayed fair down the left field line and brought her RBI count up to 36.
The Tigers closed out the run-rule victory with a single run in the top of the fifth inning. Haylee Whitesides doubled to open the frame and advanced on a throwing error and freshman Riley Fennell picked up the RBI. The Wolfpack scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth after loading the bases, but Clemson forced NC State to leave two stranded to end the game with a 17-3 victory.
