Clemson crushes Ohio State, completes perfect ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Clemson finished off a perfect weekend in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge by blasting Ohio State 10-0 in five innings Sunday afternoon at McWhorter Stadium.

Valerie Cagle finished 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs as Clemson completed a 4-0 weekend.

The Tigers won their first two games against Northwestern, before beating the Buckeyes in the final two. Clemson outscored its opponents 33-5 over the weekend.

“We have power up and down our lineup,” Tigers coach John Rittman said. “We just hit the ball really well all weekend and faced some good pitching. Really proud of the way our defense stepped up this weekend.”

McKenzie Clark, Cagle and Caroline Jacobsen got Clemson off to a fast start in the first inning as all three homered and the Tigers led 4-0 after 1.

“Obviously that first inning onslaught with Clark, Cagle and Jacobsen hitting home runs took a lot of pressure off of everybody,” Rittman said.

Clemson pushed its lead to 5-0 in the third inning on an RBI single by Ally Miklesh, before scoring five runs in the fifth to take a 10-0 lead.

Maddie Moore hit a three-run homer in the fifth, while Marena Knowles drove in a pair of runs with a single.

On the mound, Regan Spencer tossed a complete game shutout to earn her first win of the year.

Spencer struck out two and allowed only two hits. She did not allow a walk or hit a batter.

“Regan fielded her position well and pitched extremely well,” Rittman said. “She only had two strikeouts, so our defense was making a lot of plays behind her. But that’s kind of Regan’s MO. She pitched wonderfully today.” 

With the win, Clemson is now 10-0 on the year. The Tigers return to action on Tuesday when they host Georgia at 4 p.m.

“Just like the way we’re playing right now,” Rittman said. “We’ve got a lot of players coming off the bench. Just very proud of our performance.”