Day 2 ACC Softball Tournament results, updated bracket

On Thursday, ACC softball fans were treated to another day of entertainment at the 2024 ACC Softball Tournament. The first game was a thriller that finished in 10 innings. The top-seeded Duke Blue Devils got a number of stellar performances from a talented trio in their 2-0 win over No. 9 seed Boston College. Duke pitcher Jala Wright fired 17 strikeouts, setting the program single game record.

Then Aminah Vega drilled a home run, and had two RBIs, on what ended up being the game-winning blast in the 10th inning. And then the Blue Devils’ Claire Davidson, the unanimous 2024 ACC Player of the Year, chipped in. She went 2-for-3 at the plate, with two doubles, and two walks. Duke ended up defeating Boston College, thanks to exceptional performances from all three players.

In the second game of the day, the No. 5 seed Clemson Tigers jumped all over the No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers and never relinquished the lead. The game was never really close as Clemson prevailed 8-1. With the win, the Tigers (34-16) advanced to the ACC Tournament Semifinals for the fourth-consecutive season.

Clemson racked up 10 hits during seven innings, and they were led by Alex Brown, who finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored. Valerie Cagle also tacked on two runs with three RBIs. Clemson pitcher Regan Spencer had a sensational day in shutting down the Cavaliers’ bats. She didn’t allow a single hit through the first three innings, picking up two strikeouts during that time. Once the dust had cleared, Spencer pitched her fourth complete game of the 2024 campaign, only allowing two hits and firing three strikeouts.

Clemson’s McKenzie Clark now has 50 runs this season, tied for second by a Tigers’ player in a single season. She set the program record last year with 56. With the win, Clemson now advances to the ACC Tournament Semifinals for the fourth consecutive season.

In the third game of the day, the No. 2 seeded Florida State Seminoles won in a hard-fought battle over the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. FSU’s Kennedy Harp broke the tie in the bottom of the third inning, after she hit a solo shot to make the score 1-0. Kalei Harding tacked on another run for the Seminoles, after she blasted her 13th home run of the season deep over the center field wall. That gave FSU a 2-0 lead and that’s how it would finish.

It was Florida State’s first shutout in the ACC Tournament since 2021, when they defeated N.C. State 2-0 in the quarterfinals. The Seminoles have won the last two ACC Tournament Championships.

Then in the fourth game of the day, the No. 6 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have had some of the most powerful bats in the conference all season long. And they showed up again on Thursday in a big way, helping them defeat the No. 3 seed Virginia Tech Hokies, 6-2. The Yellow Jackets were swept by the Hokies in the regular season, but they got some revenge on Thursday. With Georgia Tech leading 2-1 in the sixth inning, slugger Grace Connelly blasted a pivotal three-run homer to make the score 5-1. It was her first home run of the season, coming on a pinch-hitting situation. She managed to find freon in her veins when it counted the most.

Georgia Tech has hit 89 home runs this year–ranking them second in the league in that stat category. The win was the first ACC Tournament Quarterfinal win for the Yellow Jackets since 2012–a season in which they brought home the ACC Tournament Championship.

2024 ACC Tournament Softball bracket, schedule

1st Round–Wednesday, May 8th

Game 1: No. 8 Syracuse 0, No. 9 Boston College 1

Game 2: No. 7 North Carolina 4, No. 10 Notre Dame 7

Quarterfinals–Thursday, May 9th

Game 3: No. 1 Duke 2, No. 9 Boston College 0 (Final/10 innings)

Game 4: No. 4 Virginia 1, No. 5 Clemson 8

Game 5: No. 2 Florida State 2, No. 10 Notre Dame 0

Game 6: No. 3 Virginia Tech 2, No. 6 Georgia Tech 6

Semifinals–Friday, May 10th

Game 7: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Clemson — 1:00 PM on ACCN

Game 8: No. 2 Florida State vs. No. 6 Georgia Tech — 3:30 PM on ACCN

Championship–Saturday, May 11th

Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8– 2:30 PM on ACCN

Please note–all television times listed are Eastern Standard Time and are subject to change.