Big day for Clemson softball includes win over top 20 Georgia team

Tuesday marked another historic day for the Clemson softball program — both on and off the field.

Between the lines, Clemson earned another top 20 victory, beating No. 16 Georgia 7-1 at McWhorter Stadium.

McKenzie Clark hit a leadoff homer for the Tigers as part of a five-run first inning and Clemson never looked back.

JoJo Hyatt stayed hot at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs to up her average to .593 on the year.

On the mound, ace Valerie Cagle put together another outstanding outing. The junior allowed one run with four strikeouts, while earning the complete-game victory.

“A great game for us today against a very tough opponent. We just came out in that first inning and had another onslaught. Just proud of the way our offense in the last couple of games has just come out ready to play,” Tigers coach John Rittman said.

“Cagle, again, just a terrific performance in the circle against a very tough Georgia offense. She was pretty dominant the entire night. … Just a total team win.”

Valerie Cagle honored

Speaking of Cagle, the Virginia native received a pair of honors from the ACC on Tuesday.

Cagle was named the ACC Pitcher of the Week and Player of the Week after leading Clemson to a 5-0 record in five games.

On the mound, Cagle made four appearances. She finished 3-0 with a save and had 23 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings.

At the plate, Cagle recorded nine hits in the five game and had a .529 batting average. She had four home runs, a double, seven runs scored, nine RBIs and a stolen base.

Clemson enters top 5

Clemson softball also moved into the top 5 nationally in the major polls on Tuesday for the highest ranking in program history.

The Tigers are 11-0 on the season, which is also the best start in program history. Clemson has outscored its opponents 94-13 in the 11 games.

“The biggest thing for us is to continue to grow, to remain humble, to continue to work hard and not get too far ahead of ourselves,” Rittman said. “We have a really mature group. … Just continue to work hard and good things will happen.”

Up next, the Tigers will play five games in the USF tournament in Tampa, beginning on Thursday.

“Just really proud of our team. We just continue to grow and get better,” Rittman said. “Looking forward to a tough weekend in South Florida.”