Clemson blasts Northwestern in top 15 showdown

No. 7 Clemson faced its toughest test so far this season Friday afternoon as the Tigers welcomed No. 14 Northwestern to town.

Clemson passed the test in impressive fashion, blasting the Wildcats 15-2 in five innings at McWhorter Stadium.

The Tigers scored multiple runs in all four of their at bats, putting up four runs in the first inning and never looking back. With the win, the Tigers improve to 7-0 on the season.

“Just a great day for our home opener in 2023,” Clemson coach John Rittman said. “They shut us out last year in a game. They’re a good team. We jumped out early and it happens sometimes in softball.”

McKenzie Clark got Clemson on the board early with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first.

The Tigers added three more runs in the first and chase Northwestern ace Danielle Williams out of the game before she could record three outs.

Williams was a big reason why Northwestern reached the Women’s College World Series last season.

“We had a lot of great performances at the plate. Two All-American pitchers going at it in Northwestern’s Williams and [Valerie] Cagle,” Rittman said. “We got to her early and that was key for us. We gained a little confidence, and hitting’s contagious. And it was just one big hit after another.”

The Tigers finished with 15 hits, and eight different batters had at least one.

Clark, Aby Vieira and Reedy Davenport homered for Clemson, while Clark and Vieira both had three hits.

“Our offense just kept producing. We’ve really been preaching to our bench that they’ve gotta be ready at all times. I was very impressed with the players who got pinch hit at bats today,” Rittman said.

Valerie Cagle earned the win for the Tigers, allowing two runs and striking out seven in four innings of work.

The game was a part of the ACC/Big Ten challenge. The two teams will meet again on Saturday at McWhorter Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Clemson will close out the weekend with a pair of games against Ohio State. The first game against the Buckeyes is scheduled for Saturday at 5:30 p.m., with the second coming Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

“Northwestern is a quality opponent. They’re a team that never quits, regardless of the score. That team has the championship DNA, the World Series DNA. And obviously that’s where we want to go,” Rittman said. ” I know they’ll come back fighting, so we’ve gotta be ready to go tomorrow.”