Clemson softball keeps on rolling in win over USF

What disappointment there was when McKenzie Clark failed to hit the ball out of the park as the leadoff hitter like she did four times in the first 11 games of the season disappeared two batters later as Clemson softball superstar Valerie Cagle deposited the ball over the left field fence for a 2-0 Tiger lead 3 batters into the game against USF.

Those were the only runs until the fifth, when the Tigers tallied a single run, added another on an Alia Logoleo home run in the sixth and plated two on three hits in the top of the 7th.

It was a modest offensive effort by Clemson standards, as the Tigers were held to 6 runs and 9 hits on the evening, with Cagle and Logoleo combining for 4 of the 6 base knocks and 5 of the teams 6 RBI.

Mille Thompson improved her record in the circle to 4-0 with a dominant complete game performance giving up only 3 hits while striking out 6 and walking 0 for the game.

Thompson’s complete game came on 74 pitches, 53 of which were strikes (72%) and lowered her ERA to 1.76 on the season.

The 12-0 Tigers face the University of Illinois-Chicago Friday at 12:30, before playing two games on Saturday, first against Michigan State at 9:00 AM and Tennessee at 11:30.

The Tigers conclude the tournament with another game against Michigan State Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Clemson softball has dominated through the first 12 games

The Tigers have been dominant through the first 12 games of the 2023 campaign, outscoring their first 12 opponents by a score of 100-13, an average of 8.1-1.1.

Cagle entered Thursday’s game batting .556, slugging 1.194, with an OBP of .610.

On the mound, the junior is 6-0 with a 0.77 ERA and an opponents batting average of .174.

After completing the tournament in Florida, the Tigers host Gardner-Web for a double-header on Wednesday, before beginning ACC play next weekend against Syracuse at McWhorter Stadium.

Wednesday’s games begin a 14 game stretch of home games for the Tigers.