UNCW Drops Regional Opener To No. 10 Clemson
UNCW Drops Regional Opener To No. 10 Clemson
UNCW falls to 32-14 after the setback and will play an elimination game against the loser of Auburn and Louisiana tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
UNCW dropped its opening game of the NCAA Softball Regional to the host 10th-seeded Clemson 9-0 in five innings Friday afternoon at McWhorter Stadium.
Clemson improved to 40-15 after the victory and advances to face the winner of Auburn and Louisiana at 1 p.m. tomorrow. UNCW falls to 32-14 after the setback and will play an elimination game against the loser of Auburn and Louisiana tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
The Tigers showed why they earned the national 10 seed, scoring six runs on five hits and two UNCW errors in the first inning. The run support was more than enough for Mille Thompson (14-3), who tossed 5.0 innings of no-hit ball to led Clemson to victory.
Clemson led off the first inning with back-to-back hits to take a 1-0 lead. Cammy Pereira singled and scored from first on McKenzie Clark’s RBI double. A pair of strikeouts later, Aby Viera started the two-out rally with a single and scored on Alia Logoleo’s two-run homer during the ensuing at-bat. The Tigers added a run on an error to make the score 5-0 before Maddie Moore capped the scoring with an RBI double from the nine spot.
Clemson added two runs in the third. Sam Russ reached on an error before stealing her third base of the contest and scoring on a ground out from Pereira. Clark recorded her second RBI double, scoring Moore to push the lead to 8-0.
The final run came in the fourth as Marissa Guimbarda led off the inning with a single, and Carlee Shannon eventually scored on a ground out after pinch running for Guimbarda.
Clark paced Clemson at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Amberlyn Pearce tossed 3.1 innings of relief for the Seahawks, scattering four hits without allowing an earned run after entering, facing a six-run deficit.