Tigers Surpass 200 Program Wins, Win Two on Friday
CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson Softball opened the Tiger Invitational in celebratory fashion as the Tigers picked up win 200 as a program following their 11-3 victory against Lafayette in six innings before knocking off East Carolina, 6-2, in the second game of the day. The Tigers improve to 12-6 on the year and maintain a nine-game winning streak, while Lafayette drops to 0-10, and ECU falls to 9-6.
Following the win, softball has become the second-fastest program at Clemson to surpass the 200 win milestone, achieving the feat in 270 games (200-70). The only program to reach the mark sooner was men’s soccer (200-44-15 - 259 games). Head Coach John Rittman also became only the second active head coach at Clemson to reach the benchmark, joining men’s basketball head coach Brad Brownell, who reached the milestone in 347 games during the 2020-21 season.
Game 1 (W) - Clemson 11 - Lafayette 3 (6)
Clemson’s bats were alive against the Lafayette Leopards, as the Tigers totaled 17 hits - good enough to tie for third all-time in a single game by the program. Senior Maddie Moore led the team with a career-high four hits with two RBIs and two runs scored. Junior Jamison Brockenbrough followed going 3-for-3 with three runs and one RBI, while sophomore Julia Knowler notched a double and home run for five RBIs. In total, nine Tigers tallied at least one hit with five having a multi-hit outing.
Lafayette jumped out to the lead in the top of the first with two runs on four hits, but the Tiger offense responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Alex Brown and Moore clocked back-to-back singles, and Knowler ripped her 10th double of the season into left center to score Brown for Knowler’s 23rd RBI on the year. Moore came home on a sac fly by Macey Cintron to give the freshman her 18th RBI and level things at 2-all.
The Clemson bats continued to stay hot as Aby Vieira, Marian Collins and Jamison Brockenbrough all racked up hits to kickoff the second inning with Brockenbrough’s single scoring Vieira from third. A bunt from Brown at the top of the order plated another, and a double from Moore down the right field line scored one more.
The second inning was highlighted by Knowler’s seventh home run of the season. The sophomore drove the first pitch of her at bat 246 feet out of right center to plate Brown and Moore and extend Clemson’s lead to 8-2. The Leopards got one run back in the third inning, but the Tigers maintained their 8-3 advantage heading to the bottom of the third
Knowler came back in the third to pick up her fifth RBI of the game to plate Brockenbrough, who had doubled to kickoff the inning. This is the third time in 2025 that Knowler has tallied five RBIs in a single game.
Clemson added another run in the fourth inning after Brockenbrough singled and was brought home off a single by Moore. The Tigers closed out the run-rule in the sixth after Kylee Johnson singled and was joined on the bases by Sam Minish and Vieira off walks to load the bases for pinch hitter Haylee Whitesides. Whitesides sent the second pitch of her at bat into deep right for a sac fly to score Johnson and seal the 11-3 victory.
Sophomore Olivia Duncan got her first start of the 2025 campaign. She pitched 3.0 innings with one strikeout. Graduate Brook Melnychuk entered in the top of the fourth and pitched the final three innings and only allowed four hits to earn her second win of 2025.
Game 2 (W) - Clemson 6 - East Carolina 2
Clemson put up seven hits against the Pirates with Moore and Knowler clocking two each. Moore also scored twice, while Knowler picked up two RBIs. Minish also produced one hit, one run and one RBI for the Tigers.
Similar to the first game, the visitors scored first against the Tigers. ECU plated one run in the top of the second. The Tigers battled back in the bottom of the third to not only tie the game but take the lead. Moore started the momentum swing with a single to left field to move Brown, who reached on a fielder’s choice, to second.
With two on and two out, Knowler hit her 11th double of the season down the right field line to plate both Moore and Brown to take the 2-1 lead. Knowler’s 11 doubles currently lead the NCAA and tie for the fifth-most in a single season by a player at Clemson.
Clemson extended its lead in the fourth as freshmen Ava Wilson and Minish got the offense going with a walk and RBI triple, respectively. Vieira picked up her own RBI with a fielder’s choice sac bunt that had Minish sliding under a tag at the plate to score. Sophomore Kennedy Ariail came in to pinch run for Vieira at first and advanced to third on a bunt single by Collins before coming home on a sac fly from Brockenbrough to make it 5-1 in Clemson’s favor.
The Pirates got one run back in the sixth, but the Tigers got the run right back in the bottom half of the inning after loading the bases with two outs. Minish sent a short hopper to second that ECU’s second baseman did not field cleanly that allowed Minish to reach and Moore to score an unearned run. Clemson’s 6-2 lead held in the top of the seventh to secure the Tigers’ ninth-straight win.
Cintron (4-2) was the pitcher of record after throwing four innings with three strikeouts while only allowing four hits. Brooke McCubbin earns her first save of the season after pitching three innings of relief with two strikeouts.
Up Next
Clemson continues action at the Tiger Invitational on Saturday, March 1 at 3 p.m. against Indiana. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX and serve as the final game of the round-robin tournament before designations are set for Sunday’s games.