Tigers Upset No. 15/11 Georgia in Six Innings
ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 25/RV Clemson Tigers (11-5) upset No. 15/11 Georgia (13-5) in run-rule fashion with a dominant 10-1 victory on the road at Jack Turner Stadium. The victory marked the first time the Tigers have defeated the Bulldogs in Athens and was the first run-rule by either program in the series that Clemson now holds a 4-2 advantage in. The win also marked the third top 25 victory for Clemson on the year after wins against then-No. 5/5 Oregon and then No. 23/21 Liberty during opening weekend.
The Tigers’ offense strung together 12 hits, including multi-run home runs from Mac Pavese, Marian Collins and Kylee Johnson. Pavese, Johnson and Jamison Brockenbrough finished with two hits each, and Johnson led the way with three RBIs. Sophomore Julia Knowler rounded out the group that clocked an RBI, while Kennedy Ariail, Corri Hicks, Sam Minish and Ava Wilson scored a run.
Junior right-handed pitcher Sierra Maness pitched her third complete game of the year en route to her fifth win. She faced 26 batters and struck out eight while allowing only four hits and one run.
The Tigers made a statement early as Brockenbrough led off the first with a double into center field. Pavese immediately followed and put her stamp on the game with a two-run homer down the right field line. This was Pavese’s second homer of her freshman campaign and the second against a top 15 program after hitting her first against then-No. 5 Oregon.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning but were only able to bring one home after Maness notched her second strikeout of the game to end the inning. Clemson got the run back in the second that was set up by Kiley Channell and Hicks recording back-to-back singles. It would be Hicks that would make it around back to home as a dropped third strike allowed Hicks to score, making it 3-1 in the Tigers’ favor.
The bats came alive again in the fifth for the Tigers after Macey Cintron singled up the middle on the first pitch she saw. Johnson doubled down the left field line to put runners on second and third with no outs, and Brockenbrough added her second double of the night into right to plate both runners. Knowler joined the party with an RBI single to make it 6-1 in Clemson’s favor before Collins tacked on two more with a two-run shot out of left field. It was Collins team-high fourth of the season and pushed Clemson ahead, 8-1.
Minish, who entered in the fourth inning, kept the Tigers’ momentum going with a leadoff single in the sixth inning. It was Johnson who delivered the big hit of the inning though, sending her first home run of the season out of left center to make it 10-1. Maness closed out the night with two strikeouts in the bottom of the sixth to cap the Tigers victory.
Up Next
The Tigers return to McWhorter Stadium on Friday, Feb. 27 to open the Tiger Invitational. Action is slated to begin for Clemson on Friday at 12:30 p.m. against Wofford, and the Tigers will also face Georgia Southern and Mississippi State in the round robin tournament. Fans can purchase tickets ahead of the game by clicking here or by stopping by the ticket table outside the main gate.
