Seventeenth-ranked Clemson defeated Illinois 3-1 Saturday afternoon at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson in their first of two meetings this weekend with the Illini in the Tiger Invitational. It all came down to a big first inning for the Tigers, who scored a quick two runs thanks to a two-RBI single by infielder Cammy Pereira.
“The hit in the first inning was a good one for me,” Pereira said following the win. “I’ve been working on shortening my swings with two strikes and not trying to be too big. It was good to see what we’ve been working on in practice come through in a game setting.”
Following today’s win, the Tigers are now 7-0 in games where they score in the first inning and have scored 18 runs in the first so far in 2022.
Clemson ace Valerie Cagle earns the win in the circle, throwing a complete game and improving to 6-4 on the season. Left-hander Tori McQueen suffers the loss for Illinois.
The Tigers got on the board quickly in the first inning. With bases loaded, Periera hit a two-RBI single to left field, bringing in McKenzie Clark and Sam Russ to give the Tigers the 2-0 lead after one.
Clemson struck yet again in the fourth. With a runner at second, infielder Kyah Keller came in clutch with an RBI single to left center to extend the Tiger’s lead to 3-0.
Illinois chipped away at Clemson’s lead in the fifth, scoring a run off of an RBI single by Illini right-fielder Danielle Davis, but it proved to not be enough. Clemson outlasted Illinois with a final score of 3-1.
With the win over the Illini, Clemson improves to 14-6 on the season.
“It was a hard fought win today against a very good Illinois team,” head coach John Rittman said. “The weather conditions were tough for both teams, but I liked the way we jumped on them early.”
“Moving forward, we need to sure up our defense but in these weather conditions it’s hard. We had some big hits, Arielle Oda had a stolen base and Kyah [Keller] had the RBI to provide insurance for us. We are looking forward to continuing weekend action tomorrow with a doubleheader against Illinois and Liberty.”
Clemson resumes play in the Tiger Invitational Sunday, March 13, with games against Illinois and Liberty at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively on ACCNX. The Tiger’s game at 12:30 p.m. will mark the program’s 100th game in program history.