Seeking its first ranked win of the season, and with the threat of being swept looming, BC would have to put up a strong offensive performance to push past the Clemson Tigers.
Boston College softball (20–23, 5–13 Atlantic Coast) defeated No. 19 Clemson (37-12, 16–5) 5–2 behind offensive sparks and a complete performance from Kelly Colleran.
They couldn’t find those sparks in the first, though, as a quick, eight-pitch, 1-2-3 inning from Clemson starting pitcher Reese Basinger stifled the Eagles’ bats and put the Tigers up to bat.
For BC, Colleran matched Basinger’s efficiency, ending the first inning scoreless for the first time in the weekend.
The drought continued in the second inning, as Basinger and Colleran again traded 1-2-3 outings.
Colleran faltered in the bottom of the third, though, as the first two batters would reach base, putting runners at the corners with one out after a single up the middle, allowing Clemson to strike first.
The Tigers would take advantage, as a fielder’s choice from Alex Brown scored the runner from third to put them up 1–0.
In the top of the fourth, back-to-back singles from Gator Robinson and Hannah Slike gave the Eagles two base runners with one out, setting them up perfectly to strike back.
A towering three-run blast over the left field wall from Jordan Stephens put BC up 3–1.
While the Clemson offense wished to respond to BC’s three-run shot in the top of the fourth, Colleran shut down any hopes of doing so, pitching a nine-pitch perfect inning to continue her domination of the Tigers.
Pitching in relief for Basinger, Brooke McCubbin seemed to be similarly dominant, quickly getting the first two Eagles batters out in the top of the fifth.
A throwing error that allowed Kali Case to reach base allowed her to score when Emma Jackson doubled to center field, pushing BC’s lead to 4–1 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
The Tigers finally responded as a double and a fielder’s choice off Colleran brought one runner across the plate, pushing the score to 4–2.
Zoe Hines got to Macey Cintron almost immediately, as a sacrifice fly into left field scored Slike from third to extend BC’s lead to 5–2, though that would be the extent of the damage in the inning.
Needing a response to keep themselves in the game, the Clemson offense came out swinging but couldn’t get to Colleran, as she dealt her third perfect inning of the game to maintain the Eagles’ 5–2 advantage.
Needing to score to keep their series sweep bid alive, the Clemson offense came out fiery, as a Marian Collins single gave them a glimmer of hope for a comeback.
Colleran had other ideas, though, and shut down the next three batters to secure BC’s first victory over a nationally ranked team this season.
In the second game of the weekend, Clemson secured a series victory over the Eagles with an 8–4 win on Friday.
Though both squads had over 10 hits in the game, it was ultimately the long ball that made the difference for the Tigers, as home runs accounted for four of their eight runs.
The Eagles had a home run of their own in the third inning with a solo shot from Slike, giving them a 3–0 lead. But the powerhouse Clemson offense would score eight unanswered runs off BC pitchers Bailey Kendziorski and Gabriella Aughton over the next four innings to lock down the victory.
To open the series, the Tigers powered past the Eagles 6–2, relying on the long ball and strong relief pitching to give them their fifth-straight ACC victory.
Though Clemson and BC both recorded five hits in the game, the Tigers’ one triple and two home runs proved to be much more impactful, as both homers accounted for two runs each.
The Eagles’ only offensive damage came in the form of a two-RBI double into left field off Hines’ bat, though three innings of one-hit softball kept the damage at that.
In the circle for BC, Colleran threw a 96-pitch complete game, allowing seven baserunners over her six-inning outing while issuing only two walks.
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