Clemson softball falls just short of ACC tournament title

Clemson’s first taste of postseason softball let the Tigers experience the high-wire energy of playing with so much on the line.

And after a Saturday afternoon at Louisville’s Ulmer Stadium dragged into the latter half of the game scoreless, the Tigers were not able to pull off the win and secure a first ACC tournament title in the first try.

Duke pushed the game’s only run across the plate in the top of the sixth inning and ultimately won 1-0 to deny the Tigers in the conference tournament title. Clemson (42-6), the regular season ACC champion, had topped Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech in shutout fashion, and the Blue Devils got the first run off Tigers ace Valarie Cagle in the tournament.

“We came out on the short end but I definitely told our team, we can hold our heads high,” Clemson coach John Rittman said. “We played with a lot of passion this an entire tournament.”

Even the Blue Devils’ one run didn’t come easy.

Duke (42-10) needed a single, steal, walk and wild pitch to get runners on second and third. Kamryn Jackson grounded out off the end of the bat to drive in Deja Davis. No ball left the infield in the inning.

“The way they scored their run, it’s tough to take,” Rittman said. “But you know, that happens sometimes. That’s just the breaks.”

Clemson was not able to get the run back in the final two frames.

It meant a tough-luck loss for Cagle (26-5), who struck out 13 in seven innings and allowed only two walks and two hits. The Blue Devils got five shutout innings from Shelby Walters (17-3), and Peyton St. George closed it out for her fourth save.

The Tigers were limited to three hits. No Clemson runner got to second in the game.

“I think today they really hit their spots,” third baseman Casey Bigham said. “They were going in and out. They were staying mostly down in the zone, but we were getting an occasional up. I think they just hit their spots well and they didn’t miss down the middle, and so we didn’t capitalize like we normally do.”

Duke, which finished third in the conference, had taken two of four from the Tigers in the regular season.

Playing for a conference title is another step on what has been a whirlwind few seasons for Rittman’s young program. The team was assembled and stadium built well before games were on the slate, as seven players went through redshirt years on a squad that couldn’t field a full practice lineup.

The 2020 season started well, with a 19-8 record, with five wins in six ACC games. But the COVID pandemic upset everything, ending the inaugural season.

The race along the comeback trail has been a rampage. Clemson ripped off winning streaks this season of 19 and 17 games. They’ve got one of the best players in the country in Cagle.

Now the Tigers will have to wait on their postseason path. They’re in a good spot to host a regional, maybe more. The NCAA bracket will be revealed Sunday night.

“If we’re good enough to be a top 8 seed, so be it,” Rittman said, noting the team lost some games from the original schedule. “I think we’ve done everything we could control in our power to be a seeded team.

“We did everything in our power, in our control, to take care of business.”

Next for Clemson softball

What: NCAA 2021 softball tournament selection show

When: 9 p.m. Sunday

Watch: ESPN2

This story was originally published May 15, 2021 at 2:49 PM.