Valerie Cagle, Clemson top Auburn to reach NCAA softball regional championship game
With Auburn’s Makayla Packer on second base and representing the tying run, Valerie Cagle struck out Sydney Cox to advance the ACC’s Tigers to the championship round of the Clemson Regional with a 1-0 victory Saturday at McWhorter Stadium.
It was Cagle’s 100th pitch of the afternoon, as the sophomore pitched a complete-game shutout. She also scored the game’s lone run off a Marissa Guimbarda double in the bottom of the fourth inning.
“We found a way to win a game,” Clemson head coach John Rittman said. “Hats off to Valerie Cagle for pitching a terrific game. Six strikeouts and pitched herself out of some jams. Defense let her down a little bit late, but we did not panic, and we fought through that adversity, and we found a way to win a game.
“I don’t think in February or March we win that game. That is a tribute to our team.”
Clemson will play in the championship round at noon Sunday against the team that emerges from Saturday’s elimination bracket games — either Auburn, Louisiana or UNCW. Clemson would win the regional with a win Sunday.
Play of the game
Clemson took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning Saturday when Cagle got a two-out double for the Tigers’ first hit of the afternoon. Guimbarda then followed with a blooper to left field to score Cagle for a 1-0 lead.
It appeared Auburn’s Nelia Peralta was going to make a Willie Mays-style over-the-shoulder-catch, but the ball popped out off the tip of her glove and past leftfielder Lindsey Garcia. The ball rolled into left field, allowing Cagle to easily score from second and Guimbarda to reach second with a stand-up double.
“I think there are times where Coach Rittman even said, sometimes bloop hits win the game,” Guimbarda said. “That hit does not matter if it was not for Valerie’s shot to the fence before then.”
Cagle comes through
Clemson head coach John Rittman made the decision earlier in the week to throw Millie Thompson in Game 1 Friday against UNC Wilmington and rest his first-team All-ACC performer in Valerie Cagle in case the Tigers had to play No. 2 seed Auburn.
His decision paid off Saturday.
Cagle and Auburn pitcher Maddie Penta were in the midst of a classic pitching duel. Following Thompson’s no-hitter in Game 1, Cagle pitched a complete-game shutout Saturday. The Clemson ace allowed just four hits, struck out six and did not allow a walk.
Penta’s pitching was just as impressive. She allowed the one run while holding Clemson to three hits. She fanned six batters as well, and allowed two walks.
“I always know that my offense is going to get it done and it is great to be a part of (a pitchers duel), but it does not happen all the time,” Cagle said. “But getting on base and having Marissa get that hit behind me and my defense being there. Sure, like coach talked about, we had a couple of errors in the last two innings, but I made one of those errors in the end and they still had my back — McKenzie (Clark) in the outfield with that catch, so those are games that are really fun to be in.”
Key moment
Auburn loaded the bases with one out in the top of the sixth inning.
The SEC Tigers had something going when pinch hitter Jessie Blaine got on with an infield hit to third. Cagle’s one true mistake, a fielder’s choice error to second, allowed Kelsey Schmidt to reach. Lindsey Garcia then singled to right field to load the bases.
“That is a situation I have been in a lot,” Cagle said. “It is just about remembering I have gotten out of those situations before and really just not trying to make the moment bigger than it is.”
However, McKenzie Clark, who led Clemson with three hits on Friday, tracked down a Carlee McCondichie flyball to center. The sophomore then made a perfect throw to home plate to keep pinch runner Kenadie Cooper at third.
Cagle got out of the jam when she got Auburn’s best hitter, Peralta, to hit into a force at short.
This story was originally published May 21, 2022 at 3:36 PM.