Clemson did it again, and this time they did it to No. 3 Florida State.

For third time in the ACC Championships, the 10th-ranked Tigers rallied to win a game and this time it gave the Tigers’ their first ACC Tournament Championship.

Trailing by a run with a runner on base and with one out in the seventh inning, Kylee Johnson took a 2-2 pitch from reliever Jazzy Francik and drove it over the wall in straightway centerfield for a two-run homer, lifting Clemson to an improbable 2-1 come-from-behind win Saturday at Harrington Village in Brighton, Mass.

Not only did it give the Tigers their first ACC Tournament Championship, but also their first win over Florida State.

The comeback against Florida State marked the third time the Tigers rallied to win a game in the tournament. In the quarterfinals against Virginia on Thursday, Taylor Pipkins hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning in a come-from-behind win over the 23rd-ranked Cavaliers.

Then on Friday, they rallied from seven runs down in the bottom of the sixth inning to take down No. 20 Virginia Tech and then there was Johnson’s home run in the top of the seventh on Saturday to put them over the top against the Seminoles.

“This team has worked so hard. They are so resilient, like you mentioned, to come back (three) days in a row,” Clemson head coach John Rittman said to the All ACC crew on ACCN after the game. “To see them have so much success on the field and win a championship, it is just a special feeling as a coach.

“They just work so hard. The camaraderie on this team is outstanding. They love each other.”

Things looked bleak for the Tigers (44-12) heading into the seventh inning. Clemson had just two hits versus Florida State pitching, as Ashtyn Danley and Julia Apsel kept the Tigers off balance all afternoon.

Clemson loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the second inning, put FSU shortstop Isa Torres made a diving grab to rob Alex Brown of what would have been a run-scoring hit.

The Tigers also had an opportunity in the sixth inning to tie the game when Aby Vieira dropped what appeared to be an extra base hit down the rightfield line with speedster Kennedy Ariail on base. However, the ball land foul by a half foot.

Apsel then struck out Vieira and Ariail was caught stealing on the next at-bat to end the inning. Aspel, who came on in relief of Danley in the fourth inning, did not give up a hit and fanned five batters.

However, Aspel did give up a lead-off walk to Marian Collins to start the seventh. That is when Francik was brought into the game to try and get the save.

Francik struck out Pipkins on three pitches to get an out, but Johnson worked the freshman pitched to a 2-2 count. That is when the sophomore drove the next pitch to deep centerfield and over the wall for what turned out to be the game winner.

Florida State (44-9) took its 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Hallie Wacaser drove Reese Basinger’s 3-2 pitch over the centerfield for wall for a solo home run. It was the only mistake Clemson pitching made all day.

Reese finished the afternoon with three innings of work, as she allowed just the one run on four hits. Brooke McCubbin came on in the fourth inning and earned her third win of the tournament, as she went four innings, and did not allow a run on four hits.

McCubbin finished the Seminoles off in the bottom of the seventh inning, though they tried to rally. FSU led off the inning with back-to-back hits and had the tying run at second.

However, McCubbin got Jahni Kerr to fly out to centerfield for the first out and then, on a full count, she struck out All-American Katie Dack looking for the second out. She closed out the win and the Tigers’ first ACC Tournament Championship by getting All-American catcher Michaela Edenfield to fly out to centerfield.

First time is a charm

The Tigers came into the ACC Championship Game 0-7 all-time vs. the Seminoles, including a loss in the 2022 title game. Of course, that has now changed with Saturday’s come-from-behind win.

Third time was a charm, too

In its six-year history, Clemson has appeared in three ACC Tournament Championship Games. The Tigers lost to Duke 1-0 in the 2021 title game and then 8-6 to Florida State in the 2022 championship.

However, they were not denied in their third appearance thanks to Johnson’s seventh inning two-run homer.

UP Next

Clemson returns home to see who and where it will play in next week’s NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are expected to receive a regional, though there is no guarantee they will get one. They came into Saturday’s Championship Game ranked No. 11 in the RPI.

The NCAA Selection show starts at 7 p.m., on ESPN2

—photo courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications