CLEMSON – The twenty-fifth ranked Clemson Tigers dissected a fourth ranked opponent in the circle and started a new winning streak with a 3-0 victory over No. 12 Mississippi State at McWhorter Stadium Saturday.
But the victory meant much more for head coach John Rittman and the Tigers’ program than a feel-good win in front of a friendly crowd.
With the victory, Rittman secured his one-thousandth career victory. Simultaneously, the Tigers (13-6) notched their 250th win in program history. Rittman now trails only men’s basketball coach Brad Brownell for the most wins at the helm of a Tiger program.
“To do it at a place like Clemson is very special,” Rittman said postgame. “Just being surrounded by wonderful players over the years and great coaches and great administrators, it’s special. It means I’ve been coaching a long time. It’s a milestone. As coaches, we’re really never satisfied. And the tough thing about it is you always take the losses a little bit harder than you enjoy the wins. But I’m gonna enjoy this one.”
Along with serving as a milestone marker for Clemson’s program and its skipper, the win marked a first program victory over Mississippi State, as well as a bid to the championship round of the Tiger Invitational for the fourth year in a row.
Before the loss to Clemson, The Bulldogs (17-2) won in run-rule fashion over Georgia Southern and Wofford before being shut out by Clemson’s pitching staff. Conversely, the Tigers were coming off of a 8-7 upset loss to the Eagles yesterday.
“Just love the way our team fought back today after a really tough loss yesterday,” Rittman said. “They responded really well. It started in the circle with Sierra Maness against a really good Mississippi State team with one loss on the season, and just pitched her butt out here today. They really never threatened to score any runs and our defense played phenomenally behind her.”
To celebrate win No. 250, and to get back in the ‘W’ column, the Tigers threw a hitting (and pitching) party in front of a welcoming orange-and-purple-wearing crowd.
Centerfielder Jamison Brockenbrough was the party planner. The senior got the offensive party started in the first inning with a leadoff walk, her sixteenth of the season, to put pressure on the Bulldogs early.
Freshman Mac Pavese was the second party attendee to arrive, drilling her third double of the season to the center field wall, and scoring Brockenbrough. Pavese advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly from Julia Knowler– a welcome party favor.
With a 2-0 lead, starting Tigers’ pitcher Sierra Maness joined in the celebration, keeping the Bulldogs’ offense unusually quiet early. Maness, a USC Upstate transfer, struck out three in her first three innings in the circle, and allowed only one to reach base on a single.
After two quiet frames, Clemson’s offense gave Maness a little insurance in the fourth. Sophomore Macey Cintron edged in a single just inside the white third base line to start it off. Two batters later, freshman third baseman Sarah Breaux doubled to score Kylee Johnson (Cintron’s pinch runner) and bring the final 3-0 score.
The win marked the Bulldogs’ second loss this season, and their largest margin of defeat.
Four Tigers recorded hits in the win, including Cintron, who extended her hitting streak to four games after struggling at the start of the season. Brockenbrough touched base for her tenth consecutive game as the first hitter in the Tigers’ order.
Mississippi State’s ace pitcher, Alyssa Faircloth, saw her record fall 9-2 in the defeat. She struck out seven.
Maness Mania
Even with a 3-0 lead in the later innings, Maness did not let her dominance slip. In her seventh start of the season, and first since a one-run performance against No. 11 Georgia, the Woodruff, S.C., native allowed no runs for the fourth consecutive outing.
She improved her record 8-4, her record against ranked opponents 4-0, and decreased her Earned Run Average below 2.0. The USC Upstate transfer gave up no runs on only five hits, with no walks and three strike outs.
“(Maness) elevates her game (against tough competition),” her coach said. “She really pitches well and she’s got a great defense behind her and she uses that defense and she’s such a competitor, such a fighter and she’s really good pitcher too.”
Pavese’s Prowess
Pavese, the second hitter in the Tigers’ order extended her hitting streak to five games, with four of those being multi-hit performances. She now responsible for 19 Clemson hits and 14 RBIs since Feb. 12.
Up Next
The No. 12 Bulldogs will have a chance at revenge tomorrow when they will play Clemson in the championship round of the Tiger Invitational at McWhorter Stadium Sunday. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m. Coverage will be shown on ACC Extra.