Last year, Clemson had one of its best postseason runs in its short history, and it all began in the ACC Tournament.

Using clutch hitting and pitching, the Tigers won their first ACC Tournament Championship. However, Clemson’s magic ran out in the first round of this year’s tournament, as No. 10 seed North Carolina beat the defending champions, 4-2, Wednesday at Palmer Park in Charlottesville, Va.

The loss to UNC in the opening round marked the first time the Tigers, the No. 7 seed, did not advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in its six-year history of playing in the tournament.

Clemson (32-20) struggled to move runners all afternoon. The Tigers were 2-for-17 with runners on base and 0-for-10 when they were in scoring position.

In the second, third, fourth, fifth innings and sixth innings, Clemson had at least one runner in scoring position, but was unable to come up with a timely hit. The Tigers did not advance a single runner to third base.

Down two runs with two on and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, it appeared Kiley Channell’s two-out shot to deep center might get the Tigers over the top. However, UNC’s Sanaa Thompson was able to track the ball down at the warning track to end the Clemson threat.

But it was not just Clemson’s inability to come up with the big hit. Starter Sierra Maness threw two costly wild pitches in the third inning that allowed the Tar Heels to take a 3-0 lead at the time, which turned out to be the difference in the game.

Overall, Maness and reliever Abby Dunning held UNC to six hits, while Dunning struck out four batters in 4 2/3 innings of work. The Tar Heels were just 2-for-10 with runners on and 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

North Carolina’s Kendall Frost and Jil Livengood limited Clemson to two runs on six hits as well. The two combined for four strikeouts and four walks. Livengood (2-3) earned just her second win of the season.

UNC (33-18) grabbed the lead early when Michele Tarpey singled to leftfield with two outs in the top of the first to score Emily LeGette from second base. LeGette kept the inning going when she dribbled a ball just past Clemson starter Sierra Maness for an infield hit.

The Tar Heels extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third inning, as Maness went wild, allowing Thompson and Lexie Roberts to score on two wild pitches. Both Maness and catcher Corri Hicks were taken out of the game.

Taylor Pipkins led off the Clemson third inning with a solo home run to left field. It was her eighth of the season and seventh in the last 14 games.

The Tigers then added another run thanks to a fielding error from UNC second baseman, Raegan Jennings, which allowed Jamison Brockenbrough to come home, cutting the lead to 3-2.

However, the Tarheels got a run back in the fourth when Thompson launched a bomb to left to extend their lead to 4-2.

UP NEXT

Clemson will now wait for Sunday’s selection show to see where they will play in next week’s NCAA Tournament.