Clemson Outlasts Northwestern in Extras Behind Vieira’s Ninth-Inning Spark

Tigers find a way and captures victory.

Aby Vieira is greeted at home plate by Jamison Brockenbrough and Taylor Pipkins, after scoring the game winning run in the NCAA Softball Championship Regionals. (Photo By Charles Mays/Tiger View Media-Mays SportsWire)

On this warm, partially cloud-covered Saturday in Clemson, SC, the Clemson Tigers took on the Northwestern Wildcats on the second day of the NCAA Softball Championship Regionals. Clemson, coming off their explosive game one 10-2, run-rule win over USC Upstate, worked to keep themselves in the driver’s seat. A win today would mean just one more to advance to the Super Regionals. Northwestern defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 4-0 yesterday and looked to keep that momentum today, but the Tigers had other plans. Let’s see how this all shook out.

Top of the first inning, Alex Brown put up a good battle but lined out to center. Clemson came into the day as the designated visiting team in this NCAA Regional matchup with Northwestern. Northwestern pitcher Lauren Boyd opened with a perfect frame, going three up, three down, mixing off-speed pitches with a heater that was tough to square up.

Reese Basinger was also sharp in her start. She was cruising through the bottom of the first until she ran into Kelsey Nader, Northwestern’s third batter. A pitch clipped Nader’s wrist and put her on first. Basinger followed by facing Kansas Robinson, and a 1-2 wild pitch moved Nader into scoring position. But that would be all, as Robinson went down swinging on a full count pitch from Basinger.

The game moved to the top of the second inning still hitless for both sides. The pitching matchup was shaping up to be the story. Boyd continued to keep her spots off the plate, making it hard for Clemson to get solid contact in the first. Boyd opened the second just as strong. She got Macey Cintron swinging on a changeup and stayed in full control from there. Vieira and Collins both grounded out on hard-hit balls, but they didn’t make it out of the infield. Another clean frame for Boyd.

Basinger opened the bottom half of the second with a filthy changeup that got Izzy Cunnea for a strikeout on a 2-2 count. Cunnea battled but couldn’t stay back on the off-speed. Basinger followed it with another strikeout, this time against Lauren Sciborski. A clean inning kept the game locked up.

Boyd was rolling in the third with two quick outs, but Jamison Brockenbrough beat out an infield single. Alex Brown worked a 3-0 count, but Boyd dug in and got her to fly out to center on a full count. Still scoreless heading to the bottom of the third.

At this point, it was clear this was going to be a pitcher’s duel. Outside of Brockenbrough’s infield single, no one else had scratched out a hit. Basinger handled the bottom of the third with ease. Northwestern couldn’t find any rhythm at the plate. The Tigers’ defense stood tall behind her as Basinger rolled through with no hits or walks through three innings, collecting three strikeouts. It had the feel that whoever managed a run or two first might just win this thing.

In the top of the fourth, Maddie Moore gave a leadoff pitch a ride to left, but it stayed in the yard for a long out. Julia Knowler struck out, and Boyd remained dominant. She finished the frame with a strikeout to Macey Cintron looking. Through four innings, Boyd had allowed just one hit, no walks, and had punched out five.

Northwestern finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Robinson singled with one out, and Cunnea followed with a sharp hit into the left-center gap. That put runners on the corners and ended Basinger’s day. Brooke McCubbin entered the game hoping to plug the leak. With two on and one out, McCubbin got Emma Raye to pop out to Aby Vieira and then induced a ground ball to Alex Brown, who fired to first to end the threat. Clemson escaped the jam. Basinger’s final line was 3.1 innings, 2 hits, no walks, 3 strikeouts, and a 2.91 ERA.

The Tigers opened the fifth with back-to-back singles from Vieira and Marian Collins, giving Clemson their first real scoring chance. Kennedy Ariail came in to run for Vieira, and Taylor Pipkins stepped in with two on and no outs. What happened next was wild. Pipkins lined out to shortstop Kaylie Avvisato, who turned and doubled off both Ariail and Collins in a bang-bang triple play. Just brutal luck, and all the momentum shifted right back to Northwestern.

McCubbin worked a quick and efficient bottom half of the fifth. The Tigers continued to ride her arm with confidence. In the top of the sixth, Boyd was still rolling for Northwestern. With two outs, Alex Brown drew a walk, and Moore followed with a hard-hit ball to short. A great sliding stop from Avvisato kept it from being more. With two on and two outs, Knowler flew out to deep center. A breeze blowing in may have made the difference, as the ball stayed inside the yard. Still scoreless heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Clemson started cooking again with two outs in the seventh. Collins drew a walk, Pipkins followed with a single that just tipped off Bridget Donahey’s glove, and then Kylee Johnson walked to load the bases. The Tigers had the golden opportunity. Brockenbrough stepped in with the bases loaded and two outs but flew out to center to end the inning. Another missed chance.

Northwestern had a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the seventh. Cunnea singled and moved to second on a sac bunt. But McCubbin buckled down and got two fly outs to end the frame. To extras we went. Boyd stayed in for the eighth and worked a clean inning, including a strikeout to Moore. Her ability to stay consistent with her velocity and command was impressive. She had kept Clemson off balance all day.

McCubbin matched her step for step. Since entering the game, she had been nails. Northwestern couldn’t get anything going against her. If Clemson could scratch across a run, McCubbin was in line for the win.

And then came the ninth. Aby Vieira, the senior who’s been a steady presence all year, smoked a one-out triple to right field. Collins stepped up and laid down a perfect squeeze bunt. Vieira came flying home to give Clemson a 1-0 lead in the ninth. Pipkins drew a walk after that, but Johnson and Brockenbrough went down on strikes to end the half inning.

Now it was up to McCubbin to finish the job, and she delivered once again, ending the game with a Sciborski strikeout, and Clemson outlasts Northwestern in a classic postseason battle, 1-0, behind elite pitching and one clutch hit when it mattered most. The Tigers will be back tomorrow at 1:00 PM, still in the driver's seat. One win and they are on to the Super Regionals.