Clemson softball eliminated in NCAA regional, falls twice to Southeastern Louisiana
After upsetting No. 2 seed Clemson softball Friday, No. 3 seed Southeastern Louisiana did it again, defeating the Tigers 6-2 late Saturday to eliminate them from the Tuscaloosa Regional in the NCAA Tournament at Rhoads Stadium.
Clemson shut out No. 4 seed USC Upstate earlier on Saturday to remain alive, but its super regional hopes were halted by the Lions (47-13).
SLU plated three runs in the first inning on Lexi Johnson's RBI single and Maddie Watson's two-run double. They added two more runs in the second, thanks to Ka’Lyn Watson's two-run home run.
Like the Tigers (34-19) did against SLU on Friday, they struggled to hit with runners in scoring position. Clemson's pitching had a rough outing too, throwing pitches in the zone that Lions players sent into the outfield.
After four scoreless innings, the Tigers plated their first run, thanks to McKenzie Clark's two-run home run in the fifth inning.
Clemson's Maddie Moore was 2-for-3 and Clark went 2-for-3 with a triple and homer. Brooke McCubbin and Millie Thompson allowed six hits, six runs (five earned) and one strikeout combined over 2 2/3 innings.
Clemson softball's pitching struggles again vs. SE Louisiana
Clemson's staff entered the NCAA Tournament ranked among the best in the nation with a 2.22 ERA and allowing the fewest home runs (15) in the country. But like in its first game against SLU, its pitchers stumbled again.
McCubbin allowed four hits, including a two-run double, and three runs in the first inning. Thompson replaced her in the second inning and gave up a two-run home run. It was the first homer allowed by Clemson since April 21 against Notre Dame.
SE Louisiana holds Clemson's hitters under wraps
Clemson scored five runs in the sixth inning to earn an 8-0 run-rule victory against USC Upstate. Those bats went cold against Southeastern Louisiana.
Like on Friday, SLU's Ellie DuBois contained Clemson's batters, getting out of jams with runners on second and third base in the second inning and a runner on third in the third inning. The Tigers struggled again with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-7 and leaving six runners on base.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson softball ousted from NCAA Tournament, falls to SE Louisiana
