Clemson softball falls to Duke in 10 innings in ACC Tournament semifinals
No. 5 seed Clemson softball fell 4-3 to No. 1 seed Duke in the 10th inning of the ACC Tournament semifinals Friday.
Francesca Frelick's two-out walkoff single gave host Duke the win in Durham, North Carolina. Clemson has lost six straight to the Blue Devils.
Duke's Amiah Burgess and Ana Gold both hit singles in the 10th inning to set up Frelick's base hit. Burgess made it home from second base before the tag from Aby Vieira.
After erupting to score eight runs in the quarterfinals, the Tigers (34-17) continued their offensive surge behind Maddie Moore's two-run homer in the first inning and Lindsey Garcia's solo homer in the seventh.
The Blue Devils (46-6) battled back to tie the game in the fourth after Jada Baker's two-out RBI double and Frelick's RBI single. They sent the game to extra innings in the seventh, thanks to Kelly Torres' sacrifice fly.
Clemson's Valerie Cagle went 1-for-4 with a double and pitched four innings, allowing two unearned runs before Millie Thompson replaced her in the fifth. McKenzie Clark made a highlight play in the ninth, robbing Aminah Vega of a game-winning home run.
Clemson's Valerie Cagle solid in ACC Tournament semifinals
The reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year was dominant in the circle, logging two strikeouts and forcing five flyouts and five groundouts. She held the Blue Devils scoreless until the fourth inning.
Cagle did not play in Clemson's three-game series against Duke this season when the Blue Devils swept the series. Entering Friday, she was 7-for-27 and posted a 1.67 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 18 walks over 41⅔ innings in 11 career ACC Tournament games.
Clemson's Maddie Moore hits big home run but commits two errors
The junior provided crucial scoring for the Tigers with her two-run home run in the first. Moore has been hot against the Blue Devils, going 5-for-10 in three games in the regular season, and her homer gave Clemson its first lead against Duke since March 2022.
However, Moore committed two errors, including one in the fourth that set up the Blue Devils' two-run rally.
Up next for Clemson softball: NCAA Tournament selection show
The Tigers will await their seeding and regional location for the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET
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 falls short to Duke in ACC Tournament semifinals
