Clemson Freshmen Shine in Dominant Win Over Georgia State

Marian Collins had a great day vs. Georgia State. Photo By: Charles Mays/Tiger View Media

Clemson bounced back in a big way at the Paradise Classic this morning, securing a commanding 10-1 victory over Georgia State. Freshman pitcher Macey Cintron made a statement in her first career start, delivering a stellar performance in the circle, while the Tigers' offense came alive to secure the win. Let’s go into how the game unfolded. 

Clemson, designated as the home team, sported their white jersey tops with purple pants for the matchup. Macey Cintron took the circle for the first time in her Clemson career and wasted no time making an impact, recording her first career strikeout against the first batter she faced. She added another strikeout to close the inning, keeping Georgia State scoreless.

In the bottom of the first, Clemson's offense looked to get rolling. Alex Brown led off with a pop-up to shortstop, followed by Jamison Brockenbrough flying out to right field. Julia Knowler kept the inning alive with an opposite-field single, but Cintron struck out swinging to leave her stranded.

Cintron continued her dominance in the second, pitching a 1-2-3 inning and recording her third strikeout. Aby Vieira led off the bottom half by flying out to right field, followed by Marian Collins grounding out to first. Ava Wilson drew a walk but was left on base after Kylee Johnson struck out swinging.

The top of the third saw Cintron give up a leadoff double, putting Georgia State in scoring position. However, she responded with two more strikeouts, stranding a runner at third and bringing her total to five strikeouts. Clemson’s offense struggled to capitalize in the bottom half, as Taylor Pipkins popped up to second, Alex Brown singled, but both Jamison Brockenbrough and Julia Knowler popped up to shortstop, leaving Brown on base.

Georgia State threatened again in the fourth, as Cintron allowed another leadoff double. After picking up her sixth and seventh strikeouts, a two-out RBI double gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead. Cintron forced a pop-up to end the inning. The Tigers responded in a big way in the bottom half. Cintron grounded out to start the inning, but Aby Vieira drew a walk, setting up a clutch RBI triple from Marian Collins to tie the game 1-1. Ava Wilson followed with an RBI single, putting Clemson ahead 2-1. Sam Minish was hit by a pitch, and Taylor Pipkins added a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 3-1. Alex Brown walked and later stole second, leading to a throwing error that scored Minish, making it 4-1. Jamison Brockenbrough walked, but Julia Knowler flew out to right, ending a crucial inning for Clemson.

Cintron continued to dominate in the fifth, striking out the first batter to bring her total to eight. She retired the side in order, keeping the Tigers in control. She led off the bottom half with a walk, with Riley Fennell coming in to pinch run. Aby Vieira singled, and after Marian Collins struck out, Ava Wilson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sam Minish delivered a sac fly to extend the lead to 5-1, but a strikeout ended the inning.

Brook Melnychuk took over for Cintron after her impressive debut. She allowed only one hit in her first inning of relief. In the bottom of the sixth, Alex Brown walked, and Brockenbrough singled. A groundout by Knowler advanced both runners, and Cintron added to the lead with a sacrifice fly, making it 6-1. Aby Vieira was hit by a pitch, and Haylee Whitesides pinch ran. Marian Collins singled, driving in Brockenbrough to make it 7-1. Kennedy Ariail pinch-hit for Wilson and singled to load the bases. Whitesides scored on a wild pitch to push the lead to 8-1, and Minish capped off the game with a two-run double, securing the 10-1 victory.

Clemson improves to 2-2 in the Paradise Classic, showing significant improvement with contributions from several freshmen. Macey Cintron shined in her first career start, tallying eight strikeouts while allowing just one run. Marian Collins went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a triple, while Sam Minish added three RBIs to fuel the Tigers’ offense. Clemson will conclude the Paradise Classic tomorrow morning at 11:30 A.M. against Missouri State. Fans can watch the action on FloCollege.com.