{"id":5679,"date":"2023-05-21T22:32:12","date_gmt":"2023-05-22T03:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=5679"},"modified":"2023-05-21T22:32:12","modified_gmt":"2023-05-22T03:32:12","slug":"mckenzie-clark-reveals-how-clemson-responded-to-win-second-game-sunday-vs-auburn-advance-to-super-regional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/mckenzie-clark-reveals-how-clemson-responded-to-win-second-game-sunday-vs-auburn-advance-to-super-regional\/","title":{"rendered":"McKenzie Clark reveals how Clemson responded to win second game Sunday vs. Auburn, advance to Super Regional"},"content":{"rendered":"

After losing to Auburn<\/a><\/strong> 5-2 early to start Sunday, Clemson<\/a><\/strong> entered a second matchup with its season on the line. Clemson bounced back quickly, scoring three runs over the first two innings in an eventual 5-1 victory<\/a> to punch its ticket to a Super Regional. <\/p>\n

Centerfielder McKenzie Clark<\/strong> scored one of those five runs and was also big on defense as Clemson held Auburn to four hits. Speaking on ESPN+ after the win, she explained how the team stayed focused following the loss in the first game to come out strong in the second.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took everyone\u2019s maximum effort,\u201d Clark said. \u201cThe first game, not everyone had their stuff going. It was tired, playing low. This game we came out and came out on top. We had a lot of energy thanks to the great crowd we had here at McWhorter and our amazing coaching staff who gives us guidance in everything we do. How could you not come out with energy in the second game?\u201d<\/p>\n

Clemson\u2019s leadoff hitter, Clark began the game by reaching base via a hit by pitch. It was one of two times she was hit by a pitch. She finished the contest with one hit and was also walked once. <\/p>\n

Valerie Cagle<\/a><\/strong> got the start and pitched all seven innings in the win. She finished with a pair of strikeouts, one of which came during the final inning to help close things out, as she improved her season record to 25-6. <\/p>\n

Thanks to Cagle and the defense, Clemson never trailed on its way to victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s so stoic,\u201d Clark said of She\u2019s the absolute opposite of me but I love it. Just seeing her calm, cool and collected no matter the situation, she\u2019s just so impressive to watch. I could be out in the outfield in a beach chair just watching her do her thing, and I wouldn\u2019t have a care in the world. She\u2019s just an outstanding competitor and her being calm, cool and collected really fires me up.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the win, this marks the second straight season that Clemson has reached a Super Regional. Last year the Tigers lost to Oklahoma State<\/a><\/strong>, and this year they draw No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma<\/a><\/strong> in what will be a tough task.<\/p>\n

The Sooners (54-1) have won back-to-back WCWS titles and appear on track to make it three in a row, having won 46 straight games, one shy of the NCAA record. Clark expressed excitement to go up against such a storied program as Clemson hopes to pull off the improbable upset and reach its first Women\u2019s College World Series in program history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an incredible opportunity,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you would have told a five-year-old me that we\u2019re going to play Oklahoma, not watch but to play, I would\u2019ve thought you were crazy. It\u2019s a dream come true and I can\u2019t wait to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post McKenzie Clark reveals how Clemson responded to win second game Sunday vs. Auburn, advance to Super Regional<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After losing to Auburn 5-2 early to start Sunday, Clemson entered a second matchup with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5679\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}