ACC Softball Tournament: Disastrous sixth inning leads to massive Clemson rally past Virginia Tech to conference title game

Clemson is moving on to the finale of the 2025 ACC Softball Tournament. They did so in dramatic fashion over Virginia Tech, scoring eight in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the lead and close out their win in their semifinal showdown on Friday.

Three pitchers for Virginia Tech couldn’t find a way to get the Tigers out in the second half of the sixth inning. Emma Mazzarone, Emma Lemley and Sophie Kleiman couldn’t find a grip on the ball as the rain poured, and Clemson was content to walk. A couple of unearned runs later, the Tigers were in the lead by one following a Hokies’ meltdown.

In the top of the seventh, Brooke McCubbin put the finishing touches on the game for Clemson, and helped them move on to the championship game. Awaiting them is Florida State, who defeated Duke earlier on Friday.

In their previous game, Clemson defeated No. 7 Virginia by a score of 7-4. Clemson trailed Virginia by a run before Taylor Pipkens came up to bat with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning and mashed a grand slam to left field to give the Tigers the lead.

The two teams had traded runs in the previous innings, but the single swing of the bat from the freshman put the game out of reach for the Cavaliers. That sent the Tigers to a date with Virginia Tech.

As for the Hokies, they defeated No. 6 North Carolina by a score of 6-0. Similar to Friday’s game, the rain was pouring in Brighton, Massachusetts late during the final game of the quarterfinals — and so were the runs for Virginia Tech.

VT scored all four of its runs in the bottom of the sixth amid a downpour of rain. Tech pitcher Emma Lemley pitched the full game, allowing just one hit across 111 pitches.

All told, it was a comeback for the ages for Clemson, but Virginia Tech will certainly be sore about the result. It’s tough to argue that the weather didn’t play a factor, and Hokies fans are going to have a tough time accepting this result, for sure. It’s all the same for Clemson, as they’re on to face Florida State on Saturday.

More on the 2025 ACC Softball Tournament

Moreover, the 2025 ACC softball tournament began May 7 at Harrington Athletics Village in Brighton, Massachusetts. The top four received byes to the quarterfinals. Here’s the full bracket, seeds and updated schedule for the week after Clemson’s victory over Virginia Tech.

Wednesday, May 7

Game 1: No. 8 Georgia Tech def. No. 9 California, 8-0 (F/5)
Game 2: No. 5 Stanford def. No. 12 Pitt, 9-2
Game 3: No. 7 Virginia def. No. 10 Louisville, 3-2
Game 4: No. 6 North Carolina def. No. 11 Notre Dame, 2-0

Thursday, May 8

Game 5: No. 1 Florida State def. No. 8 Georgia Tech, 8-0 (F/6)
Game 6: No. 4 Duke def. No. 5 Stanford — 7-0
Game 7: No. 2 Clemson 7, No. 7 Virginia 4
Game 8: No. 3 Virginia Tech 4, No. 6 North Carolina 0

Friday, May 9

Game 9: Florida State 3, Duke 2
Game 10: Clemson 10, Virginia Tech 9

Saturday, May 10

Championship: Florida State vs. Clemson — 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN