Before Wednesday’s game at Carolina Softball Stadium in Columbia, Valerie Cagle had never played in a rivalry game, even in high school. That is because she did not go to a high school and was homeschooled instead.
But it did not take long for the second-year freshman to introduce herself to the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry. With the 16th-ranked Tigers already in front by a run and with a runner on base in the top of the first inning, Cagle took the first pitch from Cayla Drotar and sent it out of the stadium in left field.