Another week in the 2017 college softball season, another set of great games and excellent performances. There was more off the field news involving the Auburn Tigers as well as some good on the field performances across the country. We take a day-by-day look at all the action below.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Fordham played a doubleheader against St. Bonaventure and thoroughly dismantled them. Over two games, the Rams put up 35 runs on 37 hits. In the first game alone, Fordham won 23-8 as Sydney Canessa went a perfect 6 for 6 with four runs and 8 RBIs including a grand slam. The six hits were a program record as were the 23 runs. Game two was a 12-2 win for Fordham with both Madison Shaw and Jordana Storm recording 3 RBIs.
23 RUNS IS A NEW SINGLE GAME SCHOOL RECORD!! Mayer’s two-run single pushes the Rams over the top!! 23-8 heading to bottom sixth. #RamsRising
— Fordham Softball (@FordhamSoftball) April 19, 2017
The Big South had a nice day against ACC opponents as both Winthrop and Radford won. Winthrop defeated North Carolina 8-7 despite a late rally by the Tar Heels. Winthrop led 4-0, but a three-run home run from Brittany Pickett made it 4-3. The Eagles built the lead back up to four runs at 8-4, but a three-run shot by Kendra Lynch in the bottom of the seventh cut it to 8-7. Winthrop was able to retire the next two batters and hang on for the victory. Six different Eagles recorded an RBI led by Leah Young’s 2 for 3 day with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs.
As for Radford, they had a much easier time against Virginia Tech. Abby Morrow threw a complete game shutout allowing only 3 hits and 3 walks in a run shortened five-inning game. Marissa Gagliano had 3 RBIs and Maggie Rowe had 2 RBIs including the game-ender in the bottom of the fifth. The Highlanders won 8-0.
Also posting two blowout victories was Jacksonville over Savannah State. Like Fordham, the Dolphins put up 31 runs on 30 hits in 14-3 and 17-1 wins. Makenzie Buss went 3 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 6 RBIs including a grand slam in game one. Game two was led by Heather Roberts going 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored and 5 RBIs. The trio of Madison Regan, Bethany Kursch, and Jordan Daniels each recorded 2 RBIs.
For the second time in 14 days, Tulsa defeated Oklahoma State. Tulsa put up three runs in the bottom of the first via RBIs from Maddie Withee, Tori Stafford, and Rylie Spell. That was all the scoring from Tulsa, but it was all Emily Watson would need. She threw a complete-game shutout giving up only three hits and striking out 11 in the 3-0 win. Tulsa is 5-2 against Big 12 opponents in 2017 with the losses coming against Baylor and Oklahoma.
#5 Minnesota won a road doubleheader on the road against rival Wisconsin. Game one was a deceiving 6-0 victory as the contest actually went to 12 innings. Sara Groenewegen pitched all 12 innings recording 15 strikeouts while her catcher, Kendyl Lindaman, went 1 of 2 with 2 RBIs and 5 walks. The second game started the way the first ended with Minnesota scoring. The Gophers put up 5 in the first and ended the game with 7 in the fifth. 9 different Gophers recorded an RBI while Amber Fiser improved to 9-0 after throwing a complete game.
The game of the day on paper turned out to be a good one between #17 Louisiana-Lafayette and #4 Texas A&M. The Ragin’ Cajuns were well on their way to an easy victory with 11 runs in the first three innings. DJ Sanders hit a 2 run home run in the first inning to get the scoring started. Haley Hayden had 7 RBIs thanks to a grand slam in second inning and a three-run triple in the third. The Aggies trailed 11-2 after four innings.
Texas A&M started to slowly cut into the lead knocking in three runs on three hits in the fifth with another run coming via an illegal pitch. They scored another in the sixth on a wild pitch and then made the finish very uncomfortable for Louisiana. A single by Kaitlyn Alderink brought home two runs, but the Aggies were down to their final out. They could not get another hit as their rally fell short and the Ragin’ Cajuns won 11-9. Texas A&M’s Payton McBride had a fantastic outing as she came on in relief in the third inning. She went 4 1/3 innings and gave up just one hit with no walks against the vaunted Louisiana lineup.
11-run scoring spree over the first 3 innings carries Cajuns to an 11-9 win over #4 Texas A&M in College Station. #GeauxCajuns pic.twitter.com/K2zbPRxb1M
— Ragin’ Cajuns SB (@RaginCajunsSB) April 20, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
The biggest piece of news was out of Auburn, Alabama once again. The Tigers had three players, Haley Fagan, Makayla Martin, and Brittany Maresette, arrested due to possession of marijuana. All three players were suspended indefinitely.
It was a quiet day on the diamond across the nation as the top name in action was #9 Washington. The Huskies defeated UAB 6-0 thanks to a two-hitter performance from Samantha Manti. Casey Stangel drove in four runs including a three-run shot in the fifth inning.
Villanova took a doubleheader from Fairleigh Dickinson with 10-0 and 5-2 victories. Brette Lawrence allowed four hits over four innings in game one and the duo of Dana Morris and Nikki Alden both recorded 2 RBIs. Game two saw Lawrence come on in relief to pick up her second win of the day. She allowed 4 hits over 3 2/3 innings.
Friday, April 21, 2017
#9 Washington secured a major road victory at #12 Alabama, 3-2. The Huskies scored first in the fourth inning via Morganne Flores’ single up the middle. The Tide responded with a run in the bottom half from Gabby Callaway’s double. Washington took a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh on a two-run home run from Kirstyn Thomas. Alabama rallied again in the bottom of the inning Claire Jenkins drove home Rachel Bobo to cut the deficit to 3-2. That would be all the Tide would get as Taran Alvelo closed the door. Alvelo went the distance giving up two walks and six hits with seven strikeouts. She out-dueled Alexis Osorio, who also allowed six hits and a walk and struck out six.
Wisconsin needed 11 innings to defeat #21 Michigan 1-0. The Badgers were only able to record two hits the entire game, but the final one was the fatal blow from Stephanie Lombardo. She hit a solo shot to walk off and defeat Megan Betsa’s two-hit and 18 strikeout performance. Kaitlyn Menz (19-5) threw 11 innings giving up five walks and six hits while striking out 6.
North Carolina State and Pittsburgh played a wild 8 inning affair with the Wolfpack winning 13-10. Pittsburgh stormed out to a 6-0 lead after the first inning and NC State pulled three back in the third inning. After exchanging one run apiece in the middle innings, Pittsburgh appeared to have put the game away in the sixth inning on three straight solo home runs from Alexis Solak, Erin Hershman, and Olivia Gray. That made it 10-4, but set the stage for a miraculous 7th inning rally.
The Wolfpack clawed back two runs and only one out to make it 10-6. They managed to load the bases for Tyler Ross and she made Pittsburgh pay with a grand slam to tie the game. They could not get another run in the seventh, but added three in the eighth on Jade Caraway’s three-run home run. Ross went 5 for 5 with 2 home runs, 4 runs scored, 6 RBIs, and a walk.
#3 Arizona was able to get back on track against Pac-12 foes after a 2-0 win over #6 Oregon. An error in the first inning allowed Arizona to score their first run with Mandie Perez getting the honors. Katiyana Mauga hit a solo shot in the fifth to double the lead as Danielle O’Toole threw the complete game shutout allowing only one walk and five hits. Two of Oregon’s five hits came from Gwen Svekis as the Ducks have now lost five of their last seven games.
The @AshleighAnne__ surprise, the @katiyana_13 home run, the @Oh_tooly3 shut out. What a night.
🎥 | https://t.co/C8V47fbnrp pic.twitter.com/cDmDSaoh62
— Arizona Softball (@UA_Softball) April 22, 2017
#7 Auburn responded to their tough news on Thursday with a 2-0 win at South Carolina. Kaylee Carlson threw a complete game shutout giving up only four hits and striking out three. Victoria Draper scored in the first inning on an error as Kasey Cooper doubled home the second run in the third inning. Both Draper and Cooper recorded two hits as the rest of the team only had one hit via Alyssa Rivera.
The #11 Tennessee Volunteers saw their win streak extended to 19 games with a 6-3 road win at #16 LSU. The scoring started early as the Vols took a 1-0 lead in the top frame, but LSU answered in the bottom half with two runs. Tennessee came back to tie the game in the second from Scarlet McSwain, but LSU reclaimed the lead in the third on a double by Constance Quinn. The Vols scored two runs in the fourth and added two more in the seventh.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
The clash of top teams in the Big 12 between #15 Baylor and #8 Oklahoma produced a good game. Scoring was extremely scarce as neither team scored a run in the first eight innings. Baylor plated the first run in the ninth on a single to right by Shelby Friudenberg. The Sooners were able to tie the game in the bottom half on a double from Nicole Mendes. The Bears took the lead again in the 10th inning on a single up the middle by Maddison Kettler. Once again, the Sooners were able to answer with a two-run double courtesy of Fale Aviu that gave them the walk-off 3-2 victory.
Ball game!!!!!!!!@fale_aviu lines a two-run double to LF and the #Sooners walkoff against Baylor 3-2 in 10 innings!!!!!!
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) April 22, 2017
#9 Washington was able to complete a sweep of #12 Alabama with a 3-0 win. Taran Alvelo threw 5 2/3 shutout innings allowing four walks and five hits while striking out five. Three solo shots from the trio of Ali Aguilar, Julia DePonte, and Sis Bates were all the offense the Huskies needed to get past the Tide.
#3 Arizona won their second straight over #6 Oregon. The Ducks started the scoring right away with a three-run home run by Gwen Svekis. The Wildcats answered back in the bottom of the first with one run, but it was their five-run second inning that put them in the lead, which they would not relinquish. Ashleigh Hughes and Katiyana Mauga each had a two-RBI hit in the second inning.
The Ducks were still hanging around due to Svekis. She hit her second home run in the third inning, a two-run shot, to cut the Arizona lead down to 6-5. Mauga hit a solo shot in the fourth and Dejah Mulipola hit a double to make it 8-5. Danica Mercado cut deficit down to one run again after a two-run blast. Arizona put up two runs in the sixth to get to the final of 10-7.
Series = Clinched.
Mauga breaks the home run record and the Cats take the series vs. No. 6 Oregon!#RaiseTheA pic.twitter.com/AJQic6JC2i
— Arizona Softball (@UA_Softball) April 22, 2017
#7 Auburn clinched a series win over South Carolina with a second straight 2-0 win. Ashlee Swindle threw 5 1/3 innings allowing only two hits. Kaylee Carlson threw 1 2/3 perfect inning to get her second save of the year. The offense was provided by Courtney Shea’s first-inning bases-loaded walk that brought home Victoria Draper and Kendall Veach’s solo home run in the fourth.
#11 Tennessee clinched a series victory with a 6-4 win over #16 LSU. Tennessee was able to get going right away with two runs in the first inning on RBIs from Meghan Gregg and Brooke Vines. The Tigers also started quickly scoring four runs in the first inning to turn the two-run deficit around to a two-run lead. The Vols tied the game in third with a two-run home run by Gregg and then took the lead in fifth on an error. They added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI town by Aubrey Leach for the 6-4 final. The Vols win streak is now up to 20 in a row.
#17 Louisiana-Lafayette swept a doubleheader over the second-placed Sun Belt team Georgia State. Game one was all but over after one inning with the Ragin’ Cajuns scoring 13 runs. DJ Sanders a two-run home run and a two-run single in the first inning. Sanders added another home run, a solo shot, in the second inning. Aleah Craighton went 2 for 2 with 4 runs scored and 4 RBIs as the duo of Lexie Comeaux and Corin Voinche each recorded 3 RBIs. Louisiana-Lafayette won 19-4 in five innings.
Game two saw the Ragin’ Cajuns get out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a single by Haley Hayden and a sacrifice fly from Comeaux. DJ Sanders hit a two-run home run while Comeaux added three more RBIs to her tally with a double in the fifth inning in the 7-1 win.
The Summit League had quite a few high scoring games. South Dakota won 17-9 in game one and 6-5 in game two over IUPUI. Kayla Fields went 5 for 5 with 6 RBIs in the first game while Jamie Holscher hit a grand slam in the second contest. Nebraska-Omaha won their doubleheader over South Dakota State 11-1 and 10-4. North Dakota State won 11-3 over Western Illinois as Bre Beatty went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBIs.
Sunday, April 23, 2017
North Carolina was able to take a doubleheader against Syracuse including an exciting 11-10 win in 9 innings. The Tar Heels got out to a 4-0 lead before Syracuse came back in the fifth inning to tie the game. The seventh inning saw North Carolina take a 7-4 lead on solo shot from Kendra Lynch and a two-run home run by Katelyn Shifflett. Syracuse was able to tie the game in the bottom half on singles by Bryce Holmgren and Hannah Dossett.
After a scoreless eighth, North Carolina was able to score 4 runs in the ninth. Brittany West drove home two runs on a single in what would be the eventual game-winning hit. Syracuse showed no quit as they scored two runs with no outs. A double play brought home another run, but they could not tie the game.
#2 Florida State posted a doubleheader sweep over Louisville to clinch the ACC Regular Season Title. The game one 11-1 victory was the clincher as Jessica Warren went for 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Jessica Burroughs threw a complete game one-hitter giving up two walks and striking out 7. Game two required extra innings though Florida State needed a seventh-inning rally to tie the game at two. Both teams exchanged runs in the ninth inning with Sydney Broderick driving home the winning run for the 4-3 victory.
The Noles sweep Sunday’s DH with Louisville and earn their fifth-straight ACC regular season championship! #SPARK https://t.co/zicawJ0yEp pic.twitter.com/g0iRjJ0Pww
— FSU Softball (@FSU_Softball) April 23, 2017
#1 Florida completed a sweep of #18 Ole Miss and did not allow a run in the three games. The Gators allowed just 7 hits over the three-game as Kelly Barnhill went 2-0 allowing four hits against 25 strikeouts. Kayli Kvistad went 5 for 7 with 5 RBIs over the three games as was able to record an RBI in each contest.
#16 LSU was able to stop #11 Tennessee from sweeping them and end their 20 game win streak. This game was all about pitching as both pitchers had very strong outings. Allie Walljasper threw a complete game shutout allowing only one hit and two walks with 4 strikeouts. Caylan Arnold was unfortunate to get the loss as she allowed only one walk and two hits. The latter hit was a home run by Constance Quinn in the bottom of the seventh to give the Tigers a walk-off 1-0 victory.
#4 Texas A&M rebounded from a midweek loss against Louisiana-Lafayette to sweep #22 Georgia. The Aggies won 2-0 on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning by Kristen Cuyos and an RBI single from Ashley Walters. Lexi Smith threw a complete game shutout allowing three walks and six hits to improve to 11-0.
#19 Michigan was able to win their final two games at Wisconsin to take the series from the Badgers. Megan Betsa, who lost game one despite allowing only two hits, came back on Sunday to allow only two walks and three hits while striking out 10. Tera Blanco’s three-run home run in the first started the scoring while Katie Alexander had 2 RBIs on a double and triple. Michigan won 8-0 in five innings.
No doubt about it! Blanco blast gives Michigan a 3-0 first-inning lead. #GoBlue https://t.co/YBq3oYGdwo
— Michigan Softball (@umichsoftball) April 23, 2017
Nebraska posted a surprising 14-0 blowout over #25 Illinois to avoid a sweep. The top of the Nebraska order was locked in all game as the top four of Alyvia Simmons, Tristen Edwards, MJ Knighten, and Kaylan Jablonski combined to go 8 for 12 with 6 runs scored, 10 RBIs, and 4 walks. Cassie McClure threw a complete game giving up one walk and three hits with three strikeouts.
#8 Oklahoma and #15 Baylor split a doubleheader, but that was enough for Oklahoma to win the series two games to one. Baylor jumped out to a 4-0 after three innings in the first contest as the Bears knocked Paige Lowary from the game after just 2 1/3 innings. The Sooners were able to close the deficit to 4-3 by the end of the fifth thanks to a two-run blast from Caleigh Clifton. It was not enough as Kelsee Selman came on for the 2 inning save to preserve the Baylor victory.
Game two was all Oklahoma from the beginning as they were able to load the bases for Nicole Pendley, who hit a grand slam. Runs in the second and sixth innings were just icing on the cake for Paige Parker. She threw a complete-game shutout allowing two walks and five hits while striking out nine. Oklahoma won 6-0 and are tied atop the Big 12 standings with in-state rival Oklahoma State at 11-1.
#10 Utah won 2-1 at #23 Arizona State to take the series. The third game was exactly like the previous two: decided by one run and in the seventh inning. With the game tied at one after six innings, Bridget Castro hit a solo home run and the Utes were able to work around a lead-off double and two-out walk for the win.
#6 Oregon came from behind and defeated #3 Arizona 4-3 to prevent a sweep. Arizona scored in the first before the two teams traded solo home runs in the second. Oregon tied the game a two on an error in third inning, but Arizona went ahead 3-2 on Reyna Carranco’s single in the fourth inning. Oregon was able to get two solo home runs in the sixth inning from Nikki Udria and Lauren Lindvall to take the 4-3 lead.
Tulsa was able to complete a sweep of Connecticut to move 3 games ahead of Houston in the American Athletic Conference. Emily Watson threw a complete game shutout allowing only one hit and striking out seven. Rylie Spell finished with 4 RBIs including a two-run home run and Julia Hollingsworth also hit a two-run home run in the 8-0 run-rule shortened contest. Tulsa has won 7 in a row including a sweep over the aforementioned Houston Cougars as well as a 3-0 win against Oklahoma State.
Illinois State finished off a sweep of Missouri State to improve to 17-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Redbirds went up 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth on a bases-loaded walk by Shannon Felde and RBI doubles by Jordan de los Reyes and Allison Spence. They went on to win 5-2 with Sarah Finck throwing a complete game and is now 18-8.