As the month of March winds down, we saw some great action over the seventh week of the 2017 college softball season. Below, we take a day-by-day look at what happened.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Virginia split a doubleheader against Towson with the Cavaliers winning the first game 5-4 in eight innings and losing the second 7-4. Towson committed five errors in the first game while Virginia committed three in the second. Towson put up 16 hits in the 7-4 victory with 8 different batters recording a hit.
Virginia Tech was able to win their doubleheader over East Tennessee State. Hannah Jones‘ two-run double was ultimately the difference in their first game while Vanessa Gonzalez, Breanna Davenport, and Lauren Duff all recorded multiple RBIs in the second game.
#19 Michigan used a four-run first inning to push past Bowling Green by a score of 7-1. Amanda Vargas had two RBI singles in the first and third innings to lead the offense and Tera Blanco allowed the one run on one walk and five hits with 8 strikeouts.
#14 Baylor defeated Sam Houston State 4-1 at home. Kelsee Selman threw 5 1/3 shutout innings with only three hits surrendered and recorded 9 strikeouts. Shelby Friudenberg drove in three runs for the Bears.
Fresno State and Cal State Bakersfield put on an offensive display with Fresno State emerging as the winner, 13-11. Bakersfield put 7 runs up in the first inning including a grand slam by Jo Larios. The Bulldogs put up three runs in the bottom of the first, but would not plate another run until the fourth. Morgan Howe hit a grand slam of her own to make it an 8-7 deficit while the fifth inning saw the Bulldogs take an 11-9 lead.
Bakersfield tied the game at 11 in the top of the sixth, but Fresno State was able to score two runs in the bottom of the inning. Howe finished with five RBIs and five different Fresno State players recorded an RBI.
BULLDOGS WIN! Sarah Santana earns her first Bulldog victory, Howe hits a grand slam, and Rivers collects 4 hits! Up next: Boise this weekend pic.twitter.com/55vlvDxILT
— FresnoState Softball (@FresnoStateSB) March 22, 2017
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
The top two teams in the nation, #1 Florida State and #2 Florida, posted shutout victories. The Seminoles won 4-0 over Central Florida with Jessica Burroughs and Meghan King allowing four hits combined. The Gators defeated South Florida 8-0 in five innings with Aleshia Ocasio going the distance allowing only two hits and striking out four. Jordan Roberts drove in five runs highlighted by a grand slam in the third inning.
#20 Tennessee rebounded from last weekend’s series loss to Arkansas with a 9-2 win over North Carolina. The Vols put across four runs in both the first and fourth innings. The duo of Brooke Vines and Chelsea Seggern each had 3 RBIs. Tennessee’s win gave co-head coach Karen Weekly was the 1,000th of her career.
#6 Washington posted a pair of victories after a doubleheader against Grand Canyon. The bats were hot as the Huskies recorded 21 runs on 24 hits over the two games. Taylor Van Zee went 3 of 4 in each game while recording a total of 3 RBIs.
An in-state battle produced a high scoring affair between Nebraska and Omaha. Nebraska put up 9 runs in the first two innings and was able to hold off Omaha 15-11. The Huskers recorded three home runs while Austen Urness (2 RBIs), Kaylen Jablonski (2), MJ Knighten (3), Cassie McClure (3), and Haley Donaldson (4) all recorded multiple RBIs. Donaldson hit a grand slam, which was matched by Omaha’s Hailey Bartz. Omaha scored their 11 runs on 17 hits while Nebraska recorded their 15 runs on 18 hits.
The biggest game of the day belonged to #11 Utah and BYU. As has been the case before this season, the team on a hot streak (Utah) was stopped by a midweek game. For the Utes, it was by their rival, 4-3. Utah took a 1-0 lead in the second on a triple by Bridget Castro, but BYU answered with a 2 run home run from Libby Sugg. The Utes reclaimed the lead again at 3-2 in the fifth on back-to-back plays by Anissa Urtez and Heather Bowen. Once again, the Utes were foiled by Sugg who hit her second two-run home run of the game in the fifth inning and gave the Cougars the ultimate 4-3 win.
2nd 2 run Home Run of the night for @libby_sugg @byusoftball leads @Utahsoftball_ 4-3 #BYU #Utah #BYUtvSports https://t.co/41Jpk9XOpo pic.twitter.com/PeRhQmtq3J
— BYUtv Sports (@byutvsports) March 23, 2017
Thursday, March 23, 2017
North Carolina Central had a poor start to the season entering Thursday’s doubleheader against Maryland Eastern Shore at 3-17. The Eagles were able to sweep their doubleheader over the Hawks 3-2 and 4-3. The first game featured a 12 strikeout performance by Dominique Wilson while the second game saw the Eagles win on a walk-off sacrifice fly courtesy of Ryann Kostandin.
Villanova posted a doubleheader victory as well. Nikki Alden went 3 for 3 with 5 RBIs and Lauren Herschberg drove in three runs in the first game win over Rider, 15-0. The second game was more of the same with the Wildcats winning 9-1 and Herschberg driving home another three runs.
Cal State Fullerton needed a late-inning rally to get past Loyola-Marymount. Marymount took a 1-0 lead in the third on a single by Caitlin Harman and then doubled their advantage with Amanda Dirks going deep in the fourth. The Titans were able to finally get on the board in the sixth inning and did so via Alexis Gonzalez’s three-run home run. She added a fourth RBI in the seventh on a single to right field. Loyola was not able to sustain a rally in the seventh and Cal State Fullerton won 4-2.
Friday, March 24, 2017
Indiana swept Rutgers to open Big 10 play for both teams. The first game was a 9-2 victory for the Hoosiers, but the second contest featured Indiana thrashing Rutgers 23-2. 12 different Indiana hitters recorded an RBI led by Rachel O’Malley (4), CaraMia Tsirigos (4), Taylor Uden (3), and Shayna Gamm (3). The Hoosiers recorded four home runs in the rout. Purdue also swept Michigan State in the opening conference doubleheader for both teams. Purdue won with offense in the first game (13-6) and pitching in the second (2-1).
Also in the Big 10, #22 Wisconsin overcame a slow start to pour in 14 runs in their win over Northwestern. Freshman Jordan Little went 2 for 2 with two walks, four runs, and 7 runs batted in with a three-run home run in both the sixth and seventh innings.
B1G things are happening https://t.co/3bTdtHFiT5
— Wisconsin Softball (@BadgerSoftball) March 25, 2017
Fresno State blanked Boise State 9-0 with Kamalani Dung throwing the complete game allowing one walk and three hits with seven strikeouts. The Bulldogs scored all of their runs in the first and second innings. Savannah Mchellon and Vanessa Hernandez both hit a grand slam for Fresno State.
#5 Arizona and #6 Washington squared off in a major Pac-12 battle and the Wildcats nearly had a perfect start to the series. Danielle O’Toole threw a no-hitter with the solitary walk coming in the fourth inning. First inning RBIs from Alyssa Palomino and Mo Mercado were more than enough as Tamara Statman added a solo shot in the sixth to reach the 3-0 final. For O’Toole, it was her first career no-hitter and it was an impressive performance against a top 10 team.
NO-HITTER!
Danielle O’Toole no hits the No. 6 team in the country. It’s the 90th no-hitter in Arizona history.#RaiseTheA pic.twitter.com/2zPU1nuUfU
— Arizona Softball (@UA_Softball) March 25, 2017
#13 Oklahoma defeated Mississippi State 5-3 at home thanks to a four-run third inning. The Bulldogs could not get past the two Pagies, Parker and Lowary, with the latter shutting the door with two perfect final innings for the save.
A pair of SEC teams saw gems thrown by their respective pitchers. #20 Tennessee shut out #23 Ole Miss 8-0 in five innings thanks to Matty Moss’ two-hitter. She allowed three walks, but struck out five while Taylor Rowland drove in four runs. #7 Texas A&M also won their game 8-0 in five innings over Missouri with Trinity Harrington allowing just one walk and two hits while striking out three.
Manhattan staged a late-inning comeback to defeat Mount St. Mary’s 10-9 in 8 innings. The Jaspers trailed 9-4 after four innings, but a four-run sixth inning cut the deficit to one. Stephanie Reinhardt led off the seventh with a solo shot to tie the game and Lauren Pitney drove home the go-ahead and eventual winning run with a triple in the eighth.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Fordham started their Atlantic 10 Conference schedule with two big, run-rule shortened wins over Rhode Island. The first was an 11-0 one-hitter from Lauren Quense (14-3) supplemented with a 5 RBI game from Lindsay Mayer. The second game was a 14-0 win with Madison Aughinbaugh allowing five hits and striking out five. Five different Rams finished with two RBIs in the second game victory.
Notre Dame finished off their weekend with a sweep of Virginia Tech in a 9-4 game. The Hokies led 3-2 after two innings, but it was short-lived as Kimmy Sullivan gave the Irish a 4-3 lead on a two-run double in the third. Two RBI singles in the fourth and another two-run double Sullivan put Notre Dame comfortably in front.
#5 Arizona followed up their no-hitter on Friday with a two-hitter on Saturday in a 12-0 win over #6 Washington. Arizona put up 8 runs in the bottom of the first and then got 5 excellent innings from Taylor McQuillin. Alyssa Palomino led the offense with 4 RBIs.
#15 UCLA secured a doubleheader victory over BYU. The first game was decided by Paige Halstead’s solo shot in the fifth inning and Rachel Garcia’s one-hitter. She walked four batters and struck out nine in the 1-0 win. The second game saw UCLA win 4-2 behind Delaney Spaulding’s RBI and Maddie Jelenicki’s two-run single. Garcia came in and earned the save over the final two thirds.
#2 Florida defeated #4 Auburn in walk-off fashion in the opening game of their series. Florida struck first with two runs in the bottom of the second on Justine McLean’s single. The Tigers were able to get one back in the fourth on an RBI single from Victoria Draper and then took the lead in the fifth on courtesy of a double by Courtney Shea and a sacrifice bunt by Casey McCrackin.
In the seventh, the Gators were down to their final out when they had runners on the corner thanks to an error by Auburn. Nicole DeWitt came up and hit a pop up to short center that hit off the second baseman’s glove and fell to the ground. That allowed Alex Voss to jaunt home from third and Sophia Reynoso to score from first for the 4-3 win.
All the thrilling highlights & excitement you’d expect from #1 vs. #6! #SECSoftball #GoGators #WalkOffWin 🌻🐊🔥👌 pic.twitter.com/46MNk3EROl
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) March 26, 2017
#18 Kentucky was able to complete a sweep of #24 Arkansas including a doubleheader on Saturday. The Wildcats won the first game 7-5 thanks to a two-run single by Alex Martens. The second game was far more defensive with Kentucky winning 2-0 thanks to RBIs from Abbey Cheek and Sarah Rainwater. Shannon Smith went six innings allowing two hits and three walks while Meagan Prince came on for the save.
#14 Baylor split a doubleheader versus Kansas as both teams started their Big 12 conference schedule. Baylor won game one 6-1 while amassing 16 hits. Kansas led 1-0 after the first inning, but Baylor was led by three-hit efforts from Jessie Scroggins, Ari Hawkins, and Shelby McGlaun. The second game belonged to Kansas 6-4 though it took 10 innings to complete. Erin McGinley hit a walk-off two-run home run to give the Jayhawks the win.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
#5 Arizona finished off #6 Washington for the sweep in the 1,500th career win for Mike Candrea. Arizona got two-run home runs from Mo Mercado and Alyssa Palomino along with an RBI single by Jessie Harper. The Huskies scored their first runs of the entire series in the seventh with on two-run shot from Kirstyn Thomas. Arizona won 5-2 with Danielle O’Toole allowing the two runs on only three hits and a walk.
FINAL | #5 Arizona 5, #6 Washington 2@CoachCandreaUA picks up his 1,500th career victory as Arizona sweeps Washington.#RaiseTheA pic.twitter.com/bsfS2u1j1y
— Arizona Softball (@UA_Softball) March 26, 2017
#3 Oregon defeated #11 Utah in a doubleheader. The Ducks won the first game 12-3 in five innings. The Ducks had a slow start relative to the rest of the game with no runs in the first inning. They put up 12 runs over the final four innings with the trio of Nikki Udria, Mia Camuso, and Jenna Lilley all recording 2 RBIs. In game two, Maggie Balint threw the complete game shutout allowing five hits with four strikeouts. Gwen Svekis hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give Balint all the support she needed. The Ducks won 3-0 to improve to 29-0 on the season.
#9 Alabama split a doubleheader versus South Carolina on Sunday, but won the series. South Carolina won the first game 14-0 with 12 runs over the final three innings including 8 in the seventh. Alyssa VanDerveer had 4 RBIs and Krystan White had 3 RBIs as they delivered just the second loss of the season to Alexis Osorio (16-2). Nickie Blue threw the complete game shutout allowing only two hits and striking out four.
The Tide bounced back to win the second game 5-2 but fell behind 2-0 after the top of the third. Alabama scored two runs in both the fourth and sixth innings to move to 7-2 in the SEC and 30-4 overall.
#12 LSU swept #16 Georgia over the weekend and posted two close shutout victories over the Bulldogs on Sunday. LSU won the first game 2-0 thanks to Allie Walljasper’s two-hit and three walk performance. Bailey Landry drove home the two runs in the third inning to give the Tigers the series win. The second game was more of the same as Sydney Smith also allowed just two hits and one walk in her complete-game shutout. Smith did not strike out any batters while Landry scored the lone run in the first inning to complete the sweep.
#2 Florida won their second game in a row over #4 Auburn and it was Kelly Barnhill throwing a gem. She threw a complete game shutout with 16 strikeouts while allowing one walk and two hits. Chelsea Herndon drove home four runs for the Gators in the 7-0 victory.
The Big 10 saw rivals Michigan and Ohio State post large run-rule victories to complete sweeps over their respective opponents. The #19 Wolverines won 17-0 over Penn State with Tera Blanco driving home 6 runs in the win and Megan Betsa throwing a no-hitter (one walk) and striking out 9 in the five-inning game. The Buckeyes crushed Maryland 22-0 with five RBIs by Lilli Piper along with 3 RBIs from Anna Kirk and Taylor White. Michigan and Ohio State will face each other April 7-9 in Columbus.
#8 Minnesota swept Nebraska on Sunday after winning 8-1. Sara Groenewegen allowed the one run on two hits while striking out 11 in the complete game effort. Sam Macken (2 RBIs), Kendyl Lindaman (3), and Sydney Dwyer (2) all drove home multiple runs. #22 Wisconsin won their series two games to one thanks to a 7-1 victory over Northwestern on the road. The Badgers held a slim 2-0 lead going into the seventh inning, but a five-run burst pushed them to the win. Brooke Wyderski hit a three-run shot in the seventh and finished with four RBIs.
#1 Florida State continued their dominating march through their ACC schedule with a no-hitter against Virginia. Jessica Burroughs allowed one walk, hit one batter, and struck out 11 in her fourth career no-hitter. Jessica Warren and Cali Harrod both recorded 3 RBIs while the Seminoles allowed just one run over the three games. Florida State has posted shutouts in six of their last seven games and have only allowed one run in their last six ACC games.
A four-way logjam is atop the Mountain West after the weekend’s game. Utah State and Fresno State are both 4-2 while San José State and New Mexico both sit at 2-1 in conference play. Utah State won 17-5 over Nevada with 7 RBIs courtesy of Devan Sperry. Fresno State fell to Boise State 2-1 in 9 innings and could not complete the sweep. Makenzie Sullivan drove home the winning run in the ninth for Boise State. New Mexico defeated UNLV 5-4 to take the series. Jasmine Casados’ double to left field in the fourth inning proved to be the winning run though UNLV made it uncomfortable late in the game.
#10 James Madison suffered their first loss since March 4 against Hofstra. The Dukes allowed four runs in the third inning due to two errors and four passed balls. That eventually led to the first loss of the season for pitcher Megan Good (18-1).
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