ICYMI: College Softball This Past Weekend
Barnhill’s Perfect Performance
Florida right-handed pitcher Kelly Barnhill (7-0) hurled the first perfect game of her career in an 8-0 victory over Georgia Southern to wrap up the Aquafina Invitational. It’s the eighth overall, seventh individual, perfect game in Florida history. Delanie Gourley was the last to throw a perfect game against Iowa (Mar. 2, 2017) in the Judi Garman Classic. Barnhill was electric in the circle from start to finish. She struck out eight of the first nine batters faced in the game. Barnhill ended the perfect outing with 11 strikeouts against the Eagles on just 56 pitches. Florida finished 6-0 on the weekend. Next up for the Gators is the Judi Garman Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton. The first game is set for March 1, against Loyola Marymount.
Win #500 for UCLA Head Coach
The UCLA Softball team extended their record to 15-0 on Sunday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II, defeating Missouri 4-0 and Fresno State 7-3 at Big League Dreams Sports Park. Redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia improved to 6-0 on the season after combining for a five-hit shutout against Missouri. Garcia contributed to the offense as well against the Tigers and went 3-for-3 at the plate. The victory against Missouri also marked the 500th win of head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez’s career. The Bruins head south for their next tournament, the San Diego Classic I, which will be played on the campuses of San Diego and San Diego State. UCLA’s first matchup will be on Friday, March 2 at 7 p.m. against UCF at USD.
FSU’s Jessie Warren Ties ACC Record
Florida State senior Jessie Warren continued her impressive offensive career over the weekend at the Easton Bama Bash. Warren hit a home run in both games on Saturday as No. 9 Florida State (12-4) earned a 3-1 win over No. 10 Alabama (9-2) and topped Georgia State (7-8) by a score of 8-0 in six innings. Warren ended the day with four RBI and is tied with Whitney Haller of Georgia Tech (2006-09) for the ACC record of 228 RBI. Her two home runs increased her career total to 70, which is tied for No. 23 all-time in NCAA softball history. The Sunday games were canceled due to rain. The Seminoles return home to host the Unconquered Invitational and will face Hofstra, Florida Golf Coast, and Oregon for five games over three days.
Carlee Wallace Makes History at Baylor
The Baylor softball team improved to 9-0 on the season after earning a pair of wins on Sunday afternoon against Abilene Christian at Poly Wells Field. Transfer Carlee Wallace led the way for the offense in game two and hit for the first cycle in program history after going 4-for-4 with 6 RBI and posting a 1.667 slugging percentage. Baylor has exhibited strong pitching as well in their first nine games of the 2018 season. Gia Rodoni earned another win on Sunday and is now 5-0 on the season after another dominant pitching performance. Baylor continues an extended road swing, playing 11 games over nine days starting March 2nd through March 6th.
Washington Moves to 18-0
The Huskies defeated Long Beach State 4-0 in the final game of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Sunday. The Huskies keep the undefeated season rolling, improving to 18-0 with their 11th shutout. This was also the 10th game this year with multiple home runs for the Dawgs. Taran Alvelo secured the win in the circle after giving up one hit and striking out 10. In six of Alvelo’s nine appearances this season, she has tossed double-digit strikeouts. She also improved her 2018 record to 9-0. Washington returns to the playing field next weekend for the Husky Classic, kicking off March 2nd-4th. The Huskies are scheduled to face off against Alabama x2, Northwestern, Brigham Young, and Portland State.
