10 Things You May Have Missed in College Softball This Weekend
The 2017 NCAA College Softball season is in full swing. This past weekend was full of upsets, team sweeps, coaching milestones reached, and stand-out performances all across the country. Here are ten things that stood out to us at Fastpitch News.
For the first time in school history, the Ole Miss softball team earned a sweep over LSU this past weekend. The Rebels (30-13, 6-9 SEC) entered the weekend having never won a series over the Tigers (32-12, 8-7 SEC), but two shutouts later, and another epic walk-off gave Ole Miss its first ever sweep over its rival and first sweep over a ranked SEC team in school history. In front of the sixth-largest crowd in school history, the two sides were again locked in a close game all day Saturday, as LSU took an early lead with single runs in the first and third frames. The Tigers went up 1-0 in the first off a RBI single and again scored in the third after another RBI single. But, it was the Rebels’ seventh inning rally that would make all the difference. With two Rebels on base, Alyssa Gonzalez stepped in to pinch hit and blasted a three-run shot over the left field wall giving Ole Miss the walk-off win. The Rebels hit the road next week for a four-game road swing, beginning with a midweek at UT Martin on Tuesday, before traveling to The Sunshine State to face Florida next weekend.
The Redbirds secured a pair of team wins over Drake this past Friday to give head coach Melinda Fischer her 1,000th win at Illinois State. With more than 1,000 career wins under her belt, Fischer is the 20th coach in NCAA Softball history to earn 1,000 wins at one school. In her 32nd season at Illinois State, she is also the 10th Division I coach reach this mark. “I had no idea, but, honestly, this is a special one,” Fischer said. “The opportunity to be at Illinois State this long and to work with all the people who have produced those wins has been an amazing journey. It’s all in one place and that, to me, is really special.” The Redbirds went on to defeat Drake again on Saturday, giving them the sweep. The Redbirds return home on Wednesday, April 19 to Pack the Park versus Bradley with a 5 p.m. doubleheader. Illinois State remains home to host Missouri State on April 22 and 23.
Florida Sophomore pitcher Kelly Barnhill (18-0) fueled the Gator softball team to its sixth-straight conference series win with her second career no-hitter in a 2-0 victory over Kentucky (26-13, 6-9 SEC) at John Cropp Field on Sunday. Barnhill struck out 15 Wildcats for the second time this series and issued one walk to Sarah Rainwater in the sixth. This is first individual no-hitter of the season and second overall as Delanie Gourley and Aleshia Ocasio combined for one against South Carolina March 19. Gourley also threw a perfect game against Iowa March 2, at the Judi Garman Classic. For the 35th time this season, the Gators (40-3, 15-2 SEC) scored first in the contest thanks to a string of two-out hits from Kayli Kvistad, Janell Wheaton and Aleshia Ocasio. The Gators return home to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium for a midweek contest against UCF Wednesday, April 19 at 6 p.m.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs (31-14, 6-9 SEC) defeated the Georgia Bulldogs (29-15, 3-12 SEC), 5-2 on Sunday, to capture their second-straight SEC series win. MSU senior Caroline Seitz led the offense all weekend at Jack Turner Stadium. Seitz finished the weekend seven for ten with 14 RBI’s, four home runs (two being grand slams), four runs scored, a scorching 1.900 slugging percentage and a .667 OBP. On top of her home runs, Seitz has also hit safely in seven-straight games, which sets a new career high. Seitz’s home run-palooza this weekend spearheaded MSU’s second-straight SEC series win of the year, as State took down South Carolina last weekend at home. It’s the first time since 2015 that MSU has won multiple SEC series in a campaign, as that year the Dogs took down No. 19 Texas A&M at home and Arkansas on the road. The weekend victory also marked the end of Georgia’s run of five-straight series wins against MSU. The Maroon and White captured its first series win against UGA since April 19-20, 2008 in Starkville. It’s also the first series win in Athens since April 21-22, 2007.
The Minnesota Gophers secured an 8-0 run-rule victory over the Northwestern Wildcats to complete the weekend sweep on Sunday afternoon. Senior pitcher Sara Groenewegen was dominant in the circle once again for the Maroon and Gold. She only allowed two hits and struck out ten. She has hit double-digit strikeout numbers seven times this season and did so in both games this weekend. She is now 19-2 with a 0.68 ERA and 168 strikeouts. After this weekend’s results, the Gophers have sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. They are 38-3 overall and 11-1 in conference play. “We still have a lot of games to play,” Allister said. “It is exciting but we need to make sure we stay focused on the task at hand. Wisconsin is going to be tough on Wednesday so we need to make sure we enjoy this game for the rest of the evening, flip the script and get back to work.” The Gophers travel to Wisconsin for a midweek doubleheader Wednesday with first pitch set for 3 p.m. Both of those games can be viewed on the Big Ten Network.
Arkansas defeated Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon 4-3. Arkansas scored twice in the final frame to rally past the Aggies for the program’s first win in the series. The victory doubled as the Razorbacks’ first win over a top-five opponent since the 2014 season. Sophomore Ashley Diaz picked the perfect time for her first hit of the weekend with a two-out RBI single to left field to give the Razorbacks the win. The Razorbacks close out their five-game home stand Wednesday evening against ULM at Bogle Park. The midweek game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. (CT) start and will be televised on the SEC Network.
Washington took the series against Oregon this past weekend. Morganne Flores’ three doubles and four RBIs helped propel Washington past Oregon in nine innings for a 5-3 Husky win Saturday afternoon. The win marked the Huskies’ first series win over the Ducks since 2011. Washington improved to 31-10 overall and 8-7 in the Pac-12 after the win over the No. 4-ranked Ducks. Taran Alvelo (19-6) pitched all nine innings for the Purple and Gold, striking out 12 batters and allowing only five hits. The sophomore also appeared at the plate for the first time in her career. Flores led the Husky offense with her four RBIs and went 3-for-5. Ali Aguilar went 4-for-5 and scored two runs on the day. The Huskies will take a break from conference play next week as they head to Alabama to face Alabama-Birmingham and Alabama.
The Nebraska softball team completed a three-game sweep of visiting Penn State with a 6-4 win on Sunday afternoon at Bowlin Stadium. With the win, the Huskers posted their third consecutive three-game sweep of a conference series. Nebraska improved to 19-22 overall and moved to 9-5 in conference play. Junior right-hander Kaylan Jablonski tossed her sixth complete game of the season – and second of the series – while notching her 10th win of the season. Jablonski (10-11) allowed four runs on seven hits. Jablonski also contributed offensively, going 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Freshman Tristen Edwards paced the Huskers’ 11-hit attack, finishing 3-for-4 while tying her career high in hits for the second straight game. Penn State fell to 16-25 overall with the loss and dropped to 4-10 in Big Ten play. Nebraska continues its home stand on Wednesday when the Huskers host the Kansas Jayhawks at 6 p.m.
The Auburn softball team clinched its fourth conference series of the season with a 6-1 victory against Missouri Sunday afternoon. Tiger pitcher Kaylee Carlson allowed just three hits in a complete game at Jane B. Moore Field. Carlson was on the front foot all afternoon long as she tossed 27 first-pitch strikes en route to her SEC-leading 21st win of 2017. “I’ll go and put [Kaylee] in the circle for my chance to win anytime,” said head coach Clint Myers. “She’s deserving of the accolades because she goes out there and she competes.” Auburn returns to the field Wednesday for a non-conference affair with Kennesaw State. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Jane B. Moore Field.
Tennessee defeated Alabama in walk-off fashion on Sunday night. Meghan Gregg drew a five-pitch walk to start the bottom half of the seventh inning, which brought Brooke Vines to the plate. The California native hammered a 2-1 pitch to dead center field to give the Vols their 18th straight victory. Vines now has 48 RBIs on the year, which is second most on the team. Her 17 RBIs in conference play lead the league as well. Tonight was the second game in a row that the Big Orange won in walk-off fashion. The win gave the Vols their fourth straight series win and extended their winning streak to 18 games, which is currently the longest in the nation. Matty Moss was solid in the circle for the Lady Vols, throwing a season-high 131 pitches in her fifth complete-game shutout this season. The sophomore right-hander is now 20-1 on the year and has earned a win in her last five starts. Moss kept the Tide off the bases for most of the game, allowing only four hits while striking out seven over seven innings. Tennessee goes for the series sweep Monday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
