5 Things You May Have Missed in College Softball Friday
Utah Makes History
For the first time in program history, Utah Softball topped the No. 1 team in the nation as the No. 14 Utes stopped Arizona on Friday night, 6-3. Pitcher Miranda Viramontes improved to 11-1 with the victory for the Utes. It was her fifth complete game of the season and she threw a season-high 118 pitches while allowing just one extra base-hit. “I think that this win shows the program has developed into something special,” head coach Amy Hogue said. “We continue to raise the ceiling each year and the work is paying off. The players have committed extreme amounts of time and energy to everything and it’s a fantastic feeling to see a win like this.” The Utes and Wildcats are back at it on Saturday afternoon with first pitch slated for 12 p.m.
Ole Miss Takes Two from LSU
For the first time ever, Ole Miss softball has won a series over LSU in Oxford, as the Rebels shut out the Tigers twice in a doubleheader Friday afternoon. Behind a dominant pitching staff against one of the nation’s top offenses coming in, the Rebels (29-13, 5-9 SEC) have now won five of their last eight league contests, clinching the series against the Tigers (32-11, 8-6 SEC). Ole Miss snapped a six-year losing streak to LSU in games played in Oxford and snapped a five-year streak overall in the series against its rival. Head coach Mike Smith earned his 100th career win as Ole Miss’ head coach, in what were the sixth and seventh wins against a top-25 team this season. The Rebels go for the sweep over LSU Saturday in the series finale at 3 p.m. in Oxford.
Gators Stay Hot
Sophomore Kelly Barnhill propelled the third-ranked Florida softball team to its 25th shutout of the season in a 4-0 victory over Kentucky at John Cropp Stadium Friday night. Barnhill (17-0) struck out 15 Wildcats on just 97 pitches for her third 14-plus strikeout performance of the season. The 15 strikeouts was a season-high for Kentucky and Barnhill notched her ninth complete-game of the season, eighth shutout. Junior Janell Wheaton came through with her second straight multi-hit game and provided a pair of critical RBIs to put Florida (39-2, 14-1 SEC) ahead of the Wildcats (25-12, 5-8 SEC) early on in the contest. Florida and Kentucky will square off on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the second game of the series at John Cropp Stadium.
The Gamecocks Defeat the Seminoles
A relentless offensive attack and a strong outing by freshman Cayla Drotar led South Carolina (25-17) to a 7-2 win over No. 1/2 Florida State (38-3-1) in front of a sellout crowd on Friday night at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. Drotar (5-2) pitched well in the start, going the five-plus innings and scattering four hits and four walks while giving up two earned runs. FSU’s Jessica Burroughs (20-2) took the loss, allowing four earned runs on five hits while tallying two strikeouts. Offensively, South Carolina had 12 total hits, including a three blast over the fence from Tiara Duffy which was the tone-setter. The 12 collective hits mark the ninth time the team has posted double-digit hits this season. It’s also the ninth multi-home run game for the Gamecocks in 2017. South Carolina and Florida State wrap up the weekend on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
Mississippi State Tops Georgia
Mississippi State took down Georgia in the series opener on Friday night. A grand slam from Caroline Seitz and a standout day from Kat Moore were enough to give MSU the 9-4 victory. Seitz finished the contest 2-for-3 at the plate with a career-high six RBI, sparked by her first-career grand slam. The home run was her 31st-career home run, moving her into a tie for third with Courtney Bures (2005-08) on MSU’s all-time homers list. Along with Seitz’s career day was Moore, who turned in a career performance of her own. The sophomore went 4-for-5, recording her first career four-hit game. She tallied three RBI, two runs, a triple and a double to round out a stellar showing. The two teams meet again for game two of the series on Saturday, first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
