5 Things You May Have Missed in College Softball Saturday
Washington Remains Undefeated
The Huskies came up big in the ninth inning to push past Texas A&M in the 4-3 win at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Saturday. Senior third baseman Taylor Van Zee notched her 150th career RBI in the second inning as part of her 3-for-5 effort on the day. She is one of 13 Huskies ever to reach that number in their careers. In the circle, Gabbie Plain and Samantha Manti split the time, tossing four and five innings, respectively. Plain had five strikeouts while Manti had two to go with her win. Manti is now 4-0 on the year. The Huskies remain unbeaten at 16-0 on the season after defeating Nebraska 4-2 in the nightcap. Washington closes out the Mary Nutter on Sunday with two games against Wisconsin and Long Beach State.
Arizona Defeats Oklahoma 2-0
Arizona pitcher Taylor McQuillin threw a one-hit shutout, Aleah Craighton hit a two-run homer, and the Wildcats defeated No. 8 Oklahoma 2-0 to close out the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. In her third start and fifth appearance in three days, McQuillin’s one-hit shutout was her fourth in-a-row dating back to last week. The junior struck out seven Sooners in the matchup. Over the span of three days, McQuillin went 4-0 and earned one save. On the year, she’s 9-1 with a 1.06 ERA. McQuillin outdueled Oklahoma’s Paige Parker, who had not allowed an earned run on the season entering the day. Parker gave up two runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Arizona’s 5-0 weekend at Palm Springs was its first undefeated trip to the Mary Nutter since 2010.
Florida’s Triple Threat – Pitching, Hitting, Defense
The Gators displayed quality pitching, a productive offense, and solid defense to earn two victories over Maryland, 12-0, and Iowa State, 8-0, on the second day of the Aquafina Invitational at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Pitchers Kelly Barnhill, Aleshia Ocasio, and Natalie Lugo led Florida’s efforts in the circle. Barnhill threw her fourth career no-hitter, second of the season, against Iowa State while Aleshia Ocasio pitched three perfect innings against Maryland. Lugo allowed only one hit to the Terps through two innings of work. Kayli Kvistad is leading the offense with a .625 average on the week after going 5-for-8 with 10 RBI, two doubles, and a grand slam. The Gator offense has combined for 37 runs in the past four games and will look to add to the total on Sunday in the final matchup against Iowa State.
Tennessee Tops Oregon 1-0
No. 10 Tennessee took a 1-0 win over No. 2 Oregon on Saturday at the Mary Nutter Classic. The Lady Vols (15-1) scattered six hits over seven innings, and junior pitcher Matty Moss (8-1) struck out six Ducks over six scoreless frames. Sophomore Caylan Arnold struck out two while tossing a perfect seventh inning to earn the save. Senior Meghan Gregg produced the RBI double in the first inning to score the only run of the game. Oregon (10-3) suffered its second-straight loss to an SEC team in the Mary Nutter Classic. The Ducks fell to No. 6 Texas A&M on Friday, 3-1.
UCLA Hands LSU First Loss of 2018
No. 6 UCLA improved to 13-0 and handed #5 LSU its first loss of the season on Saturday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II, recording a 9-1, five-inning victory. Eight of the nine Bruin starters posted a hit, as UCLA had 13 as a team. Redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia struck out 12 Tigers in five innings to move to 5-0 on the season. She limited LSU (14-1) to two hits and one walk. Garcia was on fire as she struck out the side in the first, third and fifth. The Bruins conclude the weekend with a doubleheader on Sunday against Missouri and Fresno State.
