5 Things You May Have Missed in College Softball Saturday
Tiger Milestones
Auburn’s Kaylee Carlson threw the second perfect game in program history, while Kasey Cooper became the second SEC player of all-time to achieve 250 hits and 250 RBI in a career as Auburn defeated Illinois, 6-2, and Ohio State, 8-0, on Saturday afternoon. Carlson’s perfect game was the second by a Tiger as Holly Currie accomplished the feat versus the College of Charleston, Feb. 11, 2005. The Garden Grove, Calif. native also tallied the 23rd no-hitter in program history. Cooper joined Charlotte Morgan of Alabama (2007-10) as the only two softball players to ever achieve 250 hits and 250 RBI during their collegiate careers. Head Coach Clint Myers had this to say about his two standouts on Saturday. “I thought Kaylee pitched awesome, to pitch a perfect game, that’s just something that doesn’t happen. She got great support from the defense and we needed it.” He went on to credit his senior hitting star, even hinting that he doesn’t think her success is finished. “Cooper is a phenomenal player,” stated Myers. “She’s got a lot of softball left and there’s going to be other milestones that she’ll have, but it’s quite an honor to be the second player to reach 250 in two different areas.”
Wildcats Big Win
Kentucky defeated Georgia in a 2-1 battle on Saturday afternoon. The win was Kentucky’s first team win in Athens since 2007. Meagan Prince (8-2) got the win in the circle for UK. The senior tossed a complete game four-hitter, fanned nine Bulldog batters, and gave up one earned run. With Saturday’s win under their belts, the Wildcats vault to the top of the Southeastern Conference standings with a perfect record in the league, and UK improves to 19-4 overall. The win is Kentucky’s 14th in a row, adding on to the school record that was set last weekend against Michigan at the John Cropp Classic. Game three is set to take place on Sunday night at 7 p.m. ET from Jack Turner Stadium in Athens. The game will be shown live on the SEC Network, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app with Mark Neely and Women’s College World Series analysts Michele Smith and Amanda Scarbrough on the call.
Megan Betsa
Senior Wolverine pitcher Megan Betsa boasted a career-best 17 strikeouts and tossed the fourth no-hitter of her collegiate career as the University of Michigan softball team opened its home schedule with a 2-0 win over Kent State on Saturday afternoon in front of 1,309 fans at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field. Betsa (7-5) faced two batters over the minimum 21, issuing walks in the fifth and seventh innings, en route to her first no-hitter since a similar seven-inning outing at Maryland on April 26, 2015. She posted at least two strikeouts in every inning and struck out the side in the third, sixth and seventh innings to registered her career high. She had previously struck out 16 on two occasions, including earlier this season against Arizona State.
Razorbacks Top Lady Vols
Arkansas earned a series win over Tennessee on Saturday afternoon. The Saturday victory marked Arkansas’ first series win against Tennessee since 2002 and its first SEC series win since the 2013 season. Saturday’s game was a pitcher’s duel between two freshmen and was scoreless up until the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and two outs in a tied ballgame, junior Tori Cooper stepped to the plate and delivered a game-winning single to lift the Razorbacks to a 2-1 win over the Lady Vols. Arkansas goes for the series sweep Sunday when the teams return to the field at 11 a.m. (CT). The game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ which is also available through the WatchESPN app.
Mustangs Defeat Sooners Again
Cal Poly defeated the defending Women’s College World Series Champs the Oklahoma Sooners for the second straight day on Saturday. The victory moved Cal Poly to 21-7 on the season and their sixth straight victory. The Mustangs have also won 15 of their last 16 games. Mustang senior pitcher Sierra Hyland struck out five and only allowed six Sooner hits during the game. With her five strikeouts, Hyland improved her career total to 834 and now needs just 11 more strikeouts to overtake UC Santa Barbara’s Jennifer Davis (2004-07) for the all-time Big West Conference lead.
