5 Things You May Have Missed in College Softball Saturday
Mauga Breaks UA Home Run Record
Arizona Softball has a new program home run record holder after Saturday’s game. Katiyana Mauga tied the record on Friday night and on Saturday afternoon it became hers. The senior third baseman launched her 88th career homer, passing former Wildcat Stacie Chambers, as Arizona topped Oregon 10-7 at Hillenbrand Stadium. Mauga was 3-for-4 on the day with a double and three RBIs, helping the Wildcats win a high-scoring affair and erase an early deficit. “There are no words to describe it,” Mauga said. “It felt like an accomplishment, but I’m glad it’s over.” Mauga is the only player in NCAA history to hit 20 or more homers in four seasons. “It’s fabulous to be able to see history be made,” head coach Mike Candrea said. “I’ve seen a lot of it here at Arizona but she is definitely deserving of going down with some of the very best that have played.” The senior is just eight homers away from being the sport’s all-time home run leader. Arizona (45-3, 15-2 Pac-12) will go for the sweep of Oregon (37-6, 10-6 Pac-12) on Sunday. First pitch at Hillenbrand Stadium is scheduled for 12 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Oklahoma Defeats Baylor in 10 Innings
In a game that was scoreless for eight innings, a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the 10th from sophomore Fale Aviu gave Oklahoma (40-7, 10-0) a dramatic come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Baylor (35-8, 8-2) Saturday at Marita Hynes Field. With the win, OU is now 10-0 to start league play for the first time in program history. Coincidentally, in each of Oklahoma’s last two attempts to go from 9-0 to 10-0, it was the Lady Bears who handed the Sooners their first loss. Saturday’s win also helped the Sooners remain in first place in the conference ahead of second-place Oklahoma State (9-1) and third-place Baylor. The game was played in front of an announced crowd of 1,783 fans, the largest regular-season crowd ever at Marita Hynes Field and second largest overall. Oklahoma has now won six straight games against Baylor, 17 in a row on the season, 25 straight in conference play and 33 consecutive at home. The teams will close out the series with a doubleheader on Sunday after Friday night’s game was postponed due to rain. Game one will start at noon on ESPN2 with game two set to follow at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Aggies ‘Show’-stopping Performance
Texas A&M clinched the series against Georgia on Saturday, behind another standout pitching performance by Sophomore Samantha Show in the 1-0 victory. For the second game in a row, Show baffled the Bulldog bats. In her 16th win of the season, Show struck out six, walked one, and earned the shutout. In her two-day performance, Show has not allowed a Georgia extra-base hit holding the Bulldogs to 13 singles. Despite their lowest hit output of the season, the Texas A&M (39-5, 13-3 SEC) bats did just enough to put Show in line for the win. Riley Sartain stepped in with two outs and nobody on in the first when she accounted for the game’s only run. The sophomore went opposite field off Georgia starter Kylie Bass (6-1) for her team-leading 11th homer of the season. The first pitch for the series finale on Sunday is set for 12 p.m. from the Aggie Softball Complex.
Tennessee Extends Win Streak
Tennessee extended its winning streak to 20 games after a 6-4 victory over LSU on Saturday at Tiger Park. The Volunteers (41-5, 13-3 SEC) let an early two-run lead slip away after giving up four in the bottom of the first, but rebounded nicely to keep the Tigers’ lineup in check. After scoring four runs on four hits in the bottom of the first, LSU was held hitless over the next four innings and had just two hits for the remainder of the afternoon. Caylan Arnold went five innings and allowed no hits or runs after the first inning to improve to 18-4 on the season. Matty Moss struck out two in two scoreless innings to shut the door and earn her first save of the year as UT earned its fifth straight series win. UT’s 20-game win streak now stands alone as the fourth longest in program history. The Vols would need to win four more games to tie the second-longest win streak of 24 games, which was recorded in 2006 and over the 1996-97 seasons. The Vols go for their fifth straight series sweep tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. ET in the series finale.
Auburn Freshman Shuts Down South Carolina
In the first collegiate start of her young career, Ashlee Swindle threw a gem to guide the Auburn softball team to a 2-0 shutout win at South Carolina. Swindle earned her first career win for the Tigers (39-7, 12-5 SEC) in the seven-inning game. Kaylee Carlson got the final five outs and struck out one to earn her second save of the 2017 season. Alyssa Rivera and Kendall Veach led the offense with two hits each, while Victoria Draper produced Auburn’s other hit in the conference showdown. Courtney Shea and Veach were responsible for bringing in both of the game’s runs by way of a bases loaded walk and a solo home run. Auburn and South Carolina return to the diamond on Sunday morning with the series finale starting at 11 a.m. CT.
