5 Things You May Have Missed in College Softball Friday
South Carolina Tops No. 2 Tennessee
No. 18 South Carolina faced a 7-3 deficit through four and a half innings before storming back with an 8-7 win over No. 2 Tennessee to take the first game of the series at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field on Friday. South Carolina 26-4 (3-1 SEC) fought from start to finish in a thrilling SEC victory. Tiara Duffy shined at the plate for the Gamecocks, going 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Kelsey Oh (7-2) earned the victory in the circle, her first-career SEC victory. Carolina’s win Friday ended No. 2 Tennessee’s 22-game winning streak and has set up the Gamecocks for their second-straight SEC series win. Carolina and Tennessee face off again on Saturday in game two of three at 3 pm ET.
Northwestern Rallies Past Minnesota
Trailing by a pair of runs entering the bottom of the seventh, Northwestern pulled off a three-run rally to stun Minnesota, 3-2, Friday in the Big Ten opener at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Northwestern’s active winning streak now is nine games, its longest since winning 12 in a row during the 2009 season. The win also was the 1,200th in Northwestern program history; the Wildcats are 1,200-872-4 (.579) all-time dating to 1976. With the win, Northwestern moves to 18-8 overall in 2018 and 1-0 in the Big Ten. Minnesota falls to 17-12 on the year with its loss, 0-1 in the conference. The Wildcats and Gophers meet at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday for game two of the three-game opening conference series.
Texas Offense Explodes on Kansas
The Texas Longhorns scored seven runs in the first inning and registered a season-high 13 hits in their 10-2, five-inning Big 12 opening victory over Kansas on Friday. Every Texas starter recorded at least one hit in the contest. Sophomore left fielder Kaitlyn Washington lead the way for the offense going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI. With the victory, Texas improved to 14-13 on the season and 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference. Longhorn pitcher Brooke Bolinger (5-4) earned the win in the circle. The junior allowed just one hit, walked one, and struck out five in 4.1 innings of work. The two teams will meet again on Saturday for game two of three with the first pitch slated for noon.
Auburn Steals Record and Defeats Kentucky
Auburn’s Victoria Draper stole her 34th base of the season to break an Auburn record in a 3-1 triumph over Kentucky Friday night. The Tigers (29-6, 3-4 SEC) earned the victory behind five hits, solid pitching, and defense. Shannon Anderson previously held the Auburn stolen base record which she got in 2004. Makayla Martin improved to 11-3 on the season after tossing 6.1 innings in the circle, while allowing five hits and tallying one strikeout. Kaylee Carlson earned the save. Auburn and Kentucky return to the diamond Saturday night at 8 p.m.
Washington Walks Off Against Arizona
The No. 1 Washington Huskies won a walk-off thriller Friday night, defeating the No. 11 Arizona Wildcats 2-1 in eight innings. Taran Alvelo struck out a career-high 14 batters in the game, while Julia DePonte hit her tenth home run of the season in the eighth to end the game in walk-off fashion. Alvelo came out firing; the junior pitcher retired 13 batters in a row after allowing a leadoff walk. She would not allow a hit until the sixth inning when Arizona hit a one-out home run to take its only lead of the game. Alvelo would end the game allowing only two hits while picking up her 14th win. Game two of the series will take place on Saturday at 3:30 p.m, with the series finale on Sunday at 1:00 pm.
