5 Things You May Have Missed in College Softball Saturday
Conference play has officially kicked off throughout DI College Softball across the country. Below are five things that stood out to us at FPN, that you may have missed from Saturday play.
Seminoles Extend ACC Win-Streak
After posting an early 2-0 advantage in the first inning, No. 12 Florida State (28-6, 8-0 ACC) led the entire game as the Noles posted a 4-2 win over Georgia Tech (19-14, 5-3 ACC) on Saturday afternoon at Shirley Clements Mewborn Field. The win extended FSU’s ACC winning streak to 34 games, which is tied with Texas State for the sixth-longest conference winning streak in NCAA history as the Bobcats won 34 straight Southland Conference games from 2000-02. Jessie Warren knocked in another RBI bringing her career total to 241, moving her into a tie for 20th in NCAA history with a pair of Tennessee players – Tonya Callahan (2005-08) and current Volunteer shortstop Meghan Gregg. The FSU-GT series wraps up on Sunday, April 1 at 1:00 p.m.
Fresno State Pitcher Tosses No-Hitter
Freshman Danielle East threw her first career no-hitter, recording all 15 outs via strikeout as Fresno State beat New Mexico, 10-0, in five innings on Saturday afternoon. East threw the 74th no-hitter in program history, but it’s believed to be the first in which every out was a strikeout. New Mexico did not put a ball in play as the only Lobo baserunners came on one walk and one hit batter. On offense, Hayleigh Galvan extended her team season-long hitting streak to 15 straight games after producing two more hits on Saturday. She is hitting .529 with a .636 on-base percentage through six MW games. Up next, the Bulldogs will play two non-conference games this upcoming week at Stanford on Tuesday and Santa Clara on Wednesday.
Aggies Outduel South Carolina
The No. 11 Texas A&M softball team defeated No. 8 South Carolina, 2-1, in a pitcher’s duel Saturday at the Aggie Softball Complex. Aggie starter Samantha Show (10-3) was awarded the win, throwing her ninth complete game of the season, only allowing one run and four hits while striking out seven. The junior only allowed four batters to touch second base and threw a strikeout in every inning. Offensively for Texas A&M (32-7, 5-3 SEC), Sarah Hudek was the deciding factor for the Aggies with her two-run home run in the first inning, her fourth of the season. Three of the Aggies’ six hits came in the first inning, and both runs were plated in the first two at-bats of the game. The top four hitters in the Aggie lineup accounted for all six hits, going 6-for-12 on the day. Tori Vidales had herself a perfect day for the Aggies going 3-for-3, all of which were singles. The Aggies will go for the sweep against South Carolina on Sunday.
Gregg Secures Tennessee RBI Record
Tennessee earned a 1-0 walk-off due to hit-by-pitch victory against Georgia on Saturday in the series opener. Lady Vol senior shortstop Meghan Gregg was the player hit by the pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the 1-0 victory. It was also in that instance that Gregg became the program’s career RBI leader. The RBI was the 241st of Gregg’s career to surpass Tonya Callahan, who collected her 240 RBIs at UT from 2005-08 while helping the Lady Vols reach the Women’s College World Series three straight times. Gregg remains two home runs away from breaking Callahan’s career record of 51. Callahan and Gregg share many accolades, both were named a first-team All-American, SEC Player of the Year, and were Top 3 finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year. Tennessee and Georgia will face off again on Sunday with the first pitch slated for 6 p.m.; game three will take place on Monday, April 2nd.
Texas State Sweeps Georgia Southern
The No. 23 Texas State softball team (25-8, 8-0 SBC) earned a three-game sweep over Sun Belt Conference opponent Georgia Southern (21-13, 6-6 SBC), after winning the third game of the series 3-0. Bobcat pitcher Randi Rupp continued her dominance in the circle, pitching her fourth complete game shutout of the season. Of the 21 recorded outs for the Bobcats, Rupp sat down 15 Eagle batters via strikeout, matching her career-best. In 14.1 innings of work against the Eagles in the three-game series, Rupp struck out 30 batters, yielded just one run, allowed only five hits and did not issue a walk. Offensively, the hits came early and often for the Bobcats. Texas State registered seven hits in the first three innings of the game but remained scoreless. In total, the Bobcats left 12 batters stranded, compared to just four for the Eagles. Next up, Texas State will host Lamar on Wednesday evening at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
