College Softball Weekend Recap
Another weekend of college softball is in the books. This weekend brought many conference rival series to the playing field. There were new coaching milestones met, record books re-written, standout pitching performances, outstanding offensive numbers, and extra-inning team victories. Below are five things that stood out to us at FPN, that you may have missed in college softball this past weekend.
Gators Clinch Fifth Consecutive Conference Series
The fifth-ranked Florida softball rallied in the fifth to defeat No. 14 LSU, 5-3, and clinch the series Sunday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. UF has now won five consecutive Southeastern Conference series. Amanda Lorenz provided the heroics in the comeback effort with a three-run triple to tie the game in the fifth and finished going 2-for-3 at the plate. Starting pitcher Kelly Barnhill (24-1) tallied 14 strikeouts for her 15th game of 10 or more strikeouts. The Gators (44-8, 17-4 SEC) rallied after the team fell behind 3-0 in the top of the fifth thanks to Lorenz’s clutch bases-clearing triple to tie the game 3-3. LSU (37-13, 10-10 SEC) went to the bullpen, but a one-out walk to Hannah Adams set the table for Lorenz’s game-tying triple. Nicole DeWitt provided the knockout blow after she followed up with an RBI single to right field that scored Lorenz from third. Next up for the Gators is a trip to Missouri to close out the regular season against the Tigers. The series is slated to start Friday, May 4.
Texas A&M Completes Sweep of Auburn
The 14th-ranked Texas A&M softball team completed the sweep of No. 9 Auburn with a 7-1 win Sunday afternoon at Davis Diamond. Senior Tori Vidales hit two home runs in the victory. The first home run was the first homer in Davis Diamond history and was the 60th of Vidales career. The home run pushed the senior past Megan Gibson (443) to become the Texas A&M all-time leader in total bases. Fellow senior Lexi Smith (9-2) started in the circle for Texas A&M. She worked into the seventh, fanning three, yielding six hits and not allowing any walks. In the seventh, she threw one pitch before Peyton McBride came in to get the final three outs. Texas A&M will return to action for a three game series at Alabama beginning on Friday.
Oregon Sweeps Washington
The No. 2 ranked Oregon softball team used a big third inning to defeat No. 3 Washington, 5-3, on Sunday afternoon to sweep the three-game series in Seattle. The Ducks (41-7, 15-3 Pac-12) have swept the Huskies three times over the last five seasons, including twice at Husky Softball Stadium. With the win, the Ducks are now tied for first place in the Pac-12 with No. 1 ranked UCLA. Both teams are 15-3 in league play. Oregon has a home series with Utah and road trip to California left this season while the Bruins still need to play Cal on the road and No. 8 Arizona State at home. The Ducks return to Eugene for the final home series of the regular season. Oregon hosts Utah for a three-game series starting Friday at The Jane.
Oklahoma Walks Off in Game Three to Secure the Sweep
Trailing twice in the series finale, the No. 4 Oklahoma softball team used four home runs and a walk-off single to take down Texas 5-4 in eight innings Sunday afternoon at Marita Hynes Field. Freshman Jocelyn Alo homered twice in the contest while Shay Knighten and Nicole Pendley both registered solo shots. Lea Wodach delivered the game-winning single, drilling a base hit through the left side that brought Pendley home from third. The Sooners (44-3 overall) remained undefeated in Big 12 play, extending their program-best conference start to 15-0. OU has now won 27 consecutive home games dating back to 2017, a streak that ranks fourth in program history, and 22 straight Big 12 games, good for second-best in school history. With the win on Sunday, the Sooners clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title. One win in the Oklahoma State series would give OU the title outright.
Michigan Wins Series Against Indiana
Sophomore third baseman Madison Uden used a two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to break open a scoreless game and push the No. 15-ranked University of Michigan softball team to a 2-0 victory over Indiana on Sunday afternoon (April 29) at the Hoosiers’ Andy Mohr Field. It was Uden’s older sister, Taylor, that played the hero in extra-innings for the Hoosiers Saturday (April 28) when she knocked out a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. Madison responded in kind with two on and two outs in the ninth Sunday. The Wolverines took the rubber match to claim the series and stay atop the Big Ten Conference standings. Michigan (40-8, 15-2 Big Ten) will kick off a busy five-game week at home on Tuesday (May 1), hosting Western Michigan for its last non-conference slate of the regular season at 6 p.m. at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field.
