Courtesy of the Pac-12
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference office announced the softball weekly honors for play from Mar. 2-8. UCLA’s Delaney Spaulding was voted Player of the Week, while fellow Bruin Ally Carda was named Pitcher of the Week and ARIZONA STATE’s Breanna Macha was named Freshman of the Week.
Spaulding (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) had an outstanding weekend at the plate at the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament as UCLA went 6-0, recording nine hits in 16 at-bats for a .562 batting average, adding three home runs, 10 runs batted in and eight runs scored. She also posted three doubles, four walks, three stolen bases, a .650 on-base percentage and a 1.312 slugging percentage. Spaulding had a hit in all six Bruin victories, an RBI and a run in five of the six, and a home run in three. She had multi-hit games three times, twice against Providence and once against Illinois.
Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.) did not allow a run in 17.0 innings of work at the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament, punctuated by her second no-hitter of the season against Illinois on Friday. She struck out 32 batters over her three victories, allowing just four hits and six walks. Her no-hitter against Illinois saw her strike out nine in five innings with just three walks, including 1-2-3 innings in the second, fourth and fifth. Carda became the 14th Bruin to throw at least three career no-hitters and the first Bruin since 2013 to throw at least two in one season. She followed with a career high in strikeouts the next night with 14 against UC Davis, then posted another shutout victory on Sunday with nine strikeouts against Providence.
Macha (Mesa, Ariz.) helped the Sun Devils to a 4-1 record at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton this past weekend, earning two wins against top-10 ranked opponents as well as one save. She opened the classic with a complete-game, extra-inning, 2-0 shutout of the No. 2 Wolverines, marking the first time Michigan had been shut out so far this season. She struck out five in the upset win, allowing just one walk and five hits. The true freshman then picked up another win against No. 10 Baylor, throwing two strikeouts in the 8-2 win with just two earned runs, eight hits and two walks. Macha pitched two innings of relief against San Jose State with two strikeouts for a save, before pitching 6.0 innings and tossing six K’s in the loss to No. 18 Auburn. Overall, Macha struck out 15 batters on the weekend in 23.0 innings pitched with a 2.43 earned run average.
It is the first-career weekly selection for Spaulding, while Carda picks up her fourth-career weekly honor. The duo gives UCLA 134 all-time selections. Macha’s honor is her first and the 84th all-time for the Sun Devils.
The Bruins host Baylor in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, Mar. 10, before opening up Pac-12 play on Friday, Mar. 13 with a three-game series at home against Utah. The Sun Devils kick off their conference slate with a three-game series at Washington also beginning Friday. For more information, including a full schedule, visit www.pac-12.com.
