RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
*** The following report is based on news excerpts released by Virginia Tech and Florida State after last night’s games…
This is why they play the games.
On paper, UCLA was the strong favorite hosting Virginia Tech, especially with Rachel Garcia taking the circle as one of the three finalists for National Player of the Year.
But Thursday evening, the Hokies ignored the fact that UCLA was the #2 seed, is the defending National Champion (2019 as the 2020 season was cancelled because of COVID) and Garcia was the National Player of the Year that season as well, as the ACC squad—which made it out of the Tempe Regional as an unseeded team— took down No. 2 UCLA 7-2 to go up 1-0 in its NCAA Super Regional.
The Hokies (37-13) handed the Bruins (44-5) just their fifth loss of the season and first of the 2021 NCAA Tournament behind Keely Rochard’s (29-8) three-hitter. With the win, the Hokies are one win away from reaching the Women’s College World Series for the second time in program history (2008).
And with a loss in either of the next two contests, UCLA will not have a chance to defend its exciting 2019 World Series win over Oklahoma, which this year is the #1 seed.
Rochard, a junior, took a perfect game into the fifth inning and closed out Thursday’s win after allowing just two runs to the 2019 national champions.
Tech had another monster outing at the plate, putting up seven runs on 11 hits and handing Bruins’ star pitcher (16-1) her first loss of the season.
Catch the highlights of our Game 1 win in LA last night 👏#ThisIsHome | #Hokies 🦃
pic.twitter.com/VqQruNSTwZ— Virginia Tech Softball (@HokiesSoftball) May 28, 2021
Kelsey Bennett started the Hokies’ night with a two-run triple in the top of the first and they never looked back. Freshman Cameron Fagan led the team with three hits and tied Bennett with a game-high two runs batted in.
After Kelsey Brown and Fagan led the game off with two infield singles, Bennett crushed a ball into right-center field and legged out her third triple of the season. Given a 2-0 lead, Rochard came out dealing, striking out the first six UCLA batters and retiring 13 Bruins in a row to start the game.
Rochard recorded 12 strikeouts Thursday night, her 15th double-digit strikeout game of the season.
*****
In Baton Rouge, the Seminoles (43-10-1) defeated No. 7 LSU (35-21) 1-0 in a pitchers’ duel led by Kathryn Sandercock and the FSU defense.
Sandercock pitched her ninth complete game and second in a row as she only allowed two hits and no runs with two strikeouts.
The redshirt sophomore from McLean, Virginia faced the minimum through three innings before allowing her first hit in the fourth.
Florida State had four hits through five innings but it was not until the sixth that the Seminole offense got on the board.
Sydney Sherrill led off the sixth with a single through the right side on a 1-2 count. Kalei Harding singled to centerfield putting runners on the corners with no outs for Cassidy Davis.
Davis sent one to right field just deep enough to score Sherrill from third for a sacrifice fly and Davis’s 27th RBI of the year.
📼 SUPER REGIONALS HIGHLIGHTS: (10) @FSU_Softball defeats (7) @LSUsoftball, 1-0, in game one of the Baton Rouge Super Regional.#RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/sa7MPCTHgh
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) May 28, 2021
*****
This weekend’s Super Regionals schedule:
Norman Super Regional — May 28-30, 2021
No. 1 Oklahoma vs. Washington | 3 p.m. Friday | ESPN2
No. 1 Oklahoma vs. Washington | 3 p.m. Saturday | ABC
No. 1 Oklahoma vs. Washington | 4 p.m. Sunday | ESPN
Columbia Regional — May 28-30, 2021
No. 8 Missouri vs. James Madison | 9 p.m. Friday | ESPNU
No. 8 Missouri vs. James Madison | 7 p.m. Saturday | ESPNU
No. 8 Missouri vs. James Madison | 12 or 2 p.m. | TBD
Stillwater Super Regional — May 28-30, 2021
No. 5 Oklahoma State vs. Texas | 5 p.m. Friday | ESPN2
No. 5 Oklahoma State vs. Texas | 4 p.m. Saturday | ESPN
No. 5 Oklahoma State vs. Texas | 6 p.m. Sunday | ESPNU
Gainesville Super Regional — May 28-30, 2021
No. 4 Florida vs. Georgia | 5 p.m. Friday | ESPNU
No. 4 Florida vs. Georgia | 12 p.m. Saturday | ESPN
No. 4 Florida vs. Georgia | 12 p.m. Sunday | ESPN
Tuscaloosa Super Regional — May 28-30, 2021
No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 14 Kentucky | 1 p.m. Friday | ESPN2
No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 14 Kentucky | 2 p.m. Saturday | ESPN
No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 14 Kentucky | 4 p.m. | ESPNU
Fayetteville Super Regional — May 28-30, 2021
No. 6 Arkansas vs. No. 11 Arizona | 7 p.m. Friday | ESPNU
No. 6 Arkansas vs. No. 11 Arizona | 5 p.m. Saturday | ESPN2
No. 6 Arkansas vs. No. 11 Arizona | 9 p.m. Sunday | ESPN2
Baton Rouge Super Regional — May 27-29, 2021
Florida State 1, LSU 0
No. 7 LSU vs. No. 10 Florida State | 7 p.m. Friday | ESPN2
No. 7 LSU vs. No. 10 Florida State | 7 p.m. Saturday | ESPN2
Los Angeles Super Regional — May 27-29, 2021
Virginia Tech 7, UCLA 2
No. 2 UCLA vs. Virginia Tech | 9:30 p.m. Friday | ESPN2
No. 2 UCLA vs. Virginia Tech | 9:30 p.m. Saturday | ESPN2