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The Terrific Ten has you covered on all the best highlights from all the action across college softball on Saturday!
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1. Virginia Tech stormed back and there’s really no better way to put it, as the Hokies pulled off two wins against Clemson in a Saturday doubleheader. After a 5-run, 7th-inning comeback in a weather-postponed game one, the Hokies rode a three-run 4th inning in the second game to officially notch the series win. Lyndsey Grein was solid in the circle, giving up one run on six hits with five strikeouts in the most impressive win of her young career to-date. Cameron Fagan was stellar at the plate for Hokies on Saturday, knocking the 3-run home run that walked off the game one win and going 2-3 at the plate in game two.
2. The pitching matchup of Ashley Rogers and Chenise Delce delivered on Saturday in the series opener between Tennessee and Arkansas. Both pitchers were incredibly effective, with Delce keeping the Lady Vols in the infield for nearly four innings and Rogers throwing a complete game despite a high pitch count. Both pitchers were dominant in the circle through much of the game, with a solo home run by Mackenzie Donihoo then an RBI single and subsequent error that gave Tennessee two runs the only marks against Delce; those latter runs would prove to be the game-deciding scores. An Atalyia Rijo double and Reagan Johnson single that scored Rijo after a replay review were the scoring for Arkansas, the only blemish – and the only two hits – for the Hogs against Rogers.
3. It’s easy to qualify Oklahoma’s continued dominance because it’s just par for the course for the Sooners at this point, but Saturday’s win over Kansas had extra implications, as OU officially clinched the Big 12 regular-season title. The Sooners did it in style, with Nicole May and Kierston Deal combining for a no-hitter in the circle and the OU offense wasted no time getting started, riding an 8-run first inning and never missing a beat at the plate. Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, and Grace Green hit home runs in the game.
4. LSU and Alabama is always can’t-miss softball, and the same held true on Saturday, with the Tigers evening the series on the back of a 6-1 victory in Tuscaloosa. A day after being shutout by the Crimson Tide, LSU came out of the gate swinging, scoring four runs in the first inning and chasing Bama starter Lauren Esman from the circle mid-frame. Mackenzie Redoutey had quite the day at the plate, going 3-4 with a pair of 2-RBI singles to her credit. The Tigers’ offense collected ten hits in total, with Ciara Briggs and Ali Newland joining Redoutey in notching multi-hit games. Ali Kilponen threw a gem from the circle for the Tigers, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out three.
5. One day after lambasting Nebraska in an offensive onslaught, Northwestern showed that they can win close games, too, as the Wildcats took home an 8-6 win over the Huskers in nine innings. The teams traded scoring and Nebraska took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th inning. Northwestern scored four runs in that frame, and pinch hitter Lauren Sciborski was the big hero, coming in with a bases-clearing double that tied the game and sent it to extras. In the 9th inning, it was Kansas Robinson who hit a 2-run home run that gave the Wildcats the walk-off victory and the series win.