Even with weather conditions cancelling and threatening games in different parts of the country, there was still a lot of softball on Saturday’s slate. In case you missed anything, never fear – the Terrific Ten is the best place to get caught up on the best highlights from Saturday’s college softball action!
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1. Stanford’s Sorcery in the Circle
Regan Krause’s no-hitter on Friday night was impressive in its own right, but as it turns out, that was just the opening act for Stanford’s pitching staff. On Saturday, staff ace Alana Vawter recorded her first-career perfect game in a 5-inning affair against Fresno State. In the nightcap on Saturday, Molly Millar got the ball in the circle. Want to guess how many hits she gave up?
If your answer was “none”, then you’re a winner! And so was Millar, earning the W and throwing the Cardinal’s third consecutive hitless shutout. With the trio of back-to-back-to-back affairs, it’s the first time in Stanford program history that multiple pitchers have combined to accomplish the feat.
2. Shelbi Sunseri’s Power Show
Sunseri’s work at the plate and in the circle were difference-makers for her LSU Tigers on Saturday. Solely a hitter in the day’s opening game, Sunseri hit a 2-run home run in the fourth inning that sealed a run-rule win for the Tigers, also working a walk in the game. She put both her arm and bat to work in the nightcap, an extra-inning game against Drake. A home run in the fourth inning of that game opened the scoring for LSU, and her solo shot in the tenth inning gave the Tigers a walk-off victory. In addition to providing most of the team’s offense against Drake, Sunseri threw a complete game in the circle, notching an even 10 innings of work, allowing three hits and two runs – neither of them earned – with eleven strikeouts to her credit.
3. Don’t judge Tennessee on just two “L”s
Tennessee took two losses on Saturday at the Mary Nutter, but look a bit behind the final score and the Lady Vols deserve some praise for hanging in with tough opponents. First, the Lady Vols took top-ranked Oklahoma to extra innings, scoring six runs off freshman sensation Jordy Bahl and scoring in the 7th, 9th, and 10th innings, keeping their offense going throughout the affair. OU scored twice in the bottom of the 10th to win the game, but the Lady Vols put together an impressive effort, despite striking out 16 times against Bahl.
The tale of the tape was very similar in the Lady Vols’ second game of the day against UCLA; despite striking out eighteen times against UCLA pitcher Megan Faraimo, the Lady Vols took the Bruins to extra innings in a much lower-scoring affair. A 1-1 game after regulation, a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8th gave UCLA the victory; Tennessee ace pitcher Ashley Rogers took both losses on the day after entering both games in relief.
4. Missouri back on track
After an uncharacteristically-slow start to the season, Mizzou arrived at the Mary Nutter Classic looking to remind people why they belong in the top-tier conversation. After two wins on Friday, the Tigers raised some eyebrows – after another pair of wins on Saturday, they’re right back where they started the year. Saturday’s action including an extra-inning defeat of San Diego State, but the piece de resistance for the Tigers was a run-rule, shutout win over Washington and Gabbie Plain. The Tigers scored seven runs in 3.1 innings on Plain, then added three more against reliever Pat Moore to secure the five-inning victory. Laurin Krings went the distance in the circle for the Tigers, allowing just one hit to the Washington offense.
5. Northwestern Slays Giants, then Falters
Don’t look now, but Northwestern is really something this year. Not only that, the team’s hearty crop of veterans has them in good position to fight for victories, including comeback efforts that have become their theme at the Mary Nutter Classic this weekend. The Wildcats were 1-1 on Saturday, including a 1-0 shutout win over Washington that marked the Cats’ third victory over a PAC-12 program through three weeks of the season.
In a game against Cal State Fullerton, the Cats gave up a 7-spot in the top of the first inning that put them sturdily behind the 8-ball before they even picked up their bats. A comeback effort ensued, with two runs in the bottom of the first and five runs in the fifth. Both teams scored in the 7th inning, but the Cats came away one run shy and took the loss.
Despite earning their third loss of the season, the Cats have been really impressive for the third weekend in a row to start the year and their competitive fire is proving itself very handy already.
6. A Shocking Saturday
Wichita State’s offense was clicking on all cylinders on Saturday, including red-hot days at the plate from quite a few members of the Shocker roster. In a game against Minnesota to open the day, the Shockers put together twelve hits and four runs, shutting out the Gopher offense and recording a quality Power 5 win for their resume. Addison Barnard hit a home run against the Gophers, and continued clicking at the plate into the nightcap against hosting Charlotte. Avenging a Friday loss to the Niners, the Shockers put ten runs on the Charlotte pitching, including a grand slam off the bat of Barnard. The Shockers collected thirteen hits in the second game of the day, including multi-hit performances from Sydney McKinney, Barnard, Zoe Jones, Lauren Mills, and Krystin Nelson.
After a Sunday rainout, the Shockers ended the weekend 3-1 with the Friday loss to Charlotte the only blemish on their record.
7. The Wilcox Fam at the Snowman
A special moment at Mississippi State’s “Snowman” tournament, honoring the memory of Alex Wilcox…
https://twitter.com/HailStateSB/status/1497726294666080258
8. A Win That Meant More than a “W” for Central Michigan
Saturday night’s 2-0 victory over Dartmouth meant more than a notch in the win column for Central Michigan. On Friday, the Chippewas were involved in a bus accident after their driver had a medical emergency. The bus went off the road and traveled some 250 yards, narrowly missing everything from trees to poles. No one was seriously hurt, though several players were injured and unable to play on Saturday. “Getting out and playing was the best medicine for us,” head coach McCall Salmon said after the win on Saturday night.
9. Kayla Kowalik, Record Breaker
Kayla Kowalik has been a creature of havoc since she got to Kentucky, and she set a program record on Saturday that underscores that. Kowalik scored the 174th run of her career on Saturday, setting a new career mark in Wildcat program lore. Kowalik nearly doubled her scoring total last season, scoring 77 runs on the year, and has scored seventeen times this year.
10. We love defense!
https://twitter.com/NCAASoftball/status/1497957593163223040
