The Terrific Ten has you covered on all the best highlights from all the action across college softball on Wednesday!
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1. Perfection in the MAC
Ball State completed a 3-game series sweep of Western Michigan on Wednesday at home, and the Cardinals punctuated the series in style as freshman pitcher Angelina Russo threw a perfect game in the series finale, striking out ten WMU hitters and never allowing a ball to leave the infield. Russo struck out eight of the first nine hitters that she faced in the game en route to the first-ever perfect game in Ball State program history.
The win was Russo’s 9th of the season and the ten strikeouts in the game marked a career high.
2. A big doubleheader in the B1G
For a Wednesday in the middle of April, the gravity of Northwestern and Illinois’ doubleheader was ridiculously understated. The Wildcats, who have been one of the nation’s best teams this year, and the Illini are two of the upper-tier squads in the B1G this season and for two games to be hidden in midweek action was more than a little ridiculous, thanks to the Big Ten’s scheduling quirks.
That said, the matchup absolutely delivered as expected. Northwestern took a 3-0 victory in the first game of the day, buoyed by a Hannah Cady 2-RBI double and a 2-hit, 12-strikeout performance in the circle by Danielle Williams.
In the second game of the day, though, it was all Illinois. Facing the back end of the Wildcat bullpen, the Illini picked up the 8-0 win in the doubleheader finale. Four Illini hitters recorded multi-hit performances in the game, while Megan Ward finished 2-3 with three RBIs to place the Illini in that category. Bella Loya added a solo home run in the third inning that proved to be the decisive, run-rule-deciding final run.
3. Kentucky survives Eastern Kentucky
Survival, a rescue, a necessary last-ditch effort… however you describe Kentucky’s comeback win over Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday night, the Cats had to claw their way back from a surprising deficit. Miranda Stoddard’s three-run home run in the seventh inning gave Kentucky a lead they would not relinquish and completed the comeback from a deficit that at one point saw the Cats five runs down.
Kentucky scored the first runs of the ballgame in the second inning before EKU scored seven unanswered. UK began to claw back in the sixth inning with a 3-run home run from Taylor Ebbs, before a single and error started the UK scoring in the seventh and Stoddard’s big blast put the lead back in UK’s favor.
Tatum Spangler earned the win in the circle for the Wildcats, throwing 4.2 innings of one-hit relief, allowing one run and striking out seven.
4. Kirby’s quality start and a big inning buoy Liberty to a win over Duke
With the hot-streaking Duke Blue Devils in Lynchburg for a single game against Liberty, the game promised to be a good one and that’s exactly what it was. Liberty rode the arm of Emily Kirby and a big sixth inning offensive rally to an 8-3 win over the Blue Devils.
Liberty scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, while Kristina Foreman contributed all three RBIs for Duke on the day, including a solo home run. The sixth inning was where the real magic happened for Liberty – the Flames scored five runs in the frame, forcing a pair of Duke pitching changes, and ultimately collecting the runs that would make up the final margin of victory.
In the circle, Kirby was solid for Liberty, allowing just one earned run and four hits, striking out nine batters.
5. Virginia Tech breaks a 14-year losing streak
Prior to Wednesday night, Virginia Tech had not beaten Tennessee since 2008. Separated by just a few-hours’ drive, the two teams have matched up often in the years since, but the Lady Vols have emerged victorious each time. On Wednesday, though, it was the Hokies’ time.
In their 11th win over a ranked opponent on the year, the Hokies earned a 5-2 victory over Tennessee on Rocky Top, taking the W despite being outhit by the Lady Vols. Emma Lemley and Keely Rochard combined for the win in the circle, with Lemley earning her 13th win of the year and Rochard her fifth save of the season. Bre Peck and Jayme Bailey both contributed 2-run home runs on the offensive side for the Hokies, while Meredith Slaw continued her recent torridly-hot streak with a 2-3 performance and an RBI.
