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The Terrific Ten has you covered on all the best highlights from all the action across college softball on Thursday!
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1. A slugfest in Lynchburg
After Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Liberty and forced the Flames’ starting pitcher out of the game in the opening frame, it looked like it could be a long day in Lynchburg. While the game ultimately checked in at just shy of three hours in length, things got much more interesting along the way.
Arkansas scored thirteen runs in the first three innings, walloping the Liberty pitching staff left and right. Liberty scored four on a grand slam by Rachel Craine in the second inning and came back with two in the fourth and two in the fifth to keep the run-rule at bay. In total, the teams combined for 23 runs and 23 hits, while Arkansas made three errors in the field. There were five home runs in the game, two by Arkansas and three by Liberty, including a grand slam for each team.
The teams combined to use eight pitchers in the game, with Mary Haff earning the win for Arkansas in an unexpected relief appearance,.
2. Houston, Boise State split two games
Boise State put together an impressive comeback effort in game one of a doubleheader, after being down 4-0 to start the game. An Alison Seng 2-run home run in the fourth got the Broncos on the board, then two more runs scored in the fifth inning to tie the game. The Broncos broke it open with three runs in the sixth inning, including a 2-run home run from Serena Hutchingson, to record the win.
In game two of the doubleheader, it was the Broncos who scored first and the Cougars who made a comeback. After a 2-2 tie sent the game into extra innings, an obstruction call led to a lengthy delay that included the appearance of a rule book and a phone conversation to confirm a ruling. After the obstructed runner remained at second base, the Cougars loaded the bases and then it was Britaney Shaw’s time and she did… this:
.@brit_aney CALLED GAME!!!!!!!!!! #SCTop10 #D1Top10 pic.twitter.com/ujp1nBTR9t
— Houston Softball (@UHCougarSB) March 11, 2022
3. Jocelyn Alo finally got some pitches to hit – but no home run, yet
Baylor was not afraid to pitch to Jocelyn Alo, so the Oklahoma slugger finally got a chance to swing the bat after taking quite a few walks over his team’s last several games. Alo responded by going 2-3 at the plate, but did not hit her 96th career home run. Instead, Alo recorded a 3-RBI double and also scored two runs in the Sooners’ run-rule-shortened affair. Alo did earn one walk against the Bears, and her lone out was a hard-hit ball right at the defender.
The Sooners will play Cal and Hawaii in a doubleheader on Friday.
4. Hannah Ross was perfect
A stellar performance against UT-Martin on Thursday put Hannah Ross into elite company. Only the third Illinois State pitcher to ever throw a perfect game, Ross dominated the UTM bats and her team backed her up with a walk-off win over the Skyhawks. Ross was sensational in the outing, recording five strikeouts and not allowing a base runner. She had also pitched one inning in game one of the doubleheader and collected an additional two strikeouts then. The perfect game was the first for the ISU program since 2011 and just the third since 1990.
5. Offensive power shows for Arizona State, Oklahoma State
Out in the desert, Arizona State made quick work of BYU, dispatching the Cougars in an 8-0 run-rule-shortened affair. The Sun Devils scored four runs in the first inning and four in the fifth inning to record the run-rule, their offense buoyed by a pair of home runs from Yannira Acuna and a walk-off, 3-run shot by Jazmyn Rollin that sealed the deal. Pitcher Mac Morgan recorded six strikeouts and allowed two hits in five innings of work.
In Memphis, the Oklahoma State Cowgirls didn’t have any hangovers from their late-night travel after sweeping Minnesota on Wednesday. The Cowgirls put ten runs on Memphis, buoyed by home runs from Hayley Busby, Morgan Wynne, and Sydney Pennington. Pennington continued her hot streak with her third home run in two days, while eight Cowgirls scored at least one run in the game and six Cowgirls drove in at least one run in the affair. Morgan Day recorded eight strikeouts in four innings of work in the run-rule-shortened game.