The Terrific Ten has you covered on all the best highlights from all the action across college softball on Friday!
*****
1. Let’s start with an upset of monumental proportions in Tuscaloosa. The Lehigh Mountain Hawks had won once already on Friday and were the season-opening salvo against hosting Alabama. The last time that Alabama took to the field in Tuscaloosa, they were upset on their home field in the regional against Stanford. On Friday, a result of even more drastic proportion followed. A 4-4 game entering the 7th inning, Lehigh’s Emily Cimino hit a 3-run double off of Montana Fouts, on in relief, that cleared the bases and gave Lehigh a 7-4 lead. That would wind up as the final score, as the Tide dropped their first game of the year. Cimino recorded five RBIs in the game, outpacing Alabama’s entire offense all on her own.
2. After two low-scoring games to start the year, the Oklahoma offense showed up in a big way against Stanford. A ranked matchup between two teams expected to be Women’s College World Series-contenders, the Sooners took it to the Cardinal like they had not done thus-far this season. The Cardinal scored once, the first team to score against OU this year, but Oklahoma scored ten runs, including a Haley Lee 2-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning that clinched the run-rule win. The Sooners have “only” outscored opponents 15-1 through their first three games.
Quite the crowd also showed up for the game:
So, about last night… 🤩
If you’ve never attended a game in Norman it’s really difficult to prepare yourself for what the @OU_Softball experience is like. Getting to share that with fans of all ages for the first time is pretty special. #Sooners pic.twitter.com/K13vJTC9OG— Taylor Maples (@t_maples) February 11, 2023
3. In a busy, headline-filled first weekend, Friday brought a number of upset wins across the nation. UT-Arlington bested Texas Tech in what was a battle of former Texas A&M assistant coaches between UTA head coach Kara Dill and TTU leader Craig Snider. Other upsets included South Dakota State with a 1-0 shutout win over Nebraska and an Omaha 5-1 against Iowa State.
4. On a Wichita State offense full of power, Lauren Lucas was Friday’s standout. Lucas was a perfect 4-4 in a game against Villanova, hitting a home run and notching six RBIs on the day. She set a career high in both hits and RBIs in the game and tied a career single-game high with two doubles.
5. Georgia slugger Jayda Kearney did not waste time showing off her heavy bat on Friday. Facing off against Big 10 foe Ohio State to start the day, Kearney hit not one, not two, but three longballs, including one that cleared the scoreboard at the UCF Softball Complex. Kearney was seeing the ball impressively well and led the way in a Bulldog power show that stretched across both of the teams’ games on the day.
