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. It was quite a day for the Oregono Ducks, with a pair of wins over SEC foes Florida and Missouri. The Ducks shut-out Florida in a run-rule win, 8-0, before besting Missouri in a tighter matchup, 6-4. The Ducks’ offense was clicking on all cylinders on Saturday, while their pitching performed when called upon. The pair of victories marked three straight wins over top-25 teams for the Ducks, joining Friday’s win over Northwestern.
2. Cal State Fullerton joined the Gator-hunting party, adding another impressive victory to their resume with a win of their own over Florida. The Titans pulled out the 5-4 win in eight innings, moving their record against SEC opponents to 3-0 on the year. Haley Rainey and Raci Miranda combined for a solid showing in the circle, while Hannah Becerra notched a 2-4 day at the plate with two home runs and four RBIs.
3. After scheduling an impromptu 3-game series against Iowa State in lieu of traveling to the weather-threatened Mary Nutter Classic, Arizona State finished off a sweep of visiting ISU on Saturday, winning a pair of games over the Cyclones. Jordyn VanHook, one of the season’s early breakout stars, hit three home runs in Saturday’s doubleheader, including a pair of longballs that accounted for three RBIs in the series finale.
4. Maddie Penta was lights-out in the circle for Auburn on Saturday, as per usual, and notched her third career no-hitter against North Dakota State. Penta collected seven strikeouts in the game and was one hit-by-pitch away from a perfect game. Her Tigers scored four runs in the 4th inning and walked the game off with five runs in the 6th inning to record the run-rule win.
5. UConn pitcher Payton Kinney was lights-out against UNC Greensboro on Saturday, setting a new career high in strikeouts and shutting out the hosting Spartans. Kinney allowed just one hit and gave up four walks, but struck out fourteen UNCG batters en route to her first win of the season. Prior to Saturday’s outing, Kinney had reached double-digit strikeouts just once in her career, nearly two years earlier in early March 2021.
