Category: Softball

WATCH: Elissa Brown makes incredible diving catch look easy

Alabama centerfielder Elissa Brown is no stranger to making flashy plays and showing off her speed. Last night she did both while diving …

Alabama softball outfielder Elissa Brown is no stranger to making flashy plays, she’s even been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportCenter’s Top-10.’ Well, last night, she may have herself another one.

With the Crimson Tide up over Ole Miss 11-6, a low-lying fly ball was sent out to left-center field. Brown made the speedy trip over and made a beautiful diving catch to end the inning.

Alabama is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, and has an overall record of 41-7.

So far, the Crimson Tide have taken two of three games from Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa. They will look to go for the sweep tonight in their final regular season series before heading into the SEC Tournament.

Ohio State softball takes a pair from Illinois

Thanks to a lot of offense and stellar pitching, Ohio State softball took both games of a Friday doubleheader against the Fighting Illini.

It’s been an up and down year for the Ohio State softball team so far in 2021, but it’s off to a great start to Mother’s Day Weekend. That’s because the lady Buckeyes took two road contests from an Illinois team that is a few games up on them in the Big Ten standings.

OSU took care of game one on Friday night by breaking out the bats big time. All told, the Buckeyes pounded out 12 runs on nine hits. Most of that came in a firework-filled fourth inning that saw 11 runs cross the plate on seven hits. It was the most runs scored in one inning by OSU since it plated 12 in the first inning against Indiana in the 2015 Big Ten Tournament.

And while the offense stole the show, the pitching locked things up with a shoutout on just three hits behind Payton Buresch.

The pitching was fantastic again during game two for the Bucks. Allison Smith sat nine Illini hitters down via the strikeout and gave up just one run and three hits in a complete-game effort.

On offense, Ohio State got all they needed in the second inning. a walk by Niki Carver was followed by a single by Meggie Otte to put two runners on with nobody out. The next batter, Carley Gaskill, sacrificed both runners over, putting them at second and third for Taylor Pack.

Pack grounded out to second but the first run of the game came in as Carver scored. A pitch later, Megan McMenemy hit a three-run bomb to make it 3-0. OSU would score one more on a passed ball in the inning, then added one more run on a bases-loaded walk in the fourth to round out the scoring.

With the two wins, Ohio State improved its record to 20-17 on the season to move into a tie for sixth place in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes will be back at it again with another doubleheader against Illinois tomorrow.

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No. 1 Oklahoma softball suffers their second loss of the season 6-4 in Bedlam

No. 1 Oklahoma softball suffered their second loss of the season on Friday night falling in the Bedlam opener 6-4 to No. 7/9 Oklahoma State.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball began their biggest series of the season on Friday night in Stillwater for Bedlam against No. 7/9 Oklahoma State. The winner of the series will be the Big 12 regular season champions, which adds a whole extra layer of drama to an already intense series between two good teams and in-state rivals.

Getting the start for the Sooners was Giselle Juarez (15-1) who had a very rare clunker, allowing five runs and only being able to work into the third inning. Friday would mark her first loss of the entire season.

Oklahoma was the team to jump out early, though, with center fielder Jayda Coleman connecting on a two-run home run in the second to put the Sooners ahead 2-0. Then, after the Cowgirls got a run back on a homer of their own in the bottom half of the inning, left fielder Jocelyn Alo hit a mammoth two-run blast in the third to push the lead to three runs at 4-1. Patty Gasso’s club, seemingly, was in total control.

But, momentum would shift heavily to the Oklahoma State dugout in the bottom of the third as the Cowgirls hit two two-run home runs off of Juarez to give the Pokes their first lead of the night at 5-4. From there, the Sooners’ bats went stunningly silent.

Oklahoma State pitcher Carrie Eberle (19-1) had early struggles allowing the home runs, but from the fourth inning on she was simply nails not allowing another run the rest of the way. The Cowgirls would tack on another run in the fifth, but Eberle wouldn’t need it. She was lock down the rest of the way to help Oklahoma State get the win 6-4.

This is the first win for the Cowgirls in Bedlam softball since April 27, 2011 and snaps the Sooners’ 57-game regular season conference game winning streak. Oklahoma State was game for this challenge, and they responded with a big time win and are now just one more away from claiming a Big 12 title.

Conversely, Oklahoma, now at 40-2 overall and 14-1 in league play, finds themselves needing to win the next two days to win the conference for a ninth consecutive season. The Sooners are, of course, more than capable of doing that. But, this was a legitimate statement from the Pokes in the opener.

Game two of the series will be back in Stillwater on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CT.

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Wild Alabama HS softball game features a combined 91 runs, 65 walks

Things got a little bit crazy when Park Crossing High School and Sidney Lanier High School met on the softball field in Alabama on Wednesday

Things got a little bit crazy when Park Crossing High School and Sidney Lanier High School met on the softball field in Alabama on Wednesday afternoon.

Park Crossing and Sidney Lanier combined for 91 total runs 65 total walks in a 46-45 Park Crossing win in the Alabama Class 6A Area 3 Tournament. Sidney Lanier mustered just five hits on the afternoon, but were the beneficiaries of 42 Park Crossing walks. Park Crossing, meanwhile, came out on top thanks to 15 hits, 23 Sidney Lanier walks and 12 unearned runs.

Sidney Lanier scores 10 or more runs in the fourth and sixth innings and took a 45-42 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but Park Crossing, which scored 11 runs in the first inning and 10 in the fifth and sixth innings, tacked on four more to walk it off with a win.

The game lasted nearly five hours and, according to the Alabama High School Athletic Association, shattered state records in most combined walks (65), most walks on one team (Sidney Lanier 42, Park Crossing 23), most combined hit by pitches (29) and most combined RBIs (68).

RELATED: Alabama HS basketball playoff game ends with 6-4 final score

USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 softball rankings: Week 10

The top high school softball teams in the country as of May 6.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. β€” Seven-time reigning Mississippi state champion Neshoba Central advanced to the Class 5A North State finals and remained No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 for a fifth straight week.

The (27-0) Rockets defeated Grenada twice to run their win streak to 44 games and reach the fourth round of the playoffs. Neshoba will play the winner of a weather-delayed best-of-three series between New Hope and Saltillo this weekend. Saltillo won the first game, 13-4, and can advance with another win later today. The state finals are slated for next weekend at Mississippi State University.

Meanwhile, No. 2 Lake Creek (34-0) overwhelmed Magnolia 39-0 in a pair of Texas playoff contests β€” the first postseason victories for the Lions in school history. Senior Emiley Kennedy fanned 12 in the first game, while sophomore Ava Brown tossed a perfect game in the second, striking out 20 of the 21 batters she faced.

Fifth-ranked Park Vista (25-0), which has won 44 straight games, finally heads back to action today with a Florida playoff matchup against Jupiter, the last team to beat the Cobras back on April 25, 2019.

Elsewhere, New Palestine (19-0) moved up one more place this week after dealing No. 15 Roncalli (15-1) its first loss, 4-0, last Saturday in a showdown of top Indiana programs.

South Carolina’s Byrnes (23-1) and Kentucky’s South Warren (14-0) are the poll newcomers.

State rankings submitted by NFCA member coaches are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule. In 2021, schools that are not competing will not be eligible for the poll.

USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – May 6, 2021

Rank | Team | 2021 Record | Previous Ranking

1. Neshoba Central (Miss.): 27-0 – PR: 1

2. Lake Creek (Texas): 34-0 – PR: 2

3. Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.): 42-2-1 – PR: 3

4. Lakewood Ranch (Fla.): 25-2 – PR: 4

5. Park Vista (Fla.): 25-0 – PR: 5

6. San Antonio Warren (Texas): 24-0 – PR: 6

7. Leander (Texas): 31-0 – PR: 7

8. Clear Springs (Texas): 25-0 – PR: 8

9. Barbe (La.): 31-2 – PR: 9

10. Norco (Calif.): 14-1 – PR: 12

11. St. Amant (La.): 25-3 – PR: 10

12. Marist (Ill.): 18-0 – PR: 13

13. New Palestine (Ind.): 19-0 – PR: 14

14. Keystone (Ohio): 23-1 – PR: 16

15. Roncalli (Ind.): 15-1 – PR: 15

16. Byrnes (S.C.): 23-1 – PR: NR

17. South Warren (Ky.): 14-0 – PR: NR

18. Rocky Mountain (Idaho): 21-1 – PR: 17

19. Lakota West (Ohio): 21-1 – PR: 18

20. Bob Jones (Ala.): 30-4 – PR: 11

21. Barbers Hill (Texas): 31-2 – PR: 21

22. Crown Point (Ind.): 17-2 – PR: 20

23. Alvin (Texas): 24-3 – PR: 23

24. Spain Park (Ala.): 35-5 – PR: 24

25. Trenton (Fla.): 17-1 – PR: 25

Dropped out:

Eastern Alamance (N.C.)

Spanish Fork (Utah)

Learn more about the NFCA.

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No. 1 Oklahoma dominates No. 25 Wichita State in 14-3 run-rule win

No. 1 Oklahoma softball dominated No. 25 Wichita State in a 14-3 run-rule win on Tuesday night to improve to 40-1 on the season.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball returned to action on Tuesday night after a week off to do battle with No. 25 Wichita State at their place in Wichita, Kansas. As have many of the Sooners games have been this year, it wasn’t very competitive.

Getting the start for Oklahoma was Shannon Saile (13-0) who continued her fantastic season with four shutout innings allowing just one hit. The Shockers were unable to muster much of anything against her throughout the evening, only collecting three runs in the fifth inning off of freshman Nicole May.

After an empty opening inning, the Sooners would get the bats going in the second putting up four runs on a bases loaded walk by third baseman Jana Johns, a two-run single by left fielder Mackenzie Donihoo and an RBI knock from second baseman Tiare Jennings.

Oklahoma wouldn’t add in the third but would score two more runs in the fourth highlighted by an RBI double from Jennings to make the score 6-0. The Sooners would then explode in the fifth inning making it a complete laugher with an eight-run frame.

Right fielder Rylie Boone got it started with a run-scoring single followed by an RBI double from Donihoo. Jennings would then knock in two more before shortstop Grace Green put the exclamation point on the evening with a grand slam to make the score 14-0 in favor of Oklahoma.

Wichita State would try to avoid the run-rule in the bottom half of the frame scoring three runs off of May, but that wouldn’t be enough as the Sooners held on to win it 14-3. The win moves them to an absurd 40-1 on the season and is their seventh in a row since taking their first loss of the year to Georgia two weeks ago.

This team continues to make good teams look bad, as the Shockers entered with a very impressive record as a definite NCAA Tournament team coming up later this month. But, like so many others, they were simply no match for Patty Gasso’s incredible club.

Oklahoma will now return to the state of Oklahoma for the remainder of the season, beginning with Bedlam in Stillwater starting on Friday night.

Ducks Diamond Notebook: Two road series bring two series losses for baseball, softball

It was a tough weekend for both the Ducks baseball and softball teams as they both suffered road series losses after hot starts.

The majority of Oregon Ducks fans were focused on two things this weekend: The Spring Game, and the 2021 NFL Draft. While those two things were going on, though, both the baseball and softball teams were on the road, taking part in a couple of series that could be pivotal down the road.

Just because our eyes weren’t directly on them doesn’t mean that we will ignore the outcomes. Here is a quick breakdown of what took place for both teams over the weekend.

Baseball Drops Series to Cougars

The trip up to the Palouse and Washington State started off with a bang but ended on a big fat thud for the Oregon Ducks this past weekend.

Coming off a series win over UCLA that saw the Ducks briefly take over first place in the Pac-12 and a sweep over San Jose State, Oregon was riding sky high before its three-game set with the Cougars.

That momentum carried itself into the first game with a dominating 13-0 win over WSU. Unfortunately, Robert Ahlstrom’s excellent start wasn’t repeated on Saturday or Sunday with losses of 11-1 and 11-6, respectively.

In that opener, the Ducks bats stayed alive and they knocked starter Brandon White around. Oregon forced WSU to yank him out in the third inning with five runs to go up 5-0 early. White was finally taken out in the fourth when he gave up a double and a walk to begin the fourth.

The Ducks eventually went up 7-0 before Aaron Zavala’s home run made it 9-0 in the sixth and then Kenyon Yovan put the game away with a three-run blast to make it 12-0 in the seventh.

Ahlstrom was dominating through seven innings, scattering six hits and striking out six to improve his record to 4-3 on the season.

But the Oregon offense was shut down in Game 2 when Cougar hurler threw 7 2/3 stellar innings, giving up just a run on four hits with six strikeouts. It just wasn’t Cullen Kafka’s night as he allowed four homers in the loss.

Hoping to still win the series on Sunday, the Ducks went with Brett Walker on the hill, but after being staked to an early 2-0 lead, Walker allowed three runs in three innings. Nico Tellache had his roughest outing of the season, giving up five runs and getting just one out before being pulled.

The Ducks are now 27-11 overall and 11-7 in conference play. Oregon will have a chance to rebound this weekend when it hosts Washington, a team that’s only 17-21 overall and 3-12 in conference action.

Eric Evans Photography

Softball drops series to No. 12 Arizona State

The story for the Oregon Ducks softball team was eerily similar, as they began with a nice victory at No. 12 Arizona State but then lost three straight down in the desert.

In Game 1 of the series, pitcher Brooke Yanez was given a 4-1 lead into the fourth, but three homers in that frame gave the Sun Devils a 5-4 advantage. Oregon didn’t get down on itself, however. The Ducks just got to work.

Allee Bunker’s blooper to right field scored Hannah Galey to tie the game up at 5-5. It stayed that way into extras when Mya Felder’s grounder was booted and she beat out the throw to allow Terra McGowen to score the eventual winning run in the 6-5 Oregon victory.

It was home run derby on Saturday as both teams traded three-run shots in the first inning. Hannah Delgado put the Ducks (31-13, 9-9) on the board with that homer for the 3-0 lead, but ASU broke away from a 5-4 lead in the sixth to go on to win 10-4. The nightcap featured two early homers from the Devils to gup 4-0 and Oregon couldn’t muster up enough offense and eventually went down 4-1.

Hoping to salvage a series split on Sunday, the Ducks turned to Yanez, but it wasn’t her day in the circle. Oregon scored four in the second, but ASU, like they did all weekend, put a crooked number on the scoreboard with a six-spot in the third. The Sun Devils built up a 9-4 lead before Oregon scored two in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as the Ducks went down 9-6.

It doesn’t get any easier for the softball team as they will prepare to face off with No. 9 Arizona, who come in with a 33-8 overall record and 11-5 in conference play. The series opener at Jane Sanders Stadium will be televised by ESPN2 at 4 pm.

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USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 softball rankings: Week 9

The top high school softball teams in the country as of April 29.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. β€” There was some jostling in this week’s USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 poll, but not at the top, as perennial power Neshoba Central continued to win and remained No. 1 for a fourth-straight week.

The (25-0) Rockets defeated West Lauderdale last Thursday in the Mississippi playoffs, then defeated Center Hill twice this week to win their 42nd straight game. Neshoba hosts Grenada in the third round of the playoffs on Friday, with game two of that series set for Saturday on the road.

The (22-4) Chargers dealt the seven-time reigning state 5A champs their last loss, 5-2, on April 26, 2019, in the first game of a best-of-three playoff series ultimately won by Neshoba.

Every other team in the top 10 kept winning, including No. 2 Lake Creek (32-0), which scored victories over Caney Creek and Lovelady; third-ranked Hewitt-Trussville (40-2-1), which rolled past Tuscaloosa County; and No. 4 Lakewood Ranch (24-2), which defeated Riverview on Tuesday in the Florida district semis.

Los Alamitos (10-3) suffered two more losses to drop out of the rankings this week, with one-loss Ohio power Lakota West (18-1) the newcomer at No. 18. The Firebirds’ lone defeat of the season was a 5-1 setback against unbeaten Indiana powerhouse and No. 15-ranked Roncalli (14-0) on April 17.

State rankings submitted by NFCA member coaches are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule. In 2021, schools that are not competing will not be eligible for the poll.

USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – April 29, 2021

Rank | Team | 2021 Record | Previous Ranking

1. Neshoba Central (Miss.): 25-0 – PR: 1

2. Lake Creek (Texas): 32-0 – PR: 2

3. Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.): 40-2-1 – PR: 3

4. Lakewood Ranch (Fla.): 24-2 – PR: 4

5. Park Vista (Fla.): 25-0 – PR: 5

6. San Antonio Warren (Texas): 22-0 – PR: 6

7. Leander (Texas): 29-0 – PR: 7

8. Clear Springs (Texas): 24-0 – PR: 8

9. Barbe (La.): 26-2 – PR: 9

10. St. Amant (La.): 23-2 – PR: 10

11. Bob Jones (Ala.): 26-3 – PR: 12

12. Norco (Calif.): 11-1 – PR: 13

13. Marist (Ill.): 11-0 – PR: 14

14. New Palestine (Ind.): 15-0 – PR: 15

15. Roncalli (Ind.): 14-0 – PR: 17

16. Keystone (Ohio): 21-1 – PR: 18

17. Rocky Mountain (Idaho): 18-1 – PR: 16

18. Lakota West (Ohio): 18-1 – PR: NR

19. Spanish Fork (Utah): 22-1 – PR: 20

20. Crown Point (Ind.): 12-1 – PR: 21

21. Barbers Hill (Texas): 28-2 – PR: 22

22. Eastern Alamance (N.C.): 12-2 – PR: 19

23. Alvin (Texas): 22-3 – PR: 23

24. Spain Park (Ala.): 33-5 – PR: 24

25. Trenton (Fla.): 15-1 – PR: 25

Dropped out:

Los Alamitos (Calif.)

Learn more about the NFCA.

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No. 1 Oklahoma sweeps doubleheader against Baylor to improve to 39-1

No. 1 Oklahoma softball swept their doubleheader against Baylor on Tuesday to move to 39-1 overall and 14-0 in Big 12 play.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball had the quick turnaround once again off of their weekend series to a road doubleheader on Tuesday evening in Waco against conference-foe Baylor.

Getting the start in game one was the Sooners ace Giselle Juarez and she was fantastic tossing a complete game allowing just one run and five hits while striking out six. After the Bears worked across a run in the opening inning to snag an early lead, she was lockdown the rest of the way.

After being shutout the first three innings, the Oklahoma bats would come to life in the fourth loading the bases with two outs for senior Nicole Mendes. She would promptly unload the bases with a huge grand slam to put the Sooners in front 4-1.

Jocelyn Alo would then homer in the fifth inning to extend the lead before Tiare Jennings would drop a two-run shot in the sixth to push the advantage out even further to 7-1 Oklahoma in the late stages. That would go on to be the final score with Patty Gasso’s club taking the front end of the double dip.

The second game wouldn’t get much better for Baylor, as the game would end up in yet another run-rule win for the Sooners. Getting the start was Shannon Saile who picked up where Juarez left off going four shutout innings of her own.

Oklahoma would take a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Lynnsie Elam and a sacrifice fly from Kinzie Hansen. They would then add three more runs to that early edge in the second on run-scoring hits from Jennings and Alo before Grace Lyons grounded out to bring another run around to score.

Leading 5-0 in the third, the Sooners would manufacture two more runs to extend the lead to 7-0. The Bears would attempt to threaten to get themselves back in the game in the fourth with the bases loaded and two outs, but Saile would escape the jam forcing a pop out right back to her to end the frame.

Oklahoma would keep things rolling later scoring four more runs in the sixth inning to push the lead out to 11-0. Sophomore Olivia Rains and freshman Nicole May would team up for scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth to finish things off for the run-rule win to sweep the doubleheader.

The two wins move the Sooners to 39-1 overall and 14-0 in conference play on the season, continuing an extremely impressive bounce back effort since having their undefeated season ended last Tuesday night. This team looks to be on a mission, demolishing teams in their path right now.

And now, the scary part for the rest of the country, is that they get the chance to rest up. Oklahoma will have an ultra-rare weekend off this week meaning they won’t take the field again all the way until next Tuesday night against Wichita State. At that point, the Sooners really begin their stretch run and push for another national title.

Holloway named ACC pitcher of the week

Big weekend lands a big honor

The following release is from the University of Notre Dame athletic department:

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame senior pitcher Alexis Holloway has been named ACC Pitcher of the Week for the second time in her career after two complete-game performances in the sweep of #15/13 Virginia Tech. On the weekend, Holloway allowed just two earned runs through 16.0 innings for a 0.88 ERA, while throwing 11 strikeouts.

Holloway, an aerospace engineering major, pitched the series-opening 2-1 complete game at Virginia Tech, returning the next day, just 19 hours later to pitch the full 9.0 innings of the 4-3 win over the Hokies. Holloway was dominant in the circle, outdueling one of the top-ranked pitching staffs in the ACC along with fellow Irish pitcher Payton Tidd.

Holloway also made a difference in the batter’s box, as she scored the tying run in the 4-3, nine-inning game on April 24, sending a solo home run off one of the ACC’s top-ranked pitchers, Keely Rochard, in the seventh inning to force extras. Holloway held the Hokies off the board in two extra innings, while the deciding run came on a solo home run in the top of the ninth from senior Sarah Genz.

The senior also earned ACC Pitcher of the Week honors as a freshman in March of 2018.

Holloway and the Irish will next take the field Saturday, May 1, hosting Charlotte for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. ET.