Category: Softball

Tennessee softball games canceled on Saturday

Tennessee softball games canceled on Saturday in Clearwater, Florida.

No. 2 Tennessee (4-2) is competing in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, Friday-Sunday, at Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida.

The Lady Vols were scheduled to play two games on Saturday against Georgia Tech and UCLA.

Tennessee and Georgia Tech played three innings before rain halted play. The Lady Vols led Georgia Tech, 4-0, in the fourth inning.

Tennessee announced both games have been canceled on Saturday.

“With inclement weather in the forecast for the remainder of the day, all games have been canceled,” Tennessee announced. “We will be back in action tomorrow night at 8 p.m. EST against Florida State.”

LSU softball rallies in seventh inning to upset Oklahoma State, remain unbeaten

The Tigers have won back-to-back games on walk-offs in the Clearwater Invitational.

The LSU softball team passed its first major test of the season against a top-10 Oklahoma State team on Saturday in the Clearwater Invitational. The Tigers overcame a seventh-inning deficit as [autotag]Hannah Carson[/autotag] hit a walk-off, two-RBI single as LSU moved to 8-0 on the season.

[autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] got the start on the mound and pitched a complete game. It wasn’t her best outing as she allowed 11 hits and six earned runs while striking out just five.

Oklahoma State started the game with a homer in the first inning, but LSU answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. It added three more in the second as it jumped out to an early 5-1 lead.

But the Cowgirls didn’t go away. They put up five in the third inning to retake the lead as Berzon had her roughest frame of the morning.

There was no scoring in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and LSU entered the bottom of the seventh in a do-or-die situation. Carson answered the call, and the Tigers’ impressive start to the season continued.

It will have another tough matchup later on Saturday afternoon against No. 5 Washington, which will begin at 4 p.m. CT in Clearwater.

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Duke softball needs only five innings against Army behind near-perfect pitching

Another monster game from Claire Davidson at the plate and dominant pitching from Sophie Garner-MacKinnon powered Duke to its seventh straight win.

The Duke softball team won its third game of the weekend on Saturday morning, needing only five innings to put Army away by a score of 8-0.

The Blue Devils, who have now won seven straight games, were kickstarted by senior Claire Davidson at the plate once again. After two walks to begin the morning game, the left fielder pushed a base hit through into the outfield to bring both runners home.

With Duke’s lead still two runs in the bottom of the third and a runner on first, Davidson launched her second home run of the year over the left field wall to make it a 4-0 ballgame.

Davidson’s four RBIs on Saturday morning brought her season total to 12, the second-highest of anyone on the team (Ana Gold – 13). Through eight games this season, the outfielder is batting .440 and leads the Blue Devils with five extra-base hits.

The Blue Devils plated three more runs in the bottom of the third to stretch their lead to seven, thanks to RBI singles from Gisele Tapia, Kelsey Zampa, and D’Auna Jennings.

If you’re noticing that Duke’s leading margin was the same as the number of runs that Duke scored, that’d be because Army couldn’t generate any offensive momentum.

Sophomore Sophie Garner-MacKinnon got the game started in the circle and stayed there for the entire five-inning game, allowing two hits and two walks but zero runs. She only struck out one Army batter, but she routinely forced easy defensive plays to keep the offense silent.

The Black Knights managed to get two runners on base in the opening inning thanks to a walk and a single, but Garner-MacKinnon forced a pop-up to strand them aboard. After a one-out double in the second, she coaxed two fly-outs into the outfield.

The next two innings were routine, three batters up and three batters down. Suddenly, after another run from the Duke offense in the bottom of the fourth courtesy of a Francesca Frelick home run, Army came to bat in the top of the fifth with the game on the line.

Only one runner reached base that inning after Garner MacKinnon surrendered a walk with two outs. The following pitch resulted in a ground ball to end the game.

The Blue Devils, now 7-1 for the season, get a second crack at the Black Knights on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET, their fourth game in two days.

Stanford, Texas defeat Lady Vols in Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational

Stanford and Texas defeat Lady Vols in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational.

No. 2 Tennessee (4-2) opened play in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational on Friday at Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida.

The Lady Vols lost to No.7 Stanford, 1-0, despite outhitting the Cardinal, 5-2, in the contest.

Tennessee’s Payton Gotshall (2-1) pitched a complete game, allowing one run, two hits and three walks. She recorded four strikeouts in six innings.

McKenna Gibson went 2-for-3, recording one double for Tennessee.

The Lady Vols also lost to No. 3 Texas, 2-1.

Sophia Newgent went 2-for-3, recording one RBI for the Lady Vols. Nugent’s RBI single scored Rylie West.

Karlyn Pickens (2-1) pitched a complete game. She allowed two runs (one earned), six hits and three walks, while recording six strikeouts and four wild pitches.

Nebraska softball split doubleheader against New Mexico State

The Huskers traveled to New Mexico to compete in the Troy Cox Classic.

The Huskers traveled to New Mexico to compete in the Troy Cox Classic. Nebraska began the tournament with a doubleheader against New Mexico State. The Huskers split the series with the Aggies, falling in game one 3-0 before taking game two 4-1.

New Mexico State’s Desirae Spearman pitched a one-hit shutout against Nebraska, with Samantha Bland producing the lone hit. Spearman improved to 3-0 this season and hasn’t allowed an earned run in her first 20.0 career innings. At the plate, she went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, a walk, and two RBIs.

Kaylin Kinney took the loss for Nebraska, allowing three runs on six hits in four innings. Freshman Caitlin Olensky pitched the final two innings, not allowing a single run.

The Huskers bounced back in the second game after falling behind 1-0 in the first inning. In the batter’s box, Nebraska tied its season high with eight hits. Bella Bacon and Alina Felix led the Huskers in hits, each earning two and delivering a double.

Sarah Harness started in the circle and earned the win for Nebraska, allowing one run off four hits in four innings. Freshman Emmerson Cope earned the save, giving up two hits and no runs in the last three innings. Nebraska’s win over the Aggies was also Rhonda Revelle’s 1,100th win as the Huskers’ head coach.

Nebraska moves to 3-3 on the season and will face Montana and Sacramento State on Saturday for the tournament’s second day. The first pitch against Montana is at 10:30 a.m., which will be followed by the game against Sacramento State at 1:00 p.m.

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Kelly Maxwell throws a gem in Sooners 8-1 win over McNeese State

Kelly Maxwell struck out 8 and Alyssa Brito launched her fourth home run in the Sooners 8-1 win over McNeese State.

After picking up a run-rule win in their opener in the Cowgirl Challenge, the Oklahoma Sooners kept the good times rolling in their nightcap with the 2023 NCAA Tournament qualifier McNeese State.

It was another decisive win for the Sooners. However, they were forced to play from behind due to a first inning home run from McNeese State’s Corine Poncho off of Sooners starter [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag].

She left the ball high and over the plate and Poncho made her pay for it with a drive to deep center field. Maxwell rebounded with a masterful performance over the remainder of her five innings pitched.

After the home run, Maxwell allowed just two more hits the rest of the way and racked up eight strikeouts without allowing a walk to lead the Sooners to the 8-1 win.

It didn’t take long for the Sooners to respond to the early deficit. After going down in order in the top of the second, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] led off the top of the second with an infield single and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] drove a ball up the middle for a single of her own. After [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag]’s fielder’s choice put runners on first and third with one, [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] struck out on a 3-2 pitch. But with two outs in the inning, [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] came through in the clutch once again with a two-RBI single to center field to give the Sooners the 2-1 lead.

Maxwell pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the second for the shutdown inning and the Sooners went right back to the work in the top of the third with a lead-off single from [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]. Coleman advanced to second on a wild pitch.

After another infield single from [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], Coleman and Brito scored on a bunt single from [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and a throwing error to put the Sooners up 4-1. Hansen then drove in Jennings on a sacrifice fly to end the inning with a commanding 5-1 lead.

Though they had opportunities to add to the lead in the fourth and fifth after getting their lead-off hitter on base, the Sooners couldn’t capitalize. However, Oklahoma took advantage of [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag]’ lead-off single in the sixth. [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] earned her second base hit of the game and fourth of the day to move Sanders to second. A sacrifice bunt from Alynah Torres moved Sanders and Boone into scoring position for Jayda Coleman, who drove Sanders in with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-1. Then Alyssa Brito hammered her fourth home run of the season on a 2-2 count to put Oklahoma up 8-1.

[autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag] relieved Maxwell in the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings to finish off the Cowgirls and move to 6-0 on the season. With the win, the Sooners winning streak moves to 59 games ahead of their double-header on Saturday.

Maxwell is now 3-0 on the season and has allowed just four hits in 12.2 innings of work. The opposition is hitting just .098 off of Maxwell in the early stages of the season.

Brito finished the day 3-for-4, and Hansen and Boone also collected multi-hit games. It was Boone’s second game of the day with a pair of hits. Boone and Brito are now hitting .500 on the season. Brito is tied with Kasidi Pickering for the team lead in RBIs with seven. Boone is just two off the pace with five RBIs in 2024 after collecting four between the two games on Friday.

The Sooners are back in action on Saturday with games against Lamar and McNeese State. The game against Lamar can be streamed on SoonerSports.com while the matchup with McNeese State will be streamed on ESPN+.

More: How to watch, key players for Oklahoma Sooners in Cowgirl Challenge

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Oklahoma Sooners run rule Central Arkansas 9-0 to open Cowgirl Challenge

Oklahoma Sooners opened their weekend in the Cowgirl Challenge with a 9-0 win over Central Arkansas.

The Oklahoma Sooners offense erupted in the bottom of the fourth inning for nine runs, which was all they needed to beat Central Arkansas and move to 5-0 on the season.

Central Arkansas starter Julia Petty kept the Sooners’ bats at bay for three innings, surrendering just a few hits. But in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Sooners bats came to life.

[autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] led off the inning with an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error. True freshman [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] took advantage and drove Hansen in on an RBI single, giving the Sooners a 1-0 lead. Parker took second on the throw home. After [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] walked, [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] singled to bring Parker in to make it 2-0. Pickering went first to third on the hit to keep the scoring threat alive.

After Torres stole second, putting a pair of runners in scoring position, [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] cleared the bases with a triple to right field. [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] followed that up with a triple of her own to make it 5-0 Sooners with no outs in the inning.

Hodge scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-0 followed by doubles from [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] made it 7-0. [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag], pinch hitting for [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag], reahed on an error and Hansen walked to load the bases for Parker. Parker came through again with an RBI single to score Jennings and make it 8-0 and put the run rule in effect. The final run of the nine-run fourth inning came from [autotag]Hannah Coor[/autotag], who reached on a fielder’s choice but scored Ludlam in the process.

It was the type of showing that reminded us that the Sooners can put runs on the board in a hurry. They sent 11 batters to the plate before Central Arkansas was able to record an out in the inning. By the time the bottom of the fourth came to a close, the game was all but over.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] threw another four scoreless innings to keep her ERA at a perfect 0.00 on the season. She allowed one hit and one walk while striking out six for another fantastic performance from the Sooners veteran.

[autotag]Peytn Monticelli[/autotag] worked a scoreless fifth inning, surrendering a walk while also striking out the side to close out the Sooners win.

Coleman, Jennings, Parker, and Torres each recorded two hits. Parker and Boone each had a pair of RBIs.

It was a strong performance to start the weekend in Lake Charles. Though the bats were slow to get going, once they did, Oklahoma couldn’t be stopped. The Sooners extended their record winning-streak to 58 games with the win ahead of their night cap with McNeese State.

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Duke softball breezes past FIU for sixth straight win

In the second game of a Friday doubleheader, Duke scored six runs and held the Golden Panthers scoreless to extend their win streak.

The Duke softball team improved to 6-1 on its young season on Friday night with its second win of the day, a 6-0 win over Florida International.

After a ho-hum offensive display through the first six innings against Rutgers during the Blue Devils’ first game of the day, Duke’s bats took no time coming alive against the Golden Panthers.

Star leadoff hitter D’Auna Jennings singled in the opening at-bat. Ana Gold, who became the first Blue Devil to hit two grand slams in the same game on Wednesday against North Dakota State, tacked another RBI onto her season total with a double to plate Jennings before the first out.

Sophomore Aminah Vega doubled later in the inning to bring home Gold and give Duke its second run of the opening inning. Vega plated a second RBI in the fourth inning, a sacrifice fly, to increase her season total to 11, second on the team only to Gold’s 13.

The second inning went just as well, with shortstop Jada Baker lacing a double into left field to bring home Amiah Burgess. Jennings added to her excellent start with another single immediately after, and Baker scored after a wild throw on the ensuing defensive play.

After not tallying a hit in any of her four at-bats against Rutgers, Jennings finished the evening game with three hits in three plate appearances, scoring twice. It was her second perfect performance in Duke’s past three games as the sophomore went 2-2 during the NDSU victory.

The Blue Devils surged out to a 4-0 lead through two innings, and that proved to be more than enough run support for Cassidy Curd and Lillie Walker in the circle.

Curd delivered for the first three innings, allowing two hits but no runs while striking out five batters. Walker took over at the start of the fourth and made it the rest of the way home, also allowing two hits and striking out six batters herself in the tandem shutout.

The Golden Panthers never had more than four at-bats in any inning as the two Duke pitchers refused to let them gain any steam.

The Blue Devils tacked on two more insurance runs in the sixth inning, first an RBI single from senior Claire Davidson before Vega’s sacrifice fly.

Duke didn’t score in the final three innings, but with Curd and Walker’s efforts on the mound, it didn’t need to. The 6-0 margin held for the rest of the game to give the Blue Devils their sixth straight win.

The Duke softball team puts its lengthening win streak on the line again on Saturday morning against Army.

No. 25 Texas A&M softball starts off the Campbell/Cartier Classic with a win over No. 14 Oregon

Texas A&M starts of the Campbell/Cartier Classic off strong defeating the No. 14 Oregon Ducks 4-1

Head coach Trisha Ford notched her first Top 25 win of the season as Texas A&M moves to 5-0 after defeating the No. 14 Oregon Ducks 4-1 in the Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego.

The Aggies got out to an early lead with a four-hit, two-run second inning to go up 2-0. Lefty pitcher Emiley Kennedy got out of a jam in the bottom of the third, only giving up one run after allowing the hits and hitting on the batter. A&M extended their lead when pinch hitter Ayiana Coleman delivered again for Coach Ford with a single through the left side, scoring two for a score of 4-1.

Kenndy stayed hot from the mound, striking out four of the final nine batters for a new career high of 11 strikeouts, completing a full game. Allie Enright led the team with two hits while Ayiana Coleman, Rylen Wiggins, Amari Harper, Trisha Cannon, and Jaz Hill all had hits as well.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Seventh-inning rally helps Duke softball win first game of Friday doubleheader

Duke needed all seven innings against Rutgers in the first game of a Friday double-header, but three late runs and some hometown heroics from senior Kelly Torres handed the team its fifth straight win.

Duke softball needed every inning on Friday against Rutgers, but the Blue Devils managed to power past the Scarlet Knights for a 4-1 victory after a seventh-inning surge.

Star pitcher Jala Wright, who started the season by winning ACC Pitcher of the Week for her opening weekend, shined again in the circle. She went the distance, pitching all seven innings and allowing three hits and a single run.

After a 1-2-3 opening inning, Rutgers catcher Katie Wingert took Wright deep to open the second inning for the game’s first run. Instead of letting the blast rattle her, the Blue Devils pitcher responded by taking down the Scarlet Knights’ next three batters to limit the damage to a single run.

In fact, Wingert’s home run was the only time a Rutgers batter reached first base in the first three innings. Wright allowed a walk with two outs in the bottom of the fourth before striking out outfielder Jillian Anderson to end the inning. The Scarlet Knights never gained any momentum, and Rutgers didn’t record multiple base runners in any of the seven innings.

Wright struck out six batters on Friday afternoon, bringing her season total to 19 through just 17.2 innings pitched. The run she surrendered in the second inning was just her second of the young season, and her ERA still sits at just 0.79 after the outing.

As impressive as Wright was on the mound, however, it took Duke some time to gain momentum in the batter’s box. Less than 48 hours after a record-setting 18-run performance against North Dakota State powered by three grand slams, the Blue Devils didn’t put a run on the board for the first four innings.

Finally, Duke broke through in the fifth inning. Senior catcher Kelly Torres, playing in front of her home Fort Lauderdale crowd in Florida, smashed a home run to lead off the inning and tie the game.

The Blue Devils couldn’t capitalize farther in the fifth or sixth innings, however, and the game remained tied as the final inning began. At the buzzer, however, Torres came through again. With two runners on, the hometown hero brought home the go-ahead run with a sacrifice bunt.

One batter later, for a little extra insurance, freshman Amiah Burgess doubled into left-center field to bring home Torres and Sarah Goddard, stretching the Duke lead to three runs.

The three runs were more than enough of a buffer for Wright, who only needed three batters to force the game’s final three outs and cement Duke’s fifth straight victory.

The victory moves the Blue Devils, a consensus top-10 team in the country, to 5-1 on the young season as Duke hasn’t lost since the season opener against No. 1 Oklahoma.

Duke will take on host Florida International University later on Friday for its second game of the day.