Loza's Perfection, Missouri State, Notre Dame Highlight Saturday's Top Performances

Alyssa Loza

Arizona State transfer Alyssa Loza's first start while wearing the maroon and white was perfect. She tossed the third perfect game in Mississippi State history in the second of a pair of wins over Valparaiso. State beat Valpo 8-3 and 10-0 in five innings to advance to the championship game of its home Bulldog Kickoff Classic in Starkville, MS. It's the second straight season that a Bulldog has thrown a perfect game during opening weekend with Holly Ward blanking Mississippi Valley State in the 2018 season opener.

Steffany Dickerson

Dickerson made plays with her bat and her arm as Missouri State defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since 2008, beating No. 21 Auburn 4-3 before also knocking off Florida A&M 7-4 at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, AL.

The sophomore started vs the Tigers as the DP, hitting a single and scoring one of the four runs in MSU's big second inning. She then took over in the circle with a runner on first and no outs in the fifth and got a huge three-inning save, giving up a single and a walk. She retired red-hot Casey McCrackin twice to help nail down the Bears' win. It was the first win over a ranked opponent since 2008.

Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish stunned No. 2 Washington 3-2 in eight innings after nearly upsetting No. 11 South Carolina earlier in the day at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Senior DP Caitlyn Brooks launched a pair of homers and drove in three runs in the opener vs the Gamecocks, while sophomore Alexis Holloway held the high-powered Husky offense to just one hit and no runs over four innings to lead Notre Dame to the win.

Molly Jacobsen

In her first NCAA appearance after transferring from Des Moines Area CC (Iowa), Jacobsen pitched a complete-game four-hitter to lead Ole Miss to a 3-1 upset of No. 18 Minnesota at the Friends of Jaclyn Tournament in Orlando, FL. The junior lefty struck out eight and walked none as she out-dueled Gophers ace Amber Fiser.

Katie Clark

The 2018 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year set the table for a high-powered North Texas offense to blast Texas A&M 10-2 in five innings before falling to Cal Baptist 6-5 in nine innings at the Aggie Classic in College Station, TX.

The junior outfielder went 6-for-9 with two RBIs and three runs scored as UNT flipped the script on the Aggies, who had run-ruled their first three opponents.

Florida

The No. 5 Gators earned a pair of marquee wins at the USF Opening Weekend Invitational in Tampa, FL. Kelly Barnhill threw a complete game two-hit shutout in a 6-0 win over No. 10 Michigan, then returned for the final inning to stifle a comeback attempt by No. 7 Arizona in a 3-2 victory for her fourth career save.

Lindsay Rood

The shortstop started her senior season with a bang as she went 4-for-5 with two homers, three RBIs, two runs and a stolen base in a 9-0 rout of Fordham at the Ragin' Cajuns Classic in Lafayette, LA.

Alyssa DiCarlo

The star shortstop pounded hits all over FAU Stadium as No. 6 Georgia swept a doubleheader, beating Bethune-Cookman 12-0 in five innings and Virginia 15-7 at the Florida Atlantic First Pitch Classic in Boca Raton, FL. UGA's senior leader went 6-for-7 with two homers, a triple, a double, six RBIs, five runs, and two walks.

South Dakota State

The Jackrabbits blasted Saint Louis 14-0 in five innings and toppled No. 25 Drake 6-4 at the UNI Dome Tournament in Cedar Falls, IA.

Senior first baseman Ali Herdliska went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, three RBIs and two runs in the upset of Drake while playing about 80 miles from her hometown of Solon, Iowa.

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