Top Performances From College Softball (4/27/19)

Louisiana Tech

Forced to move Senior Weekend to Louisiana-Monroe after a tornado tore through Ruston, La. on Wednesday night and caused major damage, the Lady Techsters responded with a huge performance led by their senior class, sweeping a pair of games to take first place in C-USA from Western Kentucky in Monroe, La. Senior center fielder Jazlyn Crowder finished a home run shy of the cycle in the 8-0, five-inning opener, driving in three runs and scoring twice. Preslee Gallaway and Krystal De La Cruz each earned complete-game wins, combining to hold the Hilltoppers to just one run over 14 innings. Gallaway held WKU to a season-low one hit in game one as the Hilltoppers were shut out for just the second time this season.

Kamalani Dung

Dung handcuffed one of the nation’s best offenses, earning an extra-inning shutout as Cal stunned No. 3 Arizona 1-0 in nine innings in Berkeley, Calif. Senior Weekend for the Golden Bears was a special one, as the senior scattered two hits and seven walks, striking out seven. The Bears handed Arizona their first loss in Pac-12 play and snapped the Wildcats’ 21-game winning streak, which was the second-longest active streak in the country (Oklahoma). It’s Arizona’s first loss to an opponent not currently in the top 10 since a 4-1 loss on Feb. 15 to USF.

Oklahoma State

The No. 24 Cowgirls stormed back from seven runs down, clinching their fifth straight Big 12 series with a wild 8-7 win over No. 16 Texas Tech in Stillwater, Okla. Junior Sydney Springfield had the biggest hit of the game, a pinch-hit, two-out, two-run triple to tie the game at 7 in the fifth. Freshman center fielder Cheyenne Factor had three hits and three RBI, capped by the eventual game-winning RBI-single in the sixth. Junior Logan Simunek was pivotal in setting the stage for the comeback, as she shut down the Red Raider offense with 4.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Kaysee Talcik

The senior threw the first perfect game in UMass-Lowell history as the Riverhawks won game two 4-0 to split a twinbill against Stony Brook in Stony Brook, N.Y. It’s the second career no-hitter for Talcik, as she allowed just three walks and struck out eight against Hartford on April 2, 2017. She struck out five en route to just the seventh full-length perfect game in Division I this season.

Ole Miss

The No. 9 Rebels won their fourth straight top-25 matchup, securing a series win with a 4-1 triumph over No. 10 Tennessee. Sophomore second baseman Jessica Puk capped a three-run first inning by drilling a two-out, two-run double off the wall in right-center. Junior lefty Molly Jacobsen held the Vols off the board into the final frame, finishing her day with one run on six hits over seven strong innings. Freshman left fielder Tate Whitley chipped in a single offensively and slammed the door on Tennessee’s comeback in the seventh with a diving catch in foul territory to secure the win after the Vols got the tying run to the plate.

Skylar Wallace

The freshman second baseman capped a big day in the nine-spot with a go-ahead two-run double as No. 4 Alabama rallied past No. 17 Kentucky 3-1 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Wallace reached base all three trips to the plate, having walked and singled prior to her clutch hit in the sixth. She also stole a base and is up to a perfect 15-for-15 in her career. The sixth-inning rally helped junior Sarah Cornell get a much-deserved victory, having held UK hitless into the fifth inning and scoreless until a one-out solo homer by Abbey Cheek in the top of the sixth.

Emily Sorem

The senior tossed the longest no-hitter in Lehigh history, holding Holy Cross hitless for nine innings as the Mountain Hawks beat Holy Cross 2-0 to finish a doubleheader sweep in Worcester, Mass. Junior left fielder Lexi van Ooyen had a diving catch to keep Sorem’s no-hitter going and drove in the game’s only two runs with a clutch two-out, two-run single in the top of the ninth. Sorem’s first career no-hitter is the 14th in Lehigh history, but the first to last nine or more innings.

Texas State

The Bobcats became the first unranked team to run-rule Troy this season, throttling the Trojans 9-0 in six innings in San Marcos, Texas. Sophomore first baseman ArieAnn Bell did some of everything for the Bobcat offense, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, a walk and two stolen bases. Junior Dalilah Barrera had the best outing of her career against a Sun Belt opponent, allowing just two hits over four scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Sophomore Meagan King threw two hitless innings in relief to earn her first save of the season.

Taylor Adams

The sophomore first baseman was on base all four trips to the plate to help lead San Diego State to a 5-4 upset of Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo. Adams had three singles and a walk, with one of her hits driving in a key run in the Aztecs’ three-run fifth inning.

Mid-Major Leadoffs To Watch In College Softball This Season

These three mid-major leadoff hitters are likely to make headlines during the 2023 Division I softball season.