Top Performances From College Softball April 13

Corah Price

The freshman righty faced the minimum in a one-hit shutout as Rutgers won twice to finish a sweep of Penn State in State College, Pa. It’s the second complete-game shutout for Price, but her first to last seven innings. She got a big boost from senior shortstop Jess Hughes, who stole a base and forced a bad throw for a 1-0 lead in the third, then had the big hit of the game an inning later with a two-out, two-run single to build the final 3-0 margin. Combined with a 5-3 win in the nightcap, it’s the first three-game sweep of a Big Ten opponent for Rutgers in three years, and just the third sweep overall since joining the Big Ten in 2015.

Virginia Tech

The No. 18 Hokies shut out an ACC opponent for an entire series for the first time in school history, finishing it with 1-0 and 7-0 wins over archrival Virginia in Blacksburg, Va. Tech pitchers allowed just seven hits and no walks in the three games, preventing UVA from even getting a runner as far as third base. Coming off the first perfect game against a top-25 opponent in school history vs JMU on Wednesday, sophomore righty Keely Rochard nearly matched that against the Cavaliers, allowing just a leadoff single to the very first batter before retiring the next 21 in a row in the opening win, striking out eight. VT has now won each of their first six ACC series.

Alissa Dalton

The soggy weather in Boone, N.C. couldn’t slow down the junior shortstop as she reached base all eight trips to the plate to lead No. 8 Louisiana to two five-inning wins over Appalachian State. Dalton went 6-for-6 with a homer, two doubles, two walks and six RBI. Her 4-for-4 game in the 15-5 finale marked her first four-hit game of the season and second since transferring to Louisiana in 2018. The Ragin’ Cajuns have matched the best start to Sun Belt play in conference history at 18-0, which was originally set in 2001 and then matched in 2004.

Sarah Cornell

The junior righty held No. 19 Georgia to a season lows in runs, hits and total bases as No. 6 Alabama opened the three-game series with a 7-1 win in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Cornell went the distance allowing just one run on a double and a single, walking four and striking out five. Cornell retired UGA All-American shortstop Alyssa DiCarlo in all three plate appearances, marking just the second time this season DiCarlo has failed to reach base (March 16 at Missouri). She got plenty of help from her lineup, as every starter reached base at least once. Sophomore outfielder Kaylee Tow was on three times, including with the second-inning RBI-single that gave Alabama the lead for good.

James Madison

The No. 14 Dukes rolled to 8-0 and 13-0 five-inning wins to clinch a series win over UNCW in Harrisonburg, Va. Fifth-year senior ace Megan Good struck out 10 in a game two one-hitter, tying Jailyn Ford (2013-16) for the top spot on the JMU career strikeouts list with 815. Sophomore shortstop Sara Jubas drove in eight runs on the day, six of them coming in the nightcap as she recorded her first career multi-homer game. Two-way junior Odicci Alexander had highlights in both, striking out 11 in a game one two-hit shutout while also homering in both games.

Cameron Stanford

The sophomore center fielder homered twice and drove in seven as Georgia Tech scored 18 unanswered runs to rally from a possible run-rule loss to an 18-9, six-inning win and a sweep of Pittsburgh in Atlanta. Trailing 9-0 after just an inning and a half, Stanford got GT on the board with the first of her four hits, a two-run homer. After recording hits in both the six-run fourth and the five-run fifth, she finished the stunning comeback with a walk-off grand slam to finish the run-rule win in the sixth.

Miami-Ohio

The RedHawks banged out a season-high 16 runs in the rubber game after a dramatic 14-inning win earlier to take the series against league-leading Kent State in Kent, Ohio. Freshman Brianna Pratt allowed just two runs over 12.1 innings to earn both wins, marking by far the largest single-day workload of her career. She started the opener and got the first 10 outs, then returned to start the ninth inning and went six more innings, totaling 9.1 scoreless innings in the 4-3, 14-inning win. Miami wouldn’t even need a full seven innings in the final game, as six different players had at least two hits and five players homered in the 16-3, five-inning rout to move the RedHawks into a tie for first place in the Mid-American alongside Kent State at 8-4.

Steffi Best

The junior righty out-dueled UC Davis ace Brooke Yanez, firing her first career one-hitter as Cal Poly snapped a five-game skid with a doubleheader split in Davis, Calif. The only hit for UCD was a leadoff single from first baseman Maddie Rojas in the bottom of the fifth. Junior Shelby Jeffries had the big hit off the bench, driving in the game’s only run with a sixth-inning pinch-hit RBI-single. Best has now thrown 23 innings without allowing an earned run in Big West play this season.

Karli Hamilton

The junior center fielder tied season-highs with three hits and four RBIs, most of her damage coming in the decisive nine-run sixth as No. 16 Texas Tech secured a series win over rival Baylor in Waco, Texas. Tied 2-2 after five, Hamilton hit the go-ahead RBI double that opened the floodgates for the Red Raiders, then finished the onslaught with a three-run homer for the final score in the 11-2, six-inning win. With the win, TTU has clinched the season series against the Bears for the first time since 2012.

Odicci Alexander Stays True To Herself To Become AU Champion

Odicci Alexander was the champion of Athletes Unlimited's fourth softball season.