Top Performances From College Softball March 15

UNLV

The Rebels dominated round one of an early battle for supremacy in the Mountain West, thumping No. 24 Boise State 8-1 in Las Vegas. The win snapped Boise State's 17-game winning streak, which was the second-longest active streak in the country. The top four hitters in the UNLV lineup battered Boise State pitching, combining to go 8-for-13 with a homer, a triple, seven RBIs, seven runs, and two walks.  Jenny Bressler continued her stellar freshman campaign, scattering nine hits in a complete game as UNLV joined Texas as the only teams to hold the Broncos under two runs in a game this season.

Katie Reed

The senior shortstop made her only two at-bats count, tying the UK single-game RBI record as No. 12 Kentucky pounded Mississippi State 8-0 in five innings in their SEC home opener in Lexington. Reed recorded two of the only three hits UK would get in the entire game, but both were three-run homers, making her the sixth player in Wildcat history with a six-RBI game. Her offense backed up the pitching of Autumn Humes, who tossed a complete-game shutout as she has now thrown 13.2 innings scoreless in SEC play.

Arizona

The No. 13 Wildcats fired on all cylinders to win their Pac-12 opener, rolling past Oregon 8-0 in six innings in Tucson. It's the first time UA has run-ruled the Ducks since May 9, 2010. Junior outfielder Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza hit a pair of homers and drove in four runs. Her three-run homer in the sixth inning never actually hit the ground - she launched it on top of Gittings Gym, the three-story student rec center about 40 feet past the right field wall. Longtime Head Coach Mike Candrea was quoted as saying "I don't think I've seen a ball hit that far." Senior first baseman Rylee Pierce had the best offensive day of her career, going 3-for-3 and finishing a triple short of the cycle. Senior lefty Taylor McQuillin tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just a pair of infield singles.

Rider

The Broncs pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season so far, earning their first win of 2019 in stunning fashion as they knocked off host UC Davis 2-1 in eight innings at the Capital Classic in Davis, Calif. Freshman Brooklyn Trujillo had by far the best day of her young career, allowing just five hits and one run over eight innings, including stranding the international tiebreaker runner in the top of the eighth. The first win for Rider marked just the fifth loss of the season for UC Davis, who sits atop the Big West at 19-5.

Fale Aviu

The senior outfielder recorded the first two triples of her career as part of a six-hit day as No. 3 Oklahoma swept Dartmouth and host Cal State Northridge at the CSUN/LMU Tournament in Northridge, Calif. She hit her first career triple in the fifth inning of the 10-0 win over Dartmouth, then added another just three at-bats later in the third inning of the 11-0 rout of CSUN. Overall, she went 6-for-9 with the two triples, four RBIs, and three runs scored.

Long Beach State

The 49ers blasted their way to a pair of wins, outscoring Boston U and Charleston 20-1 at the Easton Classic in Fullerton, Calif. Sophomore first baseman Alyssa Gonzalez became the third LBSU player ever to record seven RBIs in a game, hitting a pair of three-run homers and an RBI single as LBSU rolled over Boston U 9-0 in the opener. Gonzalez was one of six different players to record at least three hits for the Beach on the day. Junior Cal Baptist transfer Ashley Coleman threw her first one-hit shutout in Division I against the Terriers, walking six and striking out seven.

Julie Rawls

The junior catcher notched her fourth straight multi-hit game, driving in five runs as No. 14 Louisiana rolled in its Sun Belt home opener, knocking off Troy 9-1 in six innings. Rawls went 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, five RBIs, and a stolen base as the Ragin' Cajuns won their sixth straight. She singled and stole a base in the first, hit a two-run homer in the third and hit a bases-clearing three-run double to blow the game open in the fourth.

Caroline Bowman

The sophomore threw the 13th no-hitter in Spartans' history as host San Jose State shut out UMass-Lowell 5-0 at the Spartan Invitational in San Jose, Calif. She struck out one and walked none, as the only Riverhawk to reach base did so on an error to lead off the second inning. It's the first no-hitter for San Jose State in slightly under two years, as Katelyn Linford no-hit Nevada on March 18, 2017.

Hannah File

The sophomore led a potent attack for the Dukes as No. 18 James Madison exploded for 24 runs to earn a pair of wins to open their home slate at the JMU Invitational in Harrisonburg. File hit two of the five homers for JMU on the day, doubling her career total entering the day. She went 4-for-6 with two home runs, a double, four RBI and four runs as the Dukes run-ruled St. Joseph's 14-2 and Rutgers 10-1, both in five innings.

2023 NCAA Division I Preseason All-Americans

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