Top Performances From College Softball March 29-31

Western Kentucky

The Hilltoppers pushed their winning streak to 11, beating No. 14 Kentucky in Lexington on Tuesday for their first top-25 win since 2015 before sweeping a three-game series against FAU in Bowling Green, Ky. Sophomore catcher Kendall Smith and senior left fielder Jordan Vorbrink were on-base machines against the Owls, each going 5-for-7 and drawing a combined seven walks. Two-way freshman star Kennedy Sullivan tossed a complete-game shutout in game two, while also going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles as the designated player in the opener. The 26-5 overall record is the best start WKU has ever had through 31 games, and nine straight wins to open C-USA play has broken the 6-0 start in 2014.

Jennifer Marwitz

The senior right fielder hit her first career home run among her seven hits as Kansas won two out of three from Baylor in Lawrence, Kan. Marwitz went a career-best 4-for-4 in the win on Saturday, driving in two and scoring twice, including the game-winning run as KU walked off with a 9-8 victory. She hit a solo homer in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader, a 3-2 loss. Her two-run double provided insurance in the finale as the Jayhawks won 7-1, securing their first series win against Baylor since April 13-14, 2001.

Bucknell

The Bison had a historic weekend as they swept Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. Junior righty Raeanne Geffert threw the program's first no-hitter since 2016 in a 2-0 win in the series opener. Bucknell then pounded out 22 runs on 26 hits in the final two games to finish the sweep, marking the first time Lehigh has ever been swept in a three-game series by a Patriot League opponent. Freshman center fielder Allyse Volpe had six hits and stole three bases, while senior second baseman Lauren Hadley drove in six runs, including the only two runs in Geffert's no-no. Even before winning Sunday's finale, Saturday was the first time the Mountain Hawks had ever been swept in a PL doubleheader at home in 21 years.

Taylor McQuillin

The senior lefty silenced the nation's No. 1 offense with a pair of complete-game shutouts as No. 10 Arizona swept archrival No. 21 Arizona State in Tucson. Against a team that had scored 12-plus runs in five straight games entering the weekend, McQuillin threw five scoreless on Friday with eight strikeouts as the UA offense ended the game early, then fanned seven in a full-length 2-0 win in the finale. Combined with junior righty Alyssa Denham, Wildcat pitchers held the Sun Devils scoreless with just six hits in 17 innings. The shutout sweep is the first since the conference switched to three-game series in 2010, and the first time the Cats have ever shut out Arizona State in the season series.

Ole Miss

The Rebels notched their first series win over the Gators in 12 years, rallying after a heartbreaking 5-2, 15-inning marathon on Friday to knock off No. 7 Florida twice in a row in Oxford, Miss. In a series where offense was hard to come by, senior center fielder Kylan Becker racked up seven hits, stole three bases and scored four runs. Sophomore first baseman Abbey Latham homered in consecutive at-bats, belting a walk-off grand slam to even the series on Saturday and a solo shot for an early 1-0 lead on Sunday. Junior lefty Molly Jacobsen was a workhorse for the No. 13 Rebels, striking out 22 in 19.1 innings of work, setting the table for Latham's heroics on Saturday and slamming the door in Sunday's 3-1 win.

Hannah James

The freshman righty fired the first seven-inning perfect game in Racer history as Murray State had a doubleheader shutout sweep of Belmont in Murray, Ky. James struck out five in the opening 1-0 win, then came to get the save with an inning of scoreless relief in game two's 3-0 triumph. She became the second different pitcher to toss a perfect game; the only Racer to do so is Mason Robinson, who threw a pair of five-inning perfect games in 2017.

Duke

The Blue Devils swept an ACC foe on the road for the first time and set countless program records in the process, pounding out 28 runs in a three-game sweep of Georgia Tech in Atlanta. In just its second year of existence, Duke set series records for runs (28), hits (41), RBIs (26) and home runs (six). Three different Blue Devils had six or more hits in the series. Freshman third baseman Kristina Foreman now has four straight multi-hit games after just one through last weekend. Sophomore outfielder Jameson Kavel had seven hits to extend her hitting streak to a career-long six games, highlighted by a 4-for-4, two-RBI, two-run game in the opener. Sophomore first baseman Rachel Abboud had six hits and six RBIs, including her second home run of the season.

Emily Heimberger

The senior second baseman had the best SEC series of her career, going 8-for-12 to help Mississippi State avoid a sweep and hand No. 4 Alabama just their second loss of the season in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Heimberger had two hits in each of the first two games out of the nine-spot in the order, earning a bump up in the lineup for Sunday's finale to the leadoff spot. That move worked wonders as she had career-highs of four hits and four runs scored in the dramatic 12-9, 10-inning win. In four of the five innings that the Bulldogs scored, Heimberger was the first runner on, including a leadoff single in the 10th in front of the game-winning three-run bomb by senior center fielder Kat Moore.

Troy

The Trojans are on a season-best seven-game winning streak after they swept UT-Arlington for the first time in program history in Troy, Ala. Freshman righty Leanna Johnson allowed just a single run over 15 innings, earning a pair of wins and a complete-game shutout in the finale. Senior catcher Kaylee Hussey hit a three-run bomb in the 7-4 game two among her four hits, extending her hitting streak against Sun Belt opponents to 10 games.

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