Top Performances From College Softball March 30

Oklahoma State

After a tense 1-0 walk-off win in game one, the Cowgirls left no doubt in game two as they thumped No. 8 Texas 8-0 in five innings in Stillwater, Okla. Seniors left fielder Rylee Bayless and pitcher/first baseman Samantha Show provided a deadly one-two punch atop the lineup, combining to go 6-for-6 with two homers, a double, five RBIs and five runs, capped by a walk-off RBI single from Bayless to seal the run-rule win in the fifth. Senior righty Samantha Clakley had her best outing of the season against a power-conference opponent, holding the Longhorns to just three hits and a walk over five scoreless innings. The last time OK State shut out a top-10 opponent twice in a row, nobody on the current roster had even been born -- the Cowgirls shut out No. 7 Oklahoma in both ends of a doubleheader on April 13, 1994.

Nicole Newman

The senior retired 21 straight Sycamores, recording Drake's first seven-inning perfect game in 14 years as the Bulldogs blanked Indiana State 2-0 in Des Moines, Iowa. The righty fanned 15 of the 21 batters she faced in the Bulldogs' home opener, including eight straight at one point. She now has 23 complete-game shutouts in her storied career. Newman also helped out her own cause with the only RBI base hit of the game, a single to drive in the first run of the game in the fourth inning.

Jessica Tomaso

The freshman first baseman belted a walk-off grand slam, her second walk-off hit in four days, as Providence swept a doubleheader from Creighton in Providence, R.I. After recording her first career three-hit game and hitting a walk-off RBI double to beat in-state rival Rhode Island on Wednesday, Tomaso doubled down on Saturday. She had another three-hit game in the 4-3, 12-inning opening win against the Bluejays, then drove a 2-2 pitch out to left-center to finish a 5-3 win in the nightcap.

Western Kentucky

The Hilltoppers continue to shatter program records across the board as they swept FAU 10-3 and 2-0 in Bowling Green, Ky. Junior righty Kelsey Aikey struck out a career-high 11 batters on her way to a game one win, while freshman righty Kennedy Sullivan threw her fourth complete game in the finale. Sophomore catcher Kendall Smith paced the offense with four hits and three RBI. Their 25-5 overall record and perfect 8-0 start in Conference USA are both the best in team history.

Sophie Frost

The junior righty was a workhorse in the circle, throwing 12.2 scoreless innings as Cal State Fullerton opened Big West play with a doubleheader sweep of UCSB in Santa Barbara, Calif. She threw a complete game shutout in the 1-0 opening win, scattering seven hits and striking out four. She then came re-entered trailing 2-1 in the third of game two, got out of a jam without further damage, and held the Gauchos to two hits over 5.2 shutout innings to keep the Titans in it until the offense came alive with four runs in the eighth for a 6-2 extra-inning victory.

Bucknell

The Bison threw their first no-hitter in three years in a breakthrough doubleheader sweep of Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. Junior Raeanne Geffert went the distance in the opening 2-0 win, allowing just three walks and struck out four to earn the first no-hitter for Bucknell since a five-inning no-no against N.C. Central in 2016. Jess Hom went 5-for-6 on the day, including a career-best 3-for-3, two RBIs, two-run performance in the 12-3, five-inning game two. The wins snapped a 15-game road losing streak for Bucknell against their Patriot League foes in Bethlehem dating back to 2010, and the first time the Mountain Hawks have been swept at home by a conference foe since 1998.

Jennifer Marwitz

The senior right fielder had a career day as Kansas stormed back from an early 7-0 deficit to shock Baylor with a wild 9-8 win in Lawrence, Kan. She doubled her previous career high with four hits, driving in two and scoring twice, including scoring the game-winning run from second base on a walk-off single by senior left fielder Emily Bermel. KU trailed 7-0 after an inning and a half, and still faced a six-run deficit heading into the bottom of the sixth. The heroics of Bermel and Marwitz likely would not have happened if not for a fantastic relief effort by sophomore Hannah Todd, who allowed just one hit in four scoreless innings of relief to keep the Bears from adding on to their early lead.

Penn

The Quakes scored the most runs in a single game since 1998 and most runs under head coach Leslie King in a 17-10 win over Dartmouth. Jessica England reached base safely for the 15th consecutive game and set a career-high with four RBIs. Sarah Cwiertnia's four RBIs tied a career high and Sarah Ketring launched her first-career home run in the contest.

Abbey Latham

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Abbey Latham sent Oxford into pandemonium with a walk-off grand slam to secure an 8-4 win and tied the series against No. 7 Florida at one.  Latham was 2-for-5 with five RBIs and hit the third walk-off grand slam in program history. She is also the fist Rebel to record five RBIs in a single game since 2017.

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Kadence Stafford, a 2023 softball recruit, grew up adoring University of Kansas sports.