Top Performances From College Softball Saturday, Feb. 23rd

Danielle Gibson

The Razorbacks slugger etched her name in the NCAA record books with a massive four-homer game as No. 12 Arkansas pounded SIUE 15-3 at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville. The sophomore first baseman became just the sixth player in D-I softball history to hit four homers in a game, but even more impressively, she is now the first player to ever hit for the elusive home run cycle (in four innings). Gibson hit a two-run homer in the first, a three-run shot in the second, a grand slam in the third, and finished the job with a solo bomb in the fourth.

Drexel

Take your pick: a perfect game, a blowout upset win, or a massive offensive onslaught across two games? Drexel had them all on Saturday as they rolled to wins over Cornell and South Dakota at the Madeira Beach Spring Invitational in Madeira Beach, FL.

Freshman righty Brooklyn Daly tossed a perfect game in the opener with four strikeouts as Drexel blanked Cornell 11-0 in six innings. Then the Dragons cranked the offense even higher as they routed South Dakota 20-5 in six innings, handing the favored Coyotes just their fourth loss. Sophomore first baseman Kristi DiMeo went 5-for-7 on the day with two homers and eight RBIs, while junior outfielder Taylor Kent tied a career high with a 4-for-4 effort vs South Dakota and scored three runs.

Andrea Scali

The freshman shined as the Golden Flashes pulled off one of the best days in program history, pulling off back-to-back upsets of host Baylor at the Baylor Invitational in Waco, TX. Scali picked up wins in both games, tossing a complete game two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts in a 1-0 win. She entered in relief of the subsequent 6-5 win for four more innings, including holding an international tiebreaker run off the board in the eighth.

Morgan Rackel

Austin Peay played the longest game in program history by four innings - and Rackel pitched every one of them for a 16-inning complete game 2-1 victory to help the Governors finish a three-game sweep of host McNeese State in Lake Charles, LA. The senior pitcher/utility player scattered 13 hits and three walks over 16 innings, striking out a career-high 16.

Brittany Crawford

The redshirt sophomore outfielder tallied six RBIs on the day, four of them in the opener to key a big win as Stephen F. Austin upset No. 18 Illinois 7-2 at the Mardi Gras Invitational in Mobile, AL. Crawford's two-run homer in the third against the Illini gave the Ladyjacks the lead for good, then she added a two-run double later to seal the win over Illinois and hit a go-ahead two-run single in a 6-5 loss to host South Alabama.

Texas Tech

The No. 19 Red Raiders tossed their third and fourth consecutive shutouts to push their undefeated start to 13-0 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, CA. Sophomore ace Erin Edmondson blanked No. 21 Oregon in a 5-0 complete game shutout, then junior Missy Zoch and freshman Morgan Hornback combined to do the same in the nightcap for a 7-0 win over San Diego State. Sophomore catcher/designated player Trenity Edwards homered in both games to lead the Tech offense.

Army

The Black Knights completed their stay at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a bang, routing Duke 10-0 in five innings in Cathedral City, CA. Freshman pitcher/outfielder Jolie Duong had her first career four-hit game and the first of 2019 for Army while scoring three runs, while junior Macey Newberry blanked the Blue Devils on two hits, the third complete game shutout of her career.

Nichole Fry

The senior shortstop tied one career high and set two more as Long Beach State upset No. 24 North Carolina 8-4 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, CA. Fry tied her best day with three hits, while her two homers and five RBIs are both personal bests. She thumped a three-run homer to give LBSU a 3-1 lead in the fourth, then after the teams traded the lead, her two-run shot in the seventh helped nail down the 49ers win.

Colorado State

The Rams shut down the high-powered offense for No. 20 Oklahoma State for a 2-1 upset win at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, CA. Junior righty Jessica Jarecki held the Cowgirls to just one run in a complete game win. The win broke a 29-game losing streak to top-25 opponents dating back to 2009.

Transfer Nia Carter Hopes For Fairytale Ending At Arkansas

Nia Carter transferred to Arkansas this offseason for her final year of NCAA eligibility.