Friday night was a busy one for college softball.
There were upsets, home runs, pitcher duels and highlights. Four teams in the top 10 of the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll suffered defeats.
In case you were sleeping, or watching the beach volleyball championships, we rounded up all the important stuff from Friday’s wild games.
BY THE NUMBERS: These are the three best pitchers in college softball
Stanford upsets No. 2 UCLA
Against Carolyn Lee, the bats of the Bruins went cold. UCLA has the third best team batting average in the nation (.352) but mustered just five hits in seven innings against the Cardinal. In seven innings of work, Lee allowed just one run and struck out two batters. The 2-1 victory was her 11th win of the season.
On the offensive end, Stanford tallied seven hits against a trio of UCLA pitchers, but none was more important than the home run freshman Emily Schultz muscled out of the park in the second inning. Not only did that swing drive in Schultz, but it also scored Emily Young, who landed on base after a leadoff single.
THE LATEST: Scoreboard | Stats
UCLA will have a chance to extract revenge on Saturday and Sunday in the three-game series. Stanford is now 3-3 vs. ranked opponents this year and 24-3 when scoring first.
Winner winner, chicken dinner. 🍗@emilyschultz33's homer for @StanfordSball is our @OpusBank #12Best moment.#Pac12SB pic.twitter.com/lT96akBL7Y
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) May 4, 2019
No. 3 Washington bests No. 6 Arizona
The Huskies won their 40th game of the season by notching this 2-1 win over a fellow Pac-12 team ranked in the top 10. Gabbie Plain tossed 6.2 innings for her 18th win of the season, allowing six hits and one run while striking out two. Taran Alvelo notched her second save of the season, closing out the win by fanning the lone batter she faced.
SOFTBALL STORIES: 16 year-old with cerebral palsy joins Pitt | Mo'ne Davis to play at Hampton
Arizona’s Taylor McQuillin pitched well too, allowing just three hits and striking out four over seven innings, but she allowed Washington catcher Morganne Flores to get a hold of a pitch in the third inning, and Flores sent it over the wall in centerfield for a two-run dinger.
Washington and Arizona will finish up this three-game series on Saturday and Sunday.
This was the difference in this one. ☝️
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) May 4, 2019
Morganne Flores' home run in the top of the third is the @OpusBank #12Best moment of the game.@UWSoftball | #Pac12SB pic.twitter.com/3k5498jmYq
Mississippi State beats No. 7 Florida
The Bulldogs let the Gators know in the first of a three-game series that they weren’t just going to roll over. Mississippi State’s batters went yard twice and Emily Williams tossed seven-innings of one-hit ball in the 6-4 win.
Fa Leilua got the Bulldogs on the board in the first inning with a two-run homer, and Sarai Niu followed her up with another bomb that scored two in the second inning. The Bulldogs would add two more runs by playing smart small-ball, scoring on a groundout and a wild pitch.
SCHEDULE: Dates and times for the 2019 Women's College World Series
Florida got its runs by loading the bases and drawing walks. While Williams allowed just one hit, she walked 12 Gators. Still, Mississippi State’s stout defense held on for the win.
Last night was fun boyz 😤 Let’s play ✌️
— Mississippi State Softball (@HailStateSB) May 4, 2019
Series finale doubleheader starts at 3 p.m. CT#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/hRZLIwgyME
WHAT'S AHEAD: The toughest games remaining for the five best teams in softball
Mitchell Northam is a graduate of Salisbury University. His work has been featured at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Orlando Sentinel, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today and the Delmarva Daily Times. He grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore and is now based in Durham, N.C.
