No. 6 Oregon 3, Fordham 2
No. 6 Oregon 12, Virginia 3
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- Big plays on the defensive end helped the Oregon edge Fordham 3-2 Saturday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Janie Takeda helped Karissa Hovinga earn her fifth win of the season gunning down runners at the plate.
Hovinga was pulled after tossing 5.1 innings of work, giving up two runs on five hits. Cherida Hawkins notched her second save of the season with 1.2 innings of work while striking out three.
Hours after grinding out a tight game against Fordham, Oregon erupted for 12 runs Saturday afternoon. The Ducks run-ruled Virginia in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving Jasmine Smithson-Willett her first win in an Oregon uniform. Oregon is now on a 12-game win streak heading into the final day of the tournament.
The transfer from Louisville threw six solid innings in the circle for UO (12-1), giving up just three runs on seven hits while also going 1-for-1 at the plate.
Takeda roped a triple into left center to start the game for Oregon and scored after Virginia’s (2-11) shortstop couldn’t complete the transfer to her glove on a ball scorched by Courtney Ceo. Peterson then drew a walk after Ceo was thrown out on her attempt to steal second. The Ducks loaded the bases after pair of walks but ended up with only one run after Koral Costa popped it up to second.
The Oregon bats would then erupt against Virginia, scoring eight runs on eight hits and ran the Cavaliers’ Aimee Chapdelaine out of the fourth inning.
UVA picked up three runs in the fifth after Megan Harris doubled on a ground ball that took a wild hop over shortstop Karine Shaver and advanced to third on the throw from center. Marcy Bowdren immediately followed with a single up the middle to score M. Harris before Stephanie Harris sent a 1-1 pitch over left field to make it 9-3.
Stevie Jo Knapp gave the Ducks one run back after she crushed Mayer’s 0-1 pitch over the left field wall. Knapp finished the day 2-for-2 with two runs and a pair of RBI off the bench. Kailee Cuico was also perfect at the plate for Oregon, going 2-for-2 with two runs and a pair of walks.
After getting a foul out at first and a fly out to center, Smithson-Willett gave up a hit in the top of the sixth. The sophomore then got Iyana Hughes to hit sharp grounder to Costa to tag out Karli Johnson on her way to second.
Sara Goodrum ended the game by the run rule after she homered just out of the reaches of the Cavaliers’ right fielder for the 12-3 victory.
No. 1 Florida 12, Troy 2
No. 1 Florida 8, Indiana 0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators (16-0) swept a doubleheader for the second consecutive day at Florida Lipton Invitational, winning 12-2 against Troy and 8-0 (5 innings) against Indiana at Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium. Junior Lauren Haeger was one out away from a perfect game for against the Trojans in the opener, while senior Hannah Rogers tossed a five-inning no-hitter against the Hoosiers.
Florida began the scoring against Troy with two runs in the third inning. Kelsey Stewart singled and stole second before a single from Kirsti Merritt set up Haeger’s bases-clearing double.
The Orange and Blue added five more runs in the following frame. Singles by Justine McLean and Stewart followed Chelsea Herndon’s leadoff double. Herndon scored on Stewart’s base hit before Haeger produced a two-run single to bring home McLean and Stewart. Senior Stephanie Tofft knocked in two more runs with a base hit to right that plated Francesca Martinez, who pinch-ran for Haeger, and Taylor Schwarz, who got on base with a single.
The Gators put up five more runs in the top of the seventh. Pinch-hitter Briana Little drove in McLean, who had set the table with a single as the second batter of the inning. After Haeger reached on an error, a single from Taylore Fuller plated Stewart and loaded the bases for Tofft, who drew a walk. A 2-run double by catcher Aubree Munro brought home Fuller and Haeger to put UF up 12-0.
Haeger retired the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh to pull within one out of perfection, but allowed a bloop single and a home run before finishing the complete-game victory.
In the second game, Tofft walked in the second inning to set up a two-run home run by Little. McLean led off the third with a walk before Stewart singled. McLean came home on an RBI single by Haeger, and Stewart scored on a sacrifice fly by Fuller.
No. 2 Tennessee 5, Nebraska 3
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- Tennessee (10-0) extended its season opening win streak to 10 games as they beat Nebraska (7-3) 5-3 on Saturday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
Tennessee and Nebraska both pushed across runs in the first inning. The Lady Vols added two more in the top of the second but the Huskers tied it up with two runs of their own in the bottom of the third. Tennessee took the lead with two more runs in the top of the fifth inning and held the Huskers for the remainder of the game.
Senior Ellen Renfroe (5-0) pitched a complete game and held the Huskers to three runs and only one earned run on four hits while striking out nine. Her first strike out of the game marked the 800th strikeout of her career. She became the second Lady Vol to reach that mark along with Tennessee legend and NCAA record holder, Monica Abbott.
Leading the way offensively for the Lady Vols were freshmen Megan Geer who went 1-for-5 with a two RBI ground rule double to put Tennessee ahead late in the game and freshmen Annie Aldrete who added two hits and an RBI. Sophomore Rainey Gaffin had a solo home run, her first of the year.
No. 3 Washington 8, BYU 0
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- The Huskies got hits from seven of their nine starters and RBIs from five different players, as they shutout BYU 8-0 in five innings on Saturday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Bryana Walker (8-1) made the start in the circle and tossed 5.0 shutout innings to earn her eighth win of the season.
The Huskies (13-2) went 3-2 at the tournament.
Walker turned in her 10th complete-game shutout and her second this season, while striking out seven batters and allowing only three hits and one walk.
No. 4 Arizona State 3, Boston College 0
No. 4 Arizona State 11, Idaho State 1
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State improved to 15-0 on Saturday night as it defeated Boston College and Idaho State in the second night of the Diamond Devil Invitational at Farrington Stadium.
The Sun Devils totaled six home runs throughout the two games, where ASU edged Boston College 3-0 before picking up a five-inning victory against Idaho State 11-1.
Jennifer Soria, who hit her first two home runs of the year against the Bengals, led the Sun Devils with a .667 batting average, as did Amber Freeman, who totaled four hits and two runs on the night.
Haley Steele and Bethany Kemp each added three runs to ASU’s offensive production, while pitchers Dallas Escobedo and Mackenzie Popescue shut out each team they faced, combining for 15 strikeouts.
Penn State 3, No. 5 Kentucky 0
No. 7 Michigan 3, No. 5 Kentucky 0
BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Kentucky could not get the offense going in day two of the FAU Invitational, falling to Kent State 3-0 and Michigan 3-0 at the FAU Softball Stadium on Saturday.
The losses were the first of the season for UK, which entered play Saturday with the longest winning streak in school history. The 12-game winning streak was also the best start in school history for Kentucky, crushing the previous record of 3-0. The Wildcats had three wins vs. ranked foes during the winning streak, including a win over defending national champions Oklahoma. UK also posted two wins over 2013 Women's College World Series participant Texas. Kentucky is now 3-1 vs. ranked foes this season.
Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Nunley carried the load in the circle for Kentucky, throwing the final four innings vs. Kent State and all seven innings against Michigan. Nunley, picked up a no decision vs. the Golden Flashes allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts, while she received the loss against highly ranked Michigan, throwing seven innings allowing three earned runs on nine hits with six strikeouts. Freshman pitcher Shannon Smith got the loss vs. Kent State allowing two runs on three hits. Nunley is now 5-1 on the year, while Smith is 2-1.
Offensively, UK could not find its swing at the plate, posting three hits on the day. Sophomore infielder Nikki Sagermann went 1-for-3 vs. Kent State to record the Wildcats' lone hit, while senior outfielder Emily Gaines and sophomore outfielder Sylver Samuel each had hits against Michigan.
Kent State's Emma Johnson got the win in game one, throwing seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and one hit allowed, while Michigan's Haylie Wagner got the win in game two, tossing seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts and two hits allowed.
Offensively, the Golden Flashes got multiple-hit games from Kim Kirkpatrick and Shelbi Tilton with Tilton posting two RBI. The Wolverine offense was paced by multiple-hit games from Lyndsay Doyle, Sierra Romero and Caitlin Blanchard, while Sierra Lawrence had a hit and two RBI.
No. 7 Michigan 1, Kent State 0
BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Junior pitchers Haylie Wagner and Sara Driesenga combined to throw 16 scoreless innings as the Michigan knocked off Kentucky 3-0 and Kent State 1-0 in nine innings on Saturday at the FAU Invitational held at FAU Softball Stadium.
Michigan pitchers have now thrown three consecutive shutouts and have yielded just one run in 28 innings at the FAU Invitational.
In the second game of the day, U-M scratched out a 1-0 win in extra innings. Wagner picked up her second win of the day after tossing two innings of scoreless relief in the eighth and ninth.
Driesenga started in the circle for U-M and went the first seven innings, giving up just four hits. She received a tough-luck no-decision, but came away with the best results of her four starts in 2014. It is the first time she has not given up a run.
Driesenga and Wagner combined for seven strikeouts and no walks
Michigan threatened to score in several innings -- including the eighth when freshman Abby Ramirez picked up a two-out single and stole second -- but it took until the ninth to push a run across.
Senior Nicole Sappingfield entered the game as pinch hitter in the seventh and picked up a base hit, but it was her ninth-inning knock that won the game for U-M. Romero started Michigan's half of the ninth on second, per international tiebreaker rules. A groundout from junior Lauren Sweet moved Romero to third, 60 feet from becoming the game's first run. Sappingfield followed with a shot down the right field line to plate Romero sew up U-M's seventh consecutive victory.
No. 8 UCLA 4, Missouri 3
No, 8 UCLA 10, Maryland 5
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- Sophomore Mysha Sataraka had a career day for the Bruins, recording a two-run, walk-off double against Missouri in a 4-3 win before driving in a career-best five with three hits and a homer in a 10-5 victory against Maryland on Saturday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
With the pair of comeback victories, the Bruins improve to 14-0 on the season.
No. 9 Alabama 14, Virginia Tech 5
No. 9 Alabama 1, Central Florida 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama continued its undefeated weekend with a pair of wins, overpowering Virginia Tech 14-5 before edging out UCF in a pitchers’ duel 1-0 in the final at-bat. The win against the Hokies was Patrick Murphy’s 800th career win at Alabama.
The Alabama offense came alive against Virginia Tech, earning a season-high 14 hits to defeat the Hokies by nine runs, 14-5. Kallie Case hit well out of the eight-hole, going 4-5 with four stolen bases, tying the single-game record for stolen bases. Haylie McCleney drew four walks, marking the first time since Cassie-Reilly Boccia did so on March 2, 2012 against Maryland. Sydney Littlejohn (4-0) remains undefeated this season, going the distance with three strikeouts and just two walks. Kelly Heinz (4-3) took the loss for Virginia Tech, throwing 6.0 innings with 173 pitches.
With the score tied at 1-1 in the second inning, Alabama moved up 4-1 thanks to a Ryan Iamurri RBI single and a two-run single by Molly Fichtner. Alabama continued to extend its lead, scoring in each of the last four innings to out-score the Hokies 10-3 during that stretch.
After an offensive showcase in game one, Saturday’s second game was a pitchers’ duel as the two teams remained scoreless until the final inning, as the UCF center fielder dropped a two-out fly ball to allow the winning run to cross the plate. Leslie Jury (5-1) earned the win in the circle, striking out six with just two hits allowed, while Mackenzie Audas (4-2) took the tough-luck loss in the circle with no runs allowed besides the game-winning error.
Both teams battled in the opening six innings, setting up Alabama for a nail-biting seventh inning. Two walks and a single loaded the bases, bringing Richard to the plate. She grounded out to the shortstop, who threw home for the force out and gave the Tide one last chance in regulation. Fichtner hit a high fly ball into shallow center, which looked like the end of the inning but the UCF center fielder dropped the ball, which allowed Iamurri to come home for the game-winning run.
No. 10 Florida State 5, UC Santa Barbara 2
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State (13-1) maintained their perfect record at home in 2014 with a 5-2 win against UC Santa Barbara as part of the Unconquered Classic. A four-run second inning with home runs by freshman Lauren Harris and senior Courtney Senas provided all the offense that FSU would need.
Making her first start and in only her second at-bat of the season, Harris took a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for the first home run of her career with one out in the second. The two-run shot scored fellow freshman Ellie Cooper who reached via a walk.
Three batters later, Senas came to the plate with Tiffani Brown on first and crushed a 0-2 pitch deep over the left field wall to make it 4-0 Seminoles.
The four-run lead would be all that starter Lacey Waldrop would need as the junior put together another gem in the circle. Waldrop retired the first seven batters she faced and scattered six hits over 7.0 innings of work. The Gauchos got on the board with two unearned runs in the sixth behind a pair of hits and a Seminole throwing error.
Waldrop (7-1) struck out 10 batters on the afternoon without issuing a walk. It was her third appearance in a row of 10 or more strikeouts, having fanned 10 NDSU Bison on Feb. 16 and posting a season-high 14 strikeouts against UCF on Feb. 19.
Florida State would tack on another run in the sixth as redshirt freshman Alex Powers led off the inning with the first hit of her career. Harris followed it up with her second hit of the day, a single to left center. After Victoria East loaded the bases with a walk, Brown would hit in to a double play to score Cooper who reentered for Powers.
