THURSDAY

TULSA 5, ARKANSAS 0

The Arkansas Razorbacks will have to work their way out of danger after falling in the first game of the 2019 NCAA Softball Tournament. The Hogs lost 5-0 to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in Stillwater on Thursday night, putting them on the brink of elimination in the double elimination round.

Rylie Spell had a huge day at the plate. The Golden Hurricane catcher who came into this game hitting .254, knocked around two hits to get her up to .262, and drove in two of Tulsa’s five runs. The other runs came off the bats of Mikayla Whitten and Julia Hollingsworth, with another run coming after an error.

It should be notd that all five runs came in the 7th inning, as the game was scoreless heading into the final frames. Arkansas had no answer in the bottom stanza, as they were taken down 1-2-3 by pitcher Chenise Delce. Delce allowed just five hits and two walks, and struck out nine Arkansas batters.

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FRIDAY

SOUTH FLORIDA 3, SOUTH CAROLINA 2

South Carolina’s attempted rally fell short on Friday afternoon, as the Gamecocks head into the elimination bracket after their 3-2 loss to USF.

Despite the fact that Kennedy Clark and Mackenzie Boesel each contributed doubles and RBI on the afternoon, the Gamecocks are now on the brink of an early exit in the NCAA Tournament. They weren’t quite able to shut the Bulls down, as they drew first blood in the 1st inning and then tacked on two runs in the 3rd and 4th innings respectively.

The first run of the game came after catcher Macy Cook drew a bases loaded walk. Later on, in the top of the 3rd, Kelsey Lay hit a sacrifice fly that brought Lindsey Devitt in to score. In the ensuing inning, the Bulls drew the bases loaded again, and that led to Bethaney Keen drawing a walk that scored Riley Gore.

South Florida advances on to face the winner of FSU-Bethune Cookman, while the Gamecocks, of course, will await the loser of that one.

TENNESSEE 8, LONGWOOD 0

Tennessee got their stint in the Knoxville Regional started off on the right foot. The Volunteers shutout Longwood 8-0 to advance to the winner’s bracket.

The Vols got excellent pitching out of hurler Ashley Rogers. Rogers twirled a gem, striking out 13 batters and allowed just two hits and one walk through six innings of work. She stifled Longwood batters, as they were only able to collect one XBH among their two hits on the day.

Meanwhile, the Vols also got excellent production at the plate. They hashed out 10 hits in their 29 plate appearances, with three walks to go along the way. Four of those 10 hits were for extra bases, two being sent over the fence by slugger Chelsea Seggern, who hit two bombs and drove in six of the eight runs that came across the board.

The Volunteers will play Ohio State on Saturday. The Buckeyes themselves got a great outing out of Morgan Ray, who threw a CGSHO to help lead them to a 1-0 victory over UNC.

HOUSTON 3, TEXAS A&M 1

A three-run blast by Arielle James was all that Houston needed Friday afternoon.

The Cougars took down the SEC’s Texas A&M Aggies 3-1 thanks in large part to James’ homer. The Aggies could only scrape across one run in the 6th inning, and despite scattering six hits across seven innings, the Aggies are now facing elimination early on.

Kelbi Fortenberry, Kayla Garcia and Payton McBride went just 2-for-12 out of the 1-2-3 spots in the lineup, as Cougars pitcher Savannah Heebner kept the top of the order in check to say the least. Haley Lee accounted for two of the Aggies’ six hits on the day, but they were otherwise shut down. Only one XBH hit was accounted for, as Heebner struck out seven Aggies and allowed just two walks.

The Aggies will face the loser of Texas-Sam Houston State tomorrow.

KENTUCKY 7, TOLEDO 2

The Toledo Rockets struck for two runs in the 1st inning. As fate would turn out, those would be the only runs they’d score all game. The Kentucky Wildcats followed that up with a bombardment of four runs in the bottom stanza and three later on in the 5th, as they celebrated a 7-2 win to open up play in the Lexington Regional.

Abbey Cheek, the SEC Player of the Year, tied the game in the 1st with a two-run double that would be followed up later by her scoring on a throwing error. Lauren Johnson then tacked on a run later with an RBI single that brought home Kayla Kowalik.

Alex Martens would later add two runs on a homer to left. That was followed up by a sac fly by Kelsee Henson, which scored the aforementioned Kowalik.

Autumn Humes did enough to keep the Rockets in check. After the big 1st inning, she didn’t allow a single run the rest of the way of course. She allowed no walks and no extra base hits either, while allowing seven singles, meanwhile. She struck out three Rocket batters and induced seven groundouts. Meghan Schorman shut things down in the final innings, and while she allowed two walks she let up just one hit.

Kentucky will play Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon.

FLORIDA 3, BOSTON U 0

Florida kept their winning ways going with a 3-0 win over Boston U on Friday.

The Gators scored three runs in the 5th inning, and that was all they needed to do to grab the win. The runs came off a double by Kendyl Lindaman, which was later followed up by a two-runs ingle by Hannah Adams. While no Gator collected a multi hit day, Lindaman, Adams, Jordan Roberts and Cheyenne Lindsey were all responsible for the four hits on the day.

Kelly Barnhill was stout in the circle, unsurprisingly. Barnhill picked up five strikeouts, allowed just four hits with no walks or earned runs or extra base hits. She induced 10 flyouts, so the Terriers were able to lift the ball up, but fell unlucky in that regard as it often found gloves.

The Gators will face off with Boise State in winner’s bracket action in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon.

BYU 6, ARKANSAS 3

Arkansas’ run in the 2019 NCAA Softball Tournament quickly came to an end Friday.

The Hogs took a loss to Tulsa on Thursday and then were ultimately done in by BYU on Friday. The Cougars defeated the Razorbacks 6-3 to send them home after a pretty successful season.

BYU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning after a two-RBI single by Arissa Paulson. Then, in the 3rd, the Cougars tacked on three more runs. The runs came off the bat of Rylee Jensen first, who homered to lead off the inning. Then, two more runs would come around to score after a fielding error and a fielder’s choice.

Jensen would later tack on the sixth run of the game for the Cougars on another solo blast in the 6th inning.

Arkansas’ three runs all came in the top of the 5th inning. Haydi Bugarin brought them all in with a three-run homer that had cut the deficit to two. Unfortunately, the mountain was too tough for them to climb and thus, they fell and saw their season conclude.

LSU 2, MONMOUTH 0

LSU got their stint in the NCAA Softball Tournament off on the right foot with a 2-0 win over Monmouth.

The Fighting Tigers were aided by the bats of Shemiah Sanchez, Amber Serrett and Savannah Stewart. The trio contributed the Tigers’ five hits on the day, with Sanchez accounting for three of them on a 3-3 day at the plate.

She chipped in two singles and a double on the day. Serrett, meanwhile, clubbed a solo homer in the bottom of the 5th inning. The other run came off of an RBI single by Stewart, which scored Sanchez in the 4th inning.

Maribeth Gorsuch allowed five hits by the opposition, but kept the Hawks off the board. She struck out five batters and allowed just one walk in her complete game effort.

ALABAMA 8, ALABAMA STATE 2

The SEC regular season champions got off to a hot start with an 8-2 win over Alabama State.

The Alabama Crimson Tide advanced through thanks to a very productive day from their bats. Six batters drove in runs, with Bailey Hemphill recording her 69th RBI of the season. Kaylee Tow smacked a three-run homer in the 4th inning, the biggest blow of the entire day on either side.

The Tide also recorded four stolen bases on the day, with Elissa Brown picking up two of them.

GEORGIA 6, DRAKE 4

The Georgia Bulldogs used some dramatics to defeat the Drake Bulldogs in eight innings on Friday night.

UGA’s bacon was saved by Ciara Bryan, who went liftoff for a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 8th inning. Bryan’s homer was the 11th for her of the season and the third of the day for the Dawgs.

Alyssa DiCarlo (22nd) and Justice Milz (7th) also smashed bombs, DiCarlo’s going for two runs also while Milz’s was a solo shot that tied things up in the 7th inning and allowed for the game to go to extra innings.

OLE MISS 12, CHATTANOOGA 0

It wasn’t particularly close in Oxford, as the Ole Miss Rebels slugged their way to a 12-0 win over Chattanooga.

The Rebels got RBI from six different batters, with Jessica Puck, Kaylee Horton and Amanda Roth going for three RBI each. They also picked up six stolen bases, with Horton and Kylan Becker accounting for four of them on their own, two apiece. They only needed five innings to down the Mocs, in what was one of the most impressive showings of the entire day.

Horton had a huge day at the plate herself, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and the aforementioned three RBI.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 5, SEATTLE U 3

Mississippi State fended off a feisty Seattle U team and won 5-3 to advance in the winner’s bracket on Friday night.

The Bulldogs put up three runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning after falling behind 1-0 in the top of the 3rd. The runs came off a bases clearing double by Kat Moore, as she collected her 39th, 40th and 41st RBI of the season on her seventh double. The other runs were scored in the 5th after Mia Davidson got aboard with a single, and an error allowed for two runs to come across.

Emily Williams allowed three runs and three walks over her complete game outing, but also struck out 11 of the 27 batters she faced. So she was a bit volatile on both ends of the spectrum to say the least.

MIZZOU 7, CAL STATE FULLERTON 4

Mizzou jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after Hatti Moore hit a two-run homer in the 1st inning.

The Tigers then found themselves trailing the Titans 3-2 as they entered the bottom of the 5th. It was then that the Tigers erupted for five runs, including a grand slam by the aforementioned Moore, and went on to win 7-4 to advance in the winner’s bracket out in LA.

Moore’s big day at the plate couldn’t have come at a better time for the Tigers, as they certainly needed a pick me up in that spot, facing the possibility of being put on the brink of elimination.

Regan Nash wasn’t too bad herself, as she went 3-for-3 on the night with a double, her second of the season.

AUBURN 10, COLORADO STATE 5

In a rather exciting game in the opening rounds, the Auburn Tigers won 10-5 over the Colorado State Rams.

The Rams put up a three spot in the top of the 1st inning, but that would be quickly answered by the Tigers, who tied it up in the bottom stanza. That came thanks in part to a two-run bomb by Alyssa Rivera and, later, a single by Carmyn Greenwood.

But the Rams weren’t done. They put up two runs in the top of the 2nd to make it 5-3 in their favor. In the bottom of the 3rd, Aspyn Godwin reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed one run to score, and then Morgan Podany reached off a fielding error, which paved the way for Brittany Maresette to score to tie the game. In the ensuing inning, Tannon Snow smacked a two-run homer to bring Auburn back into the lead. And later on, Makenna Dowell hit a sacrifice groundout that allowed for Justus Perry to trot in from 3rd to put another run across.

The Tigers would tack on their 10th and final run of the game in the bottom of the 6th, thanks to an RBI double by the aforementioned Dowell.

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SATURDAY

KENTUCKY 8, VIRGINIA TECH 1

Kentucky advanced through to the championship round in the Lexington Regional after their 8-1 win over Virginia Tech.

The Wildcats did away with the Hokies after putting up three runs in the 4th and then five runs in the 5th. And despite the fact that SEC Player of the Year Abbey Cheek went without a hit in four at-bats, the Cats were still able to flex their muscles.

Kayla Kowalik went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Lauren Johnson, meanwhile, brought in a run and hit a triple. Three others — Alex Martens, Jenny Schaper and Bailey Vick — were able to bring in runs as well.

Grace Baalman pitched a complete game and struck out three Hokies along the way. She allowed eight hits but just the one run off a homer by Emma Strouth.

TENNESSEE 12, OHIO STATE 4

The Tennessee Volunteers poured it on the Ohio State Buckeyes, winning 12-4 to advance to the Knoxville Regional final.

The Vols scored a run right out of the gate after Aubrey Leach scored on a wild pitch. While OSU scored in the ensuing stanza on two homers by Lilli Piper and Ashley Prange, their lead didn’t last too long. Tennessee scored three runs on a three-run bomb by Cailin Hannon in the top of the 3rd inning.

In the 5th, it was Gracie Osbron who emerged, as Osbron smacked a two-run single to bring in two more runs. The next inning, saw Haley Bearden drive in a run on a single, and Leach scored after an error was committed.

The Vols then put up four runs in the top of the 7th. The first came off a bases loaded walk drawn by Leach. Then, Bearden walked to drive in another run, and Kaili Phillips drove in two with a single to left field.

The Vols combined to strikeout nine OSU batters, with Caylan Arnold collecting five of those nine strikeouts.

LOUISIANA 2, OLE MISS 0

Ole Miss was put on the brink after falling 2-0 to Louisiana early Saturday afternoon.

After routing Chattanooga 12-0, the Rebels couldn’t amount to any runs against the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Rebs were held to just three hits on the afternoon, none going for extra bases.

Louisiana got their runs in the top of the 3rd inning thanks to a throwing error that saw the two runs each come across to score.

LSU 5, TEXAS TECH 4

After a 13-inning marathon, LSU emerged victorious 5-4 to take down the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The winning run was scored on a sac fly by Taryn Antonie, as Amanda Doyle ran into score on the walk-off winner. This was rather easily one of the best games of the entire weekend.

Shelbi Sunseri amazingly pitched all 13 innings, striking out eight batters while allowing nine hits, three walks and four earned runs. She also collected two hits at the plate with two walks and an RBI. Amber Serrett collected a triple on the day, to boot.

ALABAMA 7, ARIZONA STATE 4

Alabama fell behind Arizona State 4-2 after the first two innings, but rallied back to win 7-4.

The Tide dropped in a run in the bottom of the 2nd inning and then four runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Three came off a bases-clearing double by Caroline Hardy, which helped lift them up to the seven spot that they wound up winning the game with.

Reagan Dykes went lift off in the 2nd inning to bring the game within one run at the time. The homer was Dykes’ seventh on the season and brought forth her 30th RBI on the season. Speaking of that category, Bailey Hemphill got to 70 RBI after hitting an RBI single in the 1st inning, which scored KB Sides.

Montana Fouts held strong and struck out 12 in her complete game effort. She scattered seven hits and two walks over her seven innings of work and allowed a homer, but still stood tall at day’s end.

FLORIDA 8, BOISE STATE 0

Florida needed only five innings to dismiss Boise State on Saturday afternoon.

The Gators trounced the Broncos 8-0 and got things started with a six-run 1st inning. A passed ball and a two-RBI single by Jade Caraway put the first three runs up on the board. That was subsequently followed up by three RBI singles from Hannah Sipos, Alex Voss and Amanda Lorenz. Later, Hannah Adams would score after an error and then Jade Caraway stepped up and hit yet another RBI single to bring the lead up to 8-0.

All the while, Kelly Barnhill and Natalie Lugo were stifling Boise batters. They pitched a collective, five-inning no-hitter that certainly put the cap on a dominant performance.

SOUTH CAROLINA 10, BETHUNE-COOKMAN 0

The South Carolina Gamecocks dumped four runs in the 3rd and six runs in the 4th to defeat Bethune-Cookman 10-0 in just five innings.

The Gamecocks were aided by homers from Alyssa Kumiyama and Cayla Drotar, as they each hit two-run bombs in the 3rd inning. In the 4th inning, Kennedy Clark drove in a run on a double and started a hit parade. Kumiyama, Kenzi Maguire, Drotar and Karly Heath each all drove in runs with either doubles in the case of Clark, Maguire and Drotar, or singles in Kumiyama and Heath’s cases.

Drotar also showed off on the mound. She pitched five scoreless innings, allowing five hits, no walks and struck out two of the 19 batters she faced.

MINNESOTA 2, GEORGIA 1

Georgia was put on their heels after losing to Minnesota in eight innings.

The Golden Gophers defeated the Dawgs 2-1 to put UGA on the brink of elimination. Despite Jordan Doggett’s solo homer in the 6th inning, they were not able to put Minnesota away. The Gophers tied the game in the bottom of the 7th inning, thanks to Makenna Partain who hit an RBI single to bring in Ali Lindner. In the bottom of the 8th, the Gophers walked it off on a leadoff homer by Hope Brandner.

Mary Wilson Avant took the loss in the game despite a pretty strong showing. While she walked five and did allow the two earned runs, she still struck out seven batters and allowed merely four hits. She was bested by Amber Fiser, who struck out eight UGA batters en route to the win.

TEXAS 3, TEXAS A&M 2

Texas A&M was eliminated from the NCAA Softball Tournament by their arch rivals from Austin.

The Texas Longhorns defeated the Aggies 3-2 to send the Ags back to College Station. This despite the fact that the Aggies were able to tie the game in the bottom of the 7th to send it to extras.

A&M took an early lead following an error that eventually allowed Kelbi Fortenberry to score. But the Longhorns answered in the top of the 2nd inning. Shannon Rhodes hit a two-run homer to give UT the lead, and it was an advantage they held all the way until the bottom of the 7th.

That’s when Kayla Garcia was able to reach base to allow for Blake-Ann Fritsch to score the game-tying run. The Aggies had some momentum on their side, but after working a 2-2 count, Baylee Klinger struck out to end the threat. In the top half of the inning, Reagan Hathaway singled and after an error, Janae Jefferson scored to give Texas the lead. They wouldn’t relinquish it, as A&M went down in the bottom half.

SOUTH CAROLINA 2, SOUTH FLORIDA 1

South Carolina took aim and defeated South Florida, gaining a measure of revenge to move on to Sunday.

The Gamecocks won 2-1 down in Tallahassee in an exciting 10-inning contest. Haley Simpson tied the game in the 2nd inning after an early USF homer in the 1st, as Simpson singled through to bring Alex Fulmer in to score.

The two teams wouldn’t score again until the 10th. That’s when Kennedy Clark swung and gave the Gamecocks the lead with that one swing of her bat. The solo shot from Clark was the decisive blow in the contest, as Dixie Raley was able to put the Bulls away in the following stanza.

ARIZONA 2, AUBURN 1

Auburn’s late rally wasn’t enough for them to down the Arizona Wildcats, as the Wildcats defeated the Tigers 2-1 out west in Tucson.

UofA put up two runs in the bottom of the 4th inning off a two-run single by Tamara Statman. The senior’s two-run punch up the middle gave UofA the lead and they wouldn’t look back.

Despite a leadoff homer by Bree Fornis, Auburn was put on their heels as they were eventually downed in the 7th to end their threat of tying or taking the lead.

UCLA 9, MIZZOU 1

Mizzou was beaten down in five innings out west in LA, as UCLA took them down 9-1.

The Tigers had few answers for what the Bruins were offering. Three homers by Aaliyah Jordan and Bubba Nickles, two for Nickles, helped strongarm this victory for UCLA, as they proved why they’re one of the best teams in the entire country.

The one run for Mizzou was put up by Regan Nash, as she singled in the top of the 5th. But after the final out of the 5th, the game was over and Mizzou was put on thin ice, as they’ll need to survive the rest out in LA to try and get through to the Supers.

WASHINGTON 6, MISSISSIPPI STATE 1

Out in Seattle, Mississippi State was put in a bad spot, as they were unable to take down the mighty Washington Huskies.

State was crushed 6-1 in a game where they fell behind early and couldn’t come back. After going down 2-0, they were able to make it a one-run game following Kat Moore’s leadoff homer. But Washington just kept pouring it on. They scored one run in the 2nd, two runs int he 3rd and then another run in the 6th to stretch their lead out to five. That proved to be insurmountable, as State’s offense was hard to find.

The Bulldogs collected only six hits in 26 at-bats with no walks on the day and eight strikeouts.

OLE MISS 10, SEMO 0

After scoring no runs against Louisiana, Ole Miss rebounded to drop 10 on SEMO to stay alive.

The Rebels needed only five innings to take down SEMO, but technically speaking, they probably needed just one. They poured out eight runs in the top of the 1st inning thanks to a string of two out singles. Mikayla Allee, Kylan Becker and Abbey Latham pieced those all together, and Autumn Gillespie hit a sac fly to put the cap on the eight run inning. Latham, by the way, had hit a two-run homer as the second batter of the game. Jessica Puk, meanwhile, drove in a run off a bunt single.

The two other runs were scored after Amanda Roth hit a two-run homer that brought Puk in to score as well.

Brittany Finney and Ava Tillmann combined to shut SEMO down, allowing just two hits over the five innings of work. They allowed no walks and struck out six, with five coming from Finney.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 7, SEATTLE U 3

Facing elimination, Mississippi State defeated Seattle U for the second time this weekend. In both cases, they allowed Seattle to score three runs, but this time, State put up seven instead of five to continue their stint in the NCAA Softball Tournament.

It took three innings for them to put any runs on the board, but State put up three in the 3rd frame. They did so thanks to an RBI single by Mia Davidson and then a two-RBI single by Sarai Niu. In the 5th, they added two more thanks to a two-run homer by Kat Moore, her second of the day after hitting one against UW.

Later, Davidson would crush a two-run homer of her own to center to give them their sixth and seventh runs of the game.

Emily Williams did enough to keep Seattle staved off in the circle. She allowed six hits and the three earned runs, struck out two and walked two. Alyssa Loza closed it out, striking out two and walking onewhile allowing just one hit.

AUBURN 8, COLORADO STATE 0

Auburn used only five innings to stave off elimination, as they defeated the Colorado State Rams 8-0.

This came thanks in part to two four-run innings, one in the 2nd and then one in the 5th.

Morgan Podany got things started in the 2nd with an RBI single that allowed Justus Perry to score. Then, Casey McCrackin hit an RBI single that allowed Makenna Dowell to trot in. Tannon Snow reached on a fielder’s choice, which would allow for the aforementioned McCrackin to come in to score, as well as Podany.

In the top of the 5th, Alyssa Rivera homered to lead off the inning. And later, Carmyn Greenwood would draw a walk to let Kendall Veach score. Aspyn Godwin put the finishing touches on things, as she hit a two-RBI single to allow for Perry and Bree Fornis to come in to score.

All the while, Chardonnay Harris tossed a five-inning shutout, striking out three of the 19 batters she faced while walking one.

MIZZOU 7, WEBER STATE 0

Mizzou stayed alive to defeat Weber State 7-0 on Saturday night.

The Tigers poured it on in the 3rd inning, dropping four runs on Weber state. The runs came thanks to a two-RBI double by Jazmyn Rollin and then another two-RBI hit by Hatti Moore. In the 5th, Kolby Romain reached base on a throwing error, allowing for Moore to come in to score. The final run was tacked on in the 7th, as Kim Wert hit a solo blast.

Cassie Gasper and Eli Daniel shut things down on the pitching side of things. Gasper struggled with control though, allowing six walks, but amazingly was still able to keep the opposition off the board regardless. Daniel pitched the final three innings, striking out six and walking just one.