South Carolina collectively shocked the softball universe by not just winning the first game of their series against then-#2 Tennessee, and not even just winning the series, but by sweeping the Lady Vols in the three-game set and outscoring UT 28-16. The Gamecocks capped the series with a run-rule win in game three, coming from behind and putting a hurtin’ on the Lady Vols with a lopsided 15-5 final score.
How sweep it was in Bloomington and Seattle, too, as the Indiana Hoosiers and Washington Huskies enjoyed sweeps of their own against top teams. Indiana, who suffered through the pre-conference portion of the season, came out of the gate like a shot once they hit Big Ten play, and Ohio State didn’t seem to know what hit them. The Hoosiers took all three from the Buckeyes, including shutting out the then-#18 team and outscoring OSU 19-4.
Washington, hosting Arizona in a battle of top-ten teams, took the “W” in three pitcher’s duels, including two that went to extra innings. The two teams scored a combined twelve runs in the series, but the Huskies outlasted their foes from the desert and earned their second straight series sweep in conference play.
Now, on to the headlines and highlights of the week that was in the softball world…
NEWS
- Seton Hall senior Alexis Walkden set the program’s all-time record for runs scored with the 132nd of her career.
- Middle Tennessee State head coach Jeff Breeden earned the 100th win of his career.
- Iona head coach Melissa Inouye earned her 100th as the Gaels’ head coach.
- CSU-Northridge’s Savannah Horvath set the program’s career doubles record.
- Arizona State head coach Trisha Ford earned the 200th win of her career.
- Auburn center fielder Victoria Draper set the program’s single-season record with her 34th stolen base of the season.
- Florida Gulf Coast head coach David Deiros earned the 600th win of his career.
- Penn State head coach Amanda Lehotak earned the 100th win of her tenure with the Nittany Lions.
- Massachusetts head coach Kristi Stefanoni earned the 100th win of her career.
- Congratulations to the pitchers who recorded no-hitters and perfect games this weekend:
- Ally Power, Buffalo (vs. Eastern Michigan, 5.0 IP, 5 SO)
- Corrina Rivas, SIU-Edwardsville (vs. Tennessee State, 6.0 IP, 8 SO, PERFECT GAME)
- Jessica Dreswick, Boston College (vs. Virginia, 5.0 IP, 7 SO, PERFECT GAME)
- Alicia Bazonski/Hannah Stiliner, UNC-Greensboro (vs. Furman, 5.0 IP, 3 SO)
WHO’S HOT, WHO’S NOT
HOT: Arizona State
The Sun Devils continued their hot streak into the second week of PAC-12 conference play, sweeping through Berkeley and taking home two ten-inning victories over the Bears before shutting out Diane Ninemire’s squad to put a cap on the series. G Juarez earned two wins and a save on the weekend, but the Devils saw action and got starts from Dale Ryndak, Breanna Macha, and Juarez. The trio combined for 39 strikeouts and gave up just three runs on the weekend, none of them earned. The Sun Devils are riding high, though a difficult latter half of the conference schedule still lies ahead.
NOT: The B1G
2018 has already shown itself to be an off-year for the Big Ten. Less than a year removed from holding the #1 ranking in the country, Minnesota seems to have lost their ability to earn quality wins on a consistent basis and must find their identity in time to right the ship before the postseason. Michigan had a seventeen-game winning streak, but have played incredibly close games on a regular basis against teams they should have run-ruled. The conference’s best hope looked like it could be Ohio State, as the Buckeyes ascended in the national rankings, only to have those hopes come down in a crash after a trip to Bloomington and a sweep at the hands of Indiana, who had just seven wins in the pre-conference part of the year.
PERFORMANCES OF THE WEEK
>>> Odicci Alexander, James Madison — Alexander has stepped up nicely in Megan Good’s stead, contributing both to the Dukes offense as well as stepping up in the pitching circle. It was the sophomore utility player’s bat that was on full display this week, as Alexander hit .800 (8-10) on the week with two home runs and five RBI. In helping the Dukes to a series sweep over Towson, Alexander had back-to-back perfect showings, with a 3-3 outing to start the weekend and a 4-4 showing in the middle game of the series and the second game of a doubleheader.
>>> Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma — The Sooners freshman will be a shining star sooner rather than later for Patty Gasso’s squad, and she has showed out early and often this season. Alo went just 4-5 on the weekend in a Big 12 series against Texas Tech, with all four hits landing over the fence. By the time the week ended, Alo had a slugging percentage of 3.200 on the week. The Hawaii native recorded ten RBIs and scored six times in the series. In addition to her quartet of home runs, Alo also earned five walks and free trips to first base.
