** Winners of Week Eight were crowned on our partner site, Extra Inning Softball. Check that out here. **
Now officially on the latter side of the season’s midway point, let’s take a look at some of the week’s top performances, including some that may have flown under the radar.
South Florida Bulls
After beginning their conference slate sluggishly, with a series loss to Tulsa, the Bulls went to Houston and made some noise, sweeping past the favored Cougars to head to the plus side of the .500 mark in league play. The Bulls got to all three of the Cougars’ ace pitchers, handing each member of the trio a loss, and saw stellar performances from their own staff, including a pair of complete-game victories from Georgina Corrick that saw the sophomore allow just eight hits and two runs, while striking out twenty-one.
Bucknell Bison
After a perfect 3-0 start to their conference slate last week, the Bison took on in-state and conference rival Lehigh in a three-game set and made history. Sweeping past the Mountain Hawks with wins in each of the series’ three games, the Bison handed their rivals their first-ever series sweep – by anybody – in Patriot League play. Joey Lye’s Bison team accomplished the feat behind an offensive outpouring that saw the squad outscore the Mountain Hawks 24-6 in the three games, including a trio of home runs in the series finale. Infielder Lauren Hadley recorded an RBI in each of the three games, and junior pitcher Raeanne Geffert no-hit the Mountain Hawks in the series opener, collecting four strikeouts while allowing just three base runners, all via walks.
Molly Jacobsen and Brittany Finney, Ole Miss
The Rebels’ pitching duo put together a resoundingly-impressive performance against Florida in the teams’ three-game series over the weekend. Both hurlers saw time in the circle in each of of the weekend’s games, with Finney earning two starts and Jacobsen coming on in relief, with the opposite casting in the series’ middle game. Jacobsen finished the weekend with 19.2 innings pitched, after coming on in relief and throwing 2/3 of the 15-inning affair that was the series opener. She allowed five runs, three of them on the Lindaman walk-off home run in that same series opener, while striking out twenty-two. Finney, for her part, allowed ten hits and three runs, striking out twelve, and earned the win for both of her team’s victories on the weekend.
Syracuse Orange
After a disappointing start to the season – a season where we predicted great things from a talented roster – the Orange looked impressive in a series win over Notre Dame, including a run-rule victory over the Fighting Irish in the series opener. Including a midweek doubleheader sweep over Niagara, the Orange outscored their opponents 42-24 on the week. In the three-game conference set against Notre Dame, Alexa Romero saw the majority of time in the circle for her team, working fifteen innings and recording fourteen strikeouts. An interesting anecdote: With their offense rolling at high speed, in the week’s five games, the Orange hit just one home run.
Sam Houston State Bearkats
The Bearkats traveled to Thibodaux, Louisiana to face Nicholls State, seen by many coming into the season as a favorite for an NCAA tournament berth and undoubtedly one of the Southland’s top teams. The Bearkats left Thibodaux with a series win, taking home the W in the series’ bookending games and only dropping a tight 1-0 result in the middle game of the series. Each game in the series was a tight, one-run affair, including the series finale that saw a 7th-inning triple by Bearkats junior Megan McDonald prove to be the decisive blow that put the Bearkats at 8-4 in conference play and in a tie for second in the league standings.
Courtney Coppersmith, UMBC
The Retrievers’ freshman breakout star had quite the day on Sunday, leading her team on both sides of the ball and helping them record the first series win over postseason stalwart Binghamton since 2009. Coppersmith threw a six-inning perfect game in the circle, striking out seven while keeping the Bearcats off of the basepaths. She also went 3-3 at the plate, recording a double and three RBIs to buoy her team to the 8-0 victory. The septet of strikeouts put the first-year star at 180 on the season.
Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Taking a pair of games from Texas to record the conference series win, the Cowgirls did so in convincing fashion, putting together a pair of back-to-back shutouts and adding a run-rule victory for good measure. The squad saw perfect 3-3 performances from a pair of seniors in Rylee Bayless and Samantha Show, relying on their upperclassmen to buoy the squad on a national stage in a game that was also broadcast on ESPN. The Cowgirls got to freshman sensation Shealyn O’Leary, tacking three runs on two hits on the first-year hurler, a night after beating ace Miranda Elish in walk-off fashion.
Sophie Frost, Cal State Fullerton
In a conference-opening doubleheader on Saturday, the junior Frost paid dividends in the circle for her team, earning a pair of wins and leading her team to a perfect 2-0 start in the Big West standings. Frost threw 12.2 innings on the day, recording a complete game in the first game of the doubleheader, while later coming on in relief and finishing the game and the day out for the Titans. After the impressive performance – during which she collected six strikeouts – Frost now rides a 17-inning scoreless streak.
