UCLA and Arizona made headlines with impressive, dominating sweeps of Washington and Oregon, respectively. The Bruins and Wildcats earned their turn in the spotlight this week, but here are some other teams whose performances you don’t want to miss from the week’s slate of games.
Kennesaw State
> In a series that many thought might determine the ASun champion, even as the first league series between the teams, the Owls took on Liberty, playing their first conference games as ASun members. Kennesaw State, who lost their ace pitcher and top power hitter in the offseason, started their conference slate on the positive side with back-to-back wins to open the three-game set, besting the Flames by scores of 3-2 and 5-4, before losing the series finale by the run-rule, 11-3. Despite the bad loss to finish the weekend, the series win could pay dividends for the Owls later in the year.
Stephen F. Austin
> The Ladyjacks have been one of the biggest enigmas of the 2019 season, with three top 25 wins but some equally-egregious losses. After losing a pair of games to Southeastern Louisiana to open Southland play last week, the Ladyjacks brought McNeese State to town, needing to right the ship in league play. SFA did just that, taking the series win over the postseason-stalwart Cowgirls and reaching the .500 mark in Southland play. The Ladyjacks shut out McNeese in game one of the series, winning by a score of 7-0.
UNLV
> Yet another early-season series with major conference implications, the upstart Rebels took two out of three games from nationally-ranked Boise State, including shutting out the Broncos in the series finale and rubber match. An 8-1 win began the weekend for the Rebels, though an 11-2 run-rule loss saw the Broncos offense show up. The Rebels responded in game three, a true pitcher’s duel, where a 5th-inning RBI double provided the only scoring.
Kentucky
> Hosting the second SEC series of the conference portion of the year, the Wildcats continued their torrid hot streak through the league, sweeping their second consecutive conference opponent in Mississippi State. The Wildcats ran their winning streak to eleven games, posting a run-rule win in the series opener, before coming out on top in a tight 9-8 result in the series’ middle game. A 4-1 result in the series finale saw junior pitcher Autumn Humes narrowly miss posting back-to-back shutouts.
North Dakota State
> Participating in a tournament in Clearwater that went significantly underrated, despite some quality matchups, the Bison went a perfect 5-0 on the weekend, and ran their winning streak to eight consecutive games. Among the Bison’s wins were a tight offensive battle with Wichita State; a shutout of the Big Ten’s Purdue; and back-to-back wins over Chattanooga and Florida Gulf Coast.
Louisiana-Lafayette
> In the second weekend of Sun Belt play, the Ragin’ Cajuns continued their torrid start to the conference play, moving to 6-0 in the Sun Belt and advancing their winning streak to eight games. In a weekend that began with honoring legendary coach Yvette Girouard, the Cajuns posted a trio of run-rule wins over Troy, posting a pair of shutouts and outscoring the Trojans 25-1. Including a pair of midweek wins, ace pitcher Summer Ellyson ended the week 5-0 with a 0.49 ERA and forty-one strikeouts. Former Northwestern State transfer Julie Rawls enjoyed her best week as a Cajun, with a .733 batting average (11-15), three home runs, and ten RBIs.
Memphis
> Hosting their final tournament of the non-conference season, the Tigers took a pair of tough losses to open their own slate of home games, to North Alabama and Murray State. On Saturday, the Tigers turned things around, with a surprising 5-3 victory over top-10 ranked Texas Tech in a game that the Tigers dominated in nearly every facet. The victory was the program’s first-ever over a team ranked in the top ten nationally, and included a pair of Tiger home runs, including one off of Red Raiders’ ace Erin Edmoundson. The victory turned the tide for the Tigers, who finished the weekend with another pair of wins.
News and Notes
Lexi Cushing of Middle Tennessee State set the Blue Raiders’ career home run record… Morgan State’s Damali Young set the program’s career hits record… Hayley Norton of Saint Francis now sees her name atop the program’s career home run record… Texas Tech’s Jessica Hartwell recorded her 150th career RBI, a new program record… Austin Peay’s Danielle Liermann now holds the Governors’ career doubles record… Chattanooga head coach Frank Reed earned the 1,100th win of his career… Virginia Tech’s Pete D’Amour earned the 100th win of his head coaching career… Longwood head coach Kathy Riley earned the 700h victory of her tenure with the Lancers… Stephen F. Austin’s Nicole Dickson posted the 200th win of her head coaching career.
