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College Softball Weekly Recap: Roller-Coaster Ride For Aggies & Sooners

College Softball Weekly Recap: Roller-Coaster Ride For Aggies & Sooners

Top-ranked squads and WCWS rematches were the headliners this past weekend at Mary Nutter, so without further ado let’s highlight what we saw in California.

Feb 27, 2018 by Chez Sievers
College Softball Weekly Recap: Roller-Coaster Ride For Aggies & Sooners

Top-ranked squads and WCWS rematches were the headliners this past weekend at Mary Nutter, so without further ado let’s highlight what we saw in California:

#1 Washington Remains Undefeated After Epic 9-Inning Thriller Against #6 Texas A&M

It took nine innings, but No. 1 Washington prevailed against sixth-ranked Texas A&M 4-3 on Saturday at Mary Nutter, one of several high-profile matchups in Cathedral City over the weekend. UW scored twice in the top of the ninth before hanging on in the bottom half of the frame, as Samantha Manti got Kristen Cuyos to ground out with runners on first and second. The win kept the Huskies perfect on the season, and they left California with three more wins to run their 2018 record up to 18-0.

Pitching and defense have been the catalyst in the Dawgs’ incredible start. Of their 18 wins, 11 have been shutouts. Junior starter Taran Alvelo is 9-0 with a comical 0.40 ERA after tossing a one-hitter on Sunday against Long Beach State. Of course, the offense hasn’t been too bad either, as senior infielder Taylor Van Zee already has 30 hits on the season and is slugging an insane .967 percentage. 

The Aggies nearly took them down, but this UW team is going to be hard to beat going forward.

#3 UCLA Crushes #7 LSU

It was a rematch of their WCWS opener last season, and the Bruins got their revenge against the Tigers with a surprising 9-1 run-rule blowout. UCLA pounded out 13 hits on the afternoon to hand LSU their first loss of the season while starter Rachel Garcia struck out 12 over five in a dazzling gem. Garcia stymied the Tigers' bats nearly nine months after taking the loss against LSU in Oklahoma City at the WCWS. You know that had to feel damn good.


#13 Arizona Upsets The B2B Champs At Mary Nutter

The Wildcats went 5-0 at Mary Nutter over the weekend, capped off with a huge win over No. 4 Oklahoma on Saturday. Taylor McQuillin shut down the Sooners lineup by pitching a one-hitter against the champs, her fourth one-hit performance in a row. On the season McQuillin is 9-1 with a 1.06 ERA.

Two-time defending NCAA champion Oklahoma now has two losses on the season, but the Sooners did collect their first win against a ranked opponent on Thursday by beating No. 17 Arizona State 7-2. OU is going to be just fine.


#8 Texas A&M Beats #5 Oregon

It wasn’t a WCWS rematch, but both teams made it to Oklahoma City in 2017 so you knew this one would be good. Coming off a stunning loss to unranked Nebraska on Thursday, the Aggies were hungry to get back in the win column and they did so by silencing a Ducks’ offense that is among the best in the nation. Lexi Smith struck out seven and allowed just five hits on the afternoon as TAMU beat Oregon 3-1.

Down 1-0 in the entering the sixth, A&M scored three on a combination of walks, a single, and an error, giving the Aggies their sixth late-inning comeback of the season. Although the Aggies lost a heartbreaker on Saturday against Washington, they left Mary Nutter with two wins against ranked Pac-12 squads after beating No. 19 Cal on Saturday evening.

Ducks Shut Out #7 Tigers

The Ducks took two tough losses against Texas A&M and Tennessee, but it wasn’t all bad news for the squad from Eugene. Oregon starter Miranda Elish gave up just two hits against seventh-ranked LSU and DJ Sanders whacked her seventh homer of 2018 as the Ducks won 4-0.

The sophomore Elish ran her career record to 17-0 with the win, and Oregon picked up its biggest win of the season.


Unranked Nebraska Shock Texas A&M

The Huskers kicked off Texas A&M’s up-and-down weekend with a big upset of the Aggies on Thursday. Nebraska stranded 12 TAMU base runners and pounded out 11 hits of its own to topple their third ranked team of the season. The Aggies entered the contest 10-0.


#20 Auburn Drops A Pair To Unranked Wisconsin and Long Beach State

It was a tough weekend for a couple Tiger squads from the SEC at Mary Nutter, and Auburn’s losses came against two unranked foes, Wisconsin and Long Beach State.

The Badgers rallied in the fifth and sixth on Thursday to take down the Tigers 3-2. Wisconsin starter Kaitlyn Menz struck out eight Auburn hitters to pick up the win, while the Tigers certainly didn’t help themselves by committing two errors in the field.


Unfortunately for War Eagle, another unranked buzz saw awaited them in the form of Long Beach State on Saturday. Auburn struck out eight times again, this time against LBSU starter Cielo Meza. The Tigers had their chances to throw crooked numbers on the board after they loaded the bases in both the sixth and seventh, but they could manage just one run in each frame in a 6-3 loss. No doubt that Auburn leaves Mary Nutter a little frustrated after two lackluster performances. 


Florida State’s Jessie Warren Sets ACC Home Run Record, Ties RBI Mark

The ninth-ranked 'Noles kicked off an eventful weekend at the Easton Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with Meghan King and Cassidy Davis combining for a five-inning perfect game against Northern Iowa on Friday. A day later, senior slugger Jessie Warren provided even more fireworks with her bat, slapping the 228th RBI of her career to tie the ACC record in an 8-0 win over Georgia State. She matched Georgia Tech’s Whitney Haller’s mark which had stood since 2009.


Warren also mashed her 70th career dinger, which is tied for 23rd in NCAA history. Warren broke the ACC homer record earlier in the week against South Alabama, hitting a grand slam to center to take sole possession of the conference all-time lead. It was her second long ball of the game. Pitchers be warned: Jessie Warren is dangerous.


Baylor’s Carlee Wallace Hits First Cycle In School History

The eighth-ranked Baylor Bears remain perfect at 9-0 and now have their program’s first cycle after catcher Carlee Wallace knocked the ball all over the yard in the second game of a doubleheader sweep against Abilene Christian on Sunday in Abilene, Texas. The senior polished off her historic day in the best possible fashion, smashing a two-run shot to give her six RBIs for the day.


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