The Walk-Off: Krings, Mizzou best Penta, Auburn to open SEC play

By
Brady Vernon
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Courtesy of Mizzou Athletics

Top 25 Matchups

No. 14 Missouri 5, No. 24 Auburn 2

Maddie Penta didn’t have her best stuff on Friday. Kara Daly and Julia Crenshaw took advangte. Daly’s two-run shot gave Missouri an early lead. After Missouri answered back with two runs, Crenshaw destroyed a softball to put Missouri up for good. Laurin Krings was great after surrendering the two runs in the fourth. She retired 11 straight batters to end the game and finished with nine strikeouts.

No. 19 Texas A&M 3, No. 20 South Carolina 0

Emiley Kennedy would not be denied. The Gamecocks loaded the bases with no outs in the second. After walking a pair, the lefty came back to strike out two batters and induce the inning-ending groundball to keep it scoreless. Then the go-ahead run was at third with one out in the fifth, she struck out out two more as she went on to rack up 10 strikeouts.

Alana Vawter had a gem too but her defense let her down a bit. Kramer Eschete doubled and came around to score on a two-out error in the fifth. The Aggies tacked on two more via a groundout and another miscue from South Carolina’s defense.

No. 7 Oklahoma State 4, No. 13 Baylor 1 (F/8)

The Cowgirls didn’t have many answers for Aliyah Binford. But thanks to Lexi Kilfoyl and a manufactured run in the seventh, they were able to push the game to extras. When Claire Timm fouled a ball off her leg, it apparently woke up her bat. Timm blasted a two-run homer of Binford for Oklahoma State’s first lead of the night. The Cowgirls added another run in the eighth.

Kilfoyl continues to be masterful. The only Baylor run came via two Cowgirl errors. Kilfoyl picked up six strikeouts and kept the ball on the ground as she typically does.

No. 4 LSU 6, No. 25 Kentucky 2

Sydney Berzon didn’t have her best stuff as the Wildcats had seven hits but she was good enough in key moments. Kentucky went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position which included leaving the bases loaded in the sixth.

Meanwhile, the pair of Tiger freshmen; Maddox McKee and Sierra Daniel, filling in due to injury looked just fine in their SEC debuts. Each had two hits and scored three times for LSU. Every LSU starter ended the game with a hit.

Upsets and Close Calls

Oregon State 3, No. 17 Arizona 2
No. 17 Arizona 6, Oregon State 4

Arizona trailed for most of this game after a pair of solo shots from Paige Doerr and Lici Campbell put Oregon State on top. Carlie Scupin delivered with the Wildcats down to their last out in the seventh with a two-RBI single. The Beavers loaded the bases as Kiki Escobar hit a dribbler and the game-winning run beat the throw home for the walk-off win.

The Wildcats needed a four-run seventh to even the series. Scupin tied the game in the seventh again. Allie Skaggs hit a two-run go-ahead home run.

South Alabama 2, No. 21 Arkansas 1 

Olivia Lackie did it again, delivering a complete game for the Jaguars against a ranked opponent. South Alabama scored two two-out runs in the third. Mackenzie Brasher singled in the first run and Gabby Stagner lined a double that tailed away from Reagan Johnson in center. After Hannah Camenzind tripled in the fifth as the potential tying game, Rylin Hedgecock lined a ball up the middle that Odalys Cordova made an incredible play to prevent the run.

FGCU 3, Florida State 1

FGCU picked up its first win in history against Flordia State. Angelina Bonilla tossed a complete game to scatter eight hits versus the Noles talented lineup. FGCU scored all three runs with two outs including the first one looking like FSU causing chaos on the bases as Sophie Wylie’s infield single scored Tiffany Meek from second.

No. 15 Cal 11, Oregon 6
Oregon 4, No. 15 Cal 3

The first game had seven home runs including our top-ranked second baseman Elon Butler hitting two bombs and driving six runs as the Bears scored three runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings.

Runs were harder to come back in the second game. Oregon got out to a 3-0 lead but Cal tied it up in the sixth to push the game to extras. The Bears had plenty of chances with their 12 hits and left 11 runners of base. Vallery Wong finally ended it with a hard-hit single to drive in Alyssa Daniell in the ninth.

Softball Series Around America

Virginia 3, UNC 0

Eden Bigham shut out the Tar Heels’ offense on the road tossing a complete game victory for the Hoos. Bigham allowed just three hits against a UNC offense touting a .488 team average. The top of Virginia’s lineup got it done as Jade Hylton and Bella Cabral collected four hits on the day. Cabral’s sac fly in the top of the fifth and single in the seventh helped secure the victory.

Texas State 2, Penn State 1
Texas State 6, Penn State 0

The Bobcats earned the series sweep after picking up the Friday doubleheader after Thursday’s win. Ciara Trahan had the walk-off sacrifice fly in the eighth of the first game. While Jessica Mullins tossed a shutout, allowing two hits. Texas State’s offense put up a three-spot in the sixth as Hannah Earls and Karmyn Bass combined for all four RBIs.

Georgia Tech 4, NC State 1 (F/11)
Georgia Tech 8, NC State 1

The Yellow Jackets finally got the offense going in the 11th inning as the bottom of the order helped score three runs. It continued into the second game of the doubleheader as well. Tiffany Domingue hit her seventh home run of the season and Mallory Black blasted a grand slam for Georgia Tech’s 14th straight win.

Players of the Day

Laura Mealer, Tennessee

Mealer hit three home runs by the third inning in the Lady Vols 16-0 win over Missouri State She is the first player to hit three home runs in a single game since Lauren Gibson did so against Ole Miss on 4/20/2013.

Abbie Orrick, Texas Tech

Well, there was plenty of Red Raiders to pick from after Texas Tech’s 15-0 win over BYU. Orrick finished the day 3-for-3 with two doubles and five RBIs.

Alexis Lucyshyn, Buffalo

The lefty tossed the program’s sixth no-hitter in a 1-0 win against Winthrop. She had to be that good as her offense only had one hit in the game.

Sara Mosley and Jayda Kearney, Georgia

These Dawgs saw how dangerous Miami could be and didn’t waste any chances. The pair combined for three home runs and 11 RBIs in a 13-2 win.

Plays of the Day

  • California head coach Chelsea Spencer notches 100th win.

  • Laurin Krings recorded her 500th career strikeout at Missouri in the Tigers’ win over Auburn.

     

  • Billie Andrews hit her 50th home run in her Nebraska career in a 13-3 win over UNI. She is now third on the all-time home run list behind only Ali Viola (53) and Taylor Edwards (54).

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