We're officially three weeks into the season, and the action continues to roll on. From top-5 upsets to perfect games and grand slams, here's what happened in this week of college softball.
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Long Beach State stuns No. 4 Oklahoma
Long Beach State secured the 6-4 statement win over No. 4 Oklahoma at the Mary Nutter Classic on Saturday, Feb. 21. With the game tied 2-2 entering the sixth, Nina Sepulveda drove in an RBI single to give the Beach the slight advantage before Lina Apodaca knocked a three-run home run.
WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.
— FloCollege | Softball (@FloCollegeSB)
Lina Apodaca hits a three run BOMB to give Long Beach State a 6-2 lead 🔥🤯 | |
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Despite the Sooners' rally in the seventh to cut the deficit within two, Long Beach State clinched the top-5 win before securing another win over Bethune-Cookman later that evening.
Maya Johnson tallies 13 strikeouts in statement win
Belmont's not-so-secret weapon, Maya Johnson, delivered a masterclass performance on Friday, Feb. 20, lifting the Bulldogs to a 1-0 upset over No. 14 Mississippi State in a classic pitcher’s duel.
📊 WHO'S ON TOP? Check out the new No. 1 of this week's Power 10
Johnson added a 13-strikeout game to her resume while only allowing one hit on 103 pitches in Starkville. In her performance blanking the Bulldogs, Johnson improved to 5-0 on the season and helped Belmont earn its second top-25 SEC win of the year and third SEC win of all time.
Quincee Lilo makes her case for Catch of the Year
South Carolina's Quincee Lilo did not let a fence stop her from grabbing a foul ball floating out of the stadium in the Gamecocks' showdown against St. Mary's.
Quincee LiliO. MY. GOD. 😱 x 🎥 /
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball)
The left fielder's unbelievable catch gave South Carolina the momentum needed to complete the 4-2 comeback victory in the seventh frame on Saturday.
Perfection from a freshman
No. 9 Alabama shut out Elon 7-0 on Saturday, thanks to a perfect game by Kaitlyn Pallozi in the circle. Oh, and she's just a freshman.
Pallozi became the first Crimson Tide freshman to accomplish the feat, the tenth player in program history, and the first since Montana Fouts' performance at Ole Miss on May 5, 2023. She hurled six strikeouts on 86 pitches in the historic showing.
UCLA shines behind dominant offensive performance
No. 11 UCLA unleashed a 15-7 win over No. 13 Texas A&M on Saturday, fueled by the Bruins' two grand slams.
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Megan Woolery and Kaniya Bragg were responsible for the bases-clearing knocks while UCLA saw a total of four home runs on 11 hits for the day. The Bruins' powerful victory over the Aggies closes with their dominant performance at the Mary Nutter Classic after adding three ranked wins to their resume.
The Lady Vols remain perfect with Sage Mardjetko's no-hitter
No. 1 Tennessee picked up its 14th win of the season with a 7-0 victory over Southern Illinois behind Sage Mardjetko's first career no-hitter.
The sophomore threw for 81 pitches with 12 strikeouts and just one walk to leave the Salukis with the goose egg. Mardjetko improves to 3-0 on the season as Tennessee remains the only unbeaten in the country.
