CW's Place

New Website

2021-04-08T19:08:00.001-04:00

Please visit my new and permanent writing site. This one will no longer be updated.

Here's the link to it- Please Visit the New Site! (https://notesandballs.writeas.com/)

Softball Weekly Awards

2021-04-07T12:17:00.000-04:00

Pac-12 Announces Softball Weekly Awards - April 6, 2021

Player of the Week: Mariah Mazon, Jr., P/DP, OREGON STATE (Tulare, Calif.)

Enjoyed a strong series against Oregon from both the circle and the plate, totaling a win and 21 strikeouts along with three multi-hit games at a .571 clip.

Began OSU's rivalry series with seven innings of two-run ball, striking out nine while contributing two hits in three plate appearances.

Earned a win in game two of the series, pitching seven more innings while surrendering just a single unearned run, allowing two hits and striking out seven hitters.

Added three hits and three RBIs in the Beavers’ 8-1 win over the Ducks.

Finished the series with eight hits in 14 at-bats for a team-high average of .571.

Returned to the circle in the series finale, pitching another complete game and bringing her strikeout total for the series to 21.

Pitcher of the Week: Alyssa Denham, Sr., P, ARIZONA (Alvin, Texas)

Highlighted Arizona’s sweep over Stanford with a pair of shutouts, including her third career no-hitter in the series opener.

Allowed just two baserunners across five innings in game one as the Wildcats blanked the Cardinal, 9-0, in five innings.

Dominated the series finale with another complete-game shutout, holding Stanford to four hits and a walk with three strikeouts across seven innings.

Across 12 innings of work, limited the Cardinal to a .098 batting average.

Freshman of the Week: Jadelyn Allchin, R-Fr., OF, WASHINGTON (Huntington Beach, Calif.)

Led Washington to a four-game series sweep over California, accentuated by a pair of multi-hit games.

Reached base in 7-of-11 plate appearances, leading the Huskies with an impressive .600/.583/.700 slash line against the Bears.

Made two sensational catches in centerfield to rob Cal batters of hits.

Has hit .428 since returning from injury, all against Pac-12 competition.

Big 12 Week 8 Softball Awards

Oklahoma freshman slugger Tiare Jennings and Texas sophomore righty Shea O’Leary have taken Week 8 Big 12 softball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors.

Jennings wins the player honor for the third time this season after going 6-for-9 at the plate last weekend against Kansas with three extra-base hits and her 16th home run of the season. The San Pedro, California native had 11 total bases with six RBIs, increasing her season RBI total to 52, ranking second in the NCAA behind teammate Jocelyn Alo. At 28-0, the Sooners are off to the best start in school history. In Big 12 rankings, Jennings is among the top four in average, hits, doubles, home runs, runs, RBIs, total bases, on base percentage and slugging percentage.

O’Leary was dominant in her two starts in the Longhorns’ home sweep of Texas Tech. She was 2-0 with a pair of solo shutouts and 18 strikeouts over 14.0 innings while holding the Red Raiders to a .154 batting average. This is the third weekly honor for O’Leary, who also earned a nod last year and in 2019. In the opener against Tech, O’Leary struck out seven in a three-hitter. On Saturday, in taking the sweep, the right-hander from Castaic, California struck out a career high 11, walking just one and allowing an unearned run. She’s now thrown 19.1 straight innings without an earned run.

SEC players of the week

SEC Co-Players of the Week – Alabama’s Bailey Hemphill, a graduate utility player from Lafayette, La., led the offense in the series sweep of #24 Texas A&M, hitting .833 (5-for-6) with seven RBI and a .923 on-base percentage. Hemphill drew five walks in the series, becoming Alabama’s career walks leader and fourth in the SEC career rankings with 203.

Arkansas’ Braxton Burnside, a graduate infielder from Paragould, Ark., hit two home runs this week to set the Arkansas single-season home run record while guiding the Razorbacks to a three-game sweep at No. 25 Auburn. For the week, Burnside batted .571 with four hits (two doubles and two home runs), six RBI, five walks and two runs scored.

SEC Pitcher of the Week – Tennessee’s Ashley Rogers, a junior right-hander from Athens, Tenn., registered three complete-game wins against Liberty and #8/7 Kentucky. Rogers gave up just two hits and struck out eight batters in the shutout over the Flames. In wins on Friday and Sunday over the Wildcats, Rogers threw 14.0 innings, allowing just three runs on six hits and fanning 23 batters as the Lady Vols earned their first SEC series win of the season.

SEC Newcomer of the Week – Alabama’s Lexi Kilfoyl, a sophomore right-handed pitcher/designated player from Land O’Lakes, Fla., pitched and hit in all three wins over #24 Texas A&M. Kilfoyl earned a complete-game win in Friday’s opener, allowing just one earned run, before earning a save in game two. She also went 4-for-7 with five walks, three RBI and a .750 on-base percentage.

SEC Freshman of the Week – Missouri’s Jenna Laird, a freshman shortstop from East Meadow, N.Y., batted .667 with 10 hits, seven runs scored and four RBI as the Tigers went 4-0 on the week at Saint Louis and South Carolina. In the midweek game against the Billikens, Laird went 3-for-3 with an RBI double, two runs scored, two stolen bases and a walk. In the opening game versus the Gamecocks, she posted career-highs of four hits and three runs scored and added a double and two RBI.

Sources- Pac-12, Big 12, SEC

Pitt softball's long weekend home series against Louisville

2021-04-05T17:14:00.001-04:00

Pitt's weekend series against Louisville started Saturday afternoon at Vartabedian Field with a doubleheader. Pitt lost both ends of it falling to Louisville in game one 6-4 and then also dropped game two 7-4. The two positives on the day for Pitt was senior Hunter Levesque hit the seventh triple of her career in game one. The seven triples put her third all-time in Pitt history for career triples. And junior Sarah Seamans hit a grand slam home run in game two, registering her team-best seventh home run of the season. The grand slam was Seamans’ second of her career.

Sunday was a better day for Pitt thanks to a walk-off homer by Walker Barbee. Down one run with runners on second and third, Barbee delivered a walk-off home run to left field, giving Pitt the 9-7 win over Louisville. The Panthers also totaled four stolen bases on the day, with Lane, Compson, and sophomores Sarah Seamans and EC Taylor all getting one.

The University of Pittsburgh lost to Louisville, 9-5 Monday afternoon at Vartabedian Field in the last game of their long weekend series. Sophomore EC Taylor continues to impress on the bases though with her speed, stealing two bases in Monday's game, making her the ACC stolen bases leader with 24 for the season now.

SEC Weekend Wrap Up

2021-04-05T14:37:00.000-04:00

1. LSU vs.Ole Miss: In the opening game of the series played Thursday evening in Baton Rouge it took LSU eight innings to get the win over Ole Miss by the score of 1-0. Shelbi Sunseri pitched the complete game in picking up the win for LSU. The two teams were back at it Friday night in Tiger Park for the second game of their series and once again LSU picked up the win defeating Ole Miss, 3-2. LSU’s Ali Kilponen came out of the bullpen to get the win getting five strikeouts in her 3.2 innings pitched. LSU was going for the series sweep on Saturday but Ole Miss had other things in mind ending up winning the game by the score of 9-4 in extra innings at Tiger Park Saturday afternoon. The two teams were tied 4-4 but Ole Miss's offense exploded in the top of the eighth inning scoring five runs and then holding LSU scoreless in the bottom half of the eighth to secure the game win and avoid being swept.

2. Alabama vs.Texas A&M: In game one of their series played Thursday Alabama got the 11-3 run-rule five innings win over Texas A&M at Rhoades Stadium. Alabama power hitter Bailey Hemphill became the all-time walks leader for the Crimson Tide during the game with 200. In Friday action Alabama once again defeated Texas A&M by the score of 8-6 after holding off a seventh-inning rally by the Aggies. The Crimson Tide got the series sweep with their 14-6 win over Texas A&M in six innings in the closing game of the series played on Saturday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium.

3. Tennessee vs. Kentucky: The Lady Vols used a dominant outing from their ace pitcher Ashley Rogers along with an explosive offensive fifth inning to defeat Kentucky, 6-1, on Friday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Several errors leading to a six-run third inning was the difference as Tennessee fell to Kentucky, 13-2, on Saturday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. In the deciding game of their series played Sunday afternoon Tennessee junior pitcher Ashley Rogers turned in a stellar performance and a three-RBI day from classmate Ally Shipman helped push Tennessee past Kentucky, 6-2, at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

4. Florida vs. Georgia: Georgia defeated Florida 4-2 Saturday behind a one-hitter thrown by graduate Mary Wilson Avant. The win is Georgia’s first over a top-five opponent since the Bulldogs beat then-No. 2 Florida in 2018, also at Jack Turner Stadium. Florida came back on Sunday like a buzz saw defeating Georgia 17-1 in the five innings run-rule win for the Gators. The lopsided score was the largest margin of victory all-time over the Bulldogs and tied for the fourth-largest margin of victory against a Southeastern Conference opponent.

5. Missouri vs. South Carolina: Mizzou at one point in Thursday's game one of their series with South Carolina but the Tigers went on an offensive tear-producing 13-unanswered runs to take the 13-4 victory in six innings over the Gamecocks. On Friday Mizzou got in front in the third inning and led to the finish in a 7-3 series-clinching victory over South Carolina. With the help of a nine-run second inning by Mizzou, they defeated South Carolina 10-6 on Saturday in the final game of their series to get the sweep.

Another rough weekend series for Penn State softball

2021-04-05T13:13:00.000-04:00

The Nittany Lions lost both games of their series opening doubleheader against Ohio State Saturday afternoon at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. They lost game one by the score of 2-1 and game two 9-3.

“It was a tough day, I think it’s as simple as that,” said head coach Clarisa Crowell. “Ohio State is obviously a good team, but I feel like we could’ve been better today than what we were. Tomorrow is a new day, and really what our staff and team is going to focus on is how we are going to be better tomorrow. I do think we did some things well, but against a team like that we’ve got to start piecing some things together a little better and execute at a higher level."

The two teams went at it again Sunday with Ohio State coming out on top in a five innings run-rule 9-0 game.

Monday's scheduled final game of the series was cancelled due to what they said was, out of an abundance of caution surrounding the health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and staff. The contest will not be rescheduled.

Texas softball opens up Big 12 play with a win

2021-04-02T14:02:00.000-04:00

On Thursday night at Red & Charline McCombs Field, Texas opened up their 2021 Big 12 conference season with a 5-0 win over visiting Texas Tech.

Sophomore pitcher Shea O’Leary led the way for the Longhorns in the pitching circle throwing a complete game, three-hit shutout that included seven strikeouts. With the win, O’Leary stays perfect at 6-0 this season.

Texas junior second baseman, Janae Jefferson (2-for-4, two RBIs); Mary Iakopo (1-for-2, run, walk, RBI); sophomore shortstop McKenzie Parker (1-for-2, run, double); and junior left fielder Lauren Burke (1-for-2, run, RBI) all lead the way for the Longhorns on offense. Texas scored 4 runs in the second inning of the match and never looked back, adding their final run of the game in the sixth inning.

With the victory, Texas has now won its last three Big 12 openers and improved to 17-7 all-time in Big 12 opening games.

Bands, You Should Check Out Now- Bill Filipiak

2021-03-31T18:40:00.001-04:00

It has been a while since my last, 'Bands You Should Check Out Now,' posting but it's back with the artist, Bill Filipiak. Filipiak is a singer/songwriter who incorporates several different styles of music including, Blues, Roots, and Americana into his songs.

Filipiak's music has received airplay on radio stations both in the US and the United Kingdom. He has worn many other music-related hats besides as a musician. Over the years including as a video director making music videos for upcoming artists along with filming and producing interviews with established artists.

Filipiak released his sophomore album in April of 2020 entitled, "Brand New Me." Inspired by other artists that he's interacted with over the years Filipiak said when asked about the album's influences that, "It's impossible to be around the likes of Ray Wylie Hubbard, Larkin Poe, or Hayes Carll and not be influenced by their incredible approach to writing. They are about as true to themselves as any artist I've met and reminded me that the secret to writing is being honest and vulnerable."

I got to sample some of his music and enjoyed what I heard. You can tell that Filipiak has a deep knowledge of all aspects of the music production process and is a very talented musician be it on a foot-stomping blues-rock track or a rhythmic Americana style of song.

Website-

http://www.filipiak.com

Congratulations to LSU softball head coach Beth Torina

2021-03-31T10:16:00.000-04:00

LSU softball head coach Beth Torina picked up her 400th win at LSU Tuesday night in a home game in Tiger Park. The Tigers defeated Louisiana-Monroe by a final score of 7-5. With the win, LSU improved their record to 19-11 on the season.

LSU returns to tough SEC play starting Thursday for a three-game series against Ole Miss in Tiger Park.

Coach Torina’s Thoughts n her 400th win at LSU…

“It's awesome, and it's cool for a lot of reasons to know that the same staff, Lindsey (Leftwich), Howard (Dobson), Quinlan (Duhon) were working for every single one of them is amazing, and then, think about all the women that contributed to this program that just really lived and died for purple and gold. I didn't play in any of the games, all I did was sit back and watch and play. We've had some phenomenal women that have done some amazing things for this program and truly given their heart and soul, so it's been awesome to be a part of. Hope we can get 400 more here at LSU. I'd love to watch them play for 400 more.”

SEC Softball Weekly Honors and Report - Week 7

2021-03-30T20:41:00.000-04:00

SEC Player of the Week – Texas A&M’s Bre Warren, a freshman outfielder from College Station, Texas, helped the Aggies earn the series sweep over No. 23 South Carolina. Warren recorded a .714 batting average with five hits, four runs scored and two RBI. In game one, she went 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the first inning to give her squad a 2-0 lead. In the last game of the weekend, Warren went 2-for-2 with her first career home run and then an RBI single in the fifth inning to score the go-ahead run to secure the win.

SEC Pitcher of the Week – Arkansas’ Mary Haff, a redshirt junior right-hander from Winter Haven, Fla., recorded three wins and a save to help her team earn the series sweep over Mississippi State and remain undefeated in league play. Haff opened the week hurling nine strikeouts over 6.0 innings in a win at Kansas. In game one against the Bulldogs, she threw 5.2 scoreless innings and struck out four. Haff then earned the save in game two, striking out two batters in 1.2 innings of work. She closed out the weekend with nine strikeouts in the complete-game victory as the Razorbacks moved to 9-0 in SEC play for the first time in program history.

SEC Co-Newcomers of the Week – Florida’s Julia Cottrill, a sophomore catcher from Wichita, Kan., batted .500 with seven hits, two runs scored and seven RBI against No. 22/24 UCF and in the series sweep over No. 13/11 LSU. In the series opener against the Tigers, Cottrill had her first career home run with a three-run shot in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Gators a 5-0 lead.

Kentucky’s Rylea Smith, a sophomore outfielder from St. Louis, Mo., helped her team earn the series win over No. 4/3 Alabama. In the series finale on Monday night, Smith recorded the game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, the second of her career. After the game went into extra innings, she hit a walk-off single in the eighth to secure the series. Smith finished the week with four hits, three runs scored and three RBI.

SEC Freshman of the Week – Auburn’s Shelby Lowe, a freshman left-handed pitcher from Carrollton, Ala., tossed a complete-game shutout at No. 18/20 Missouri on Sunday. Lowe struck out 11 batters to help Auburn earn its first win in Columbia since 2015 and its first shutout win in SEC play since 2019. She also started game one against the Tigers, fanning six batters in 7.1 innings of work.

Source- SEC

Oklahoma’s Alo, Baylor’s Rodoni Earn Big 12 Week 7 Softball Honors

2021-03-30T18:42:00.000-04:00

Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo and Baylor’s Gia Rodoni were key in leading their teams to conference-opening sweeps on the road to take Big 12 Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors.

Alo, the nation’s leader in home runs, RBIs and batting among players with 40 at bats or more, was walked seven times in 12 plate appearances and still managed to go 4-for-5 with two home runs, four extra-base hits and seven RBIs against Iowa State in Ames. The senior from Hauula, Hawaii scored six runs in the Sooners’ three-game sweep of the Cyclones. Alo has homered in 19 of OU’s 25 games and the last nine games straight. She had a 2.400 slugging percentage last week.

Baylor right-hander Rodoni went 3-0 on the road last week with two of those wins coming in the conference opening series against Texas Tech in Lubbock. She threw 21 strikeouts over 18 innings, including the 600th strikeout of her career, to just two walks, while allowing only three earned runs. Sunday she matched her career high by throwing eight innings before the Bears finally took the game in the extra frame. Midweek on the road against Sam Houston, she threw a one-hitter through 5.1 innings with nine strikeouts.

Source- Big 12

Pac-12 Announces Softball Weekly Awards - March 30, 2021

2021-03-30T18:37:00.001-04:00

Player of the Week: Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, 5th Yr., OF, ARIZONA (Mission Viejo, Calif.)

Led Arizona to a four-game sweep over Oregon State, reaching base in 12 of her 15 plate appearances (.800 OBP) and scoring nine runs.

Recorded five extra-base hits - two doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs, highlighted by multi-homer performance in game three of the series.

Set a new season-high with six RBIs in game three, punctuated by a game-ending grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Second Pac-12 Player of the Week honor in 2021.

Pitcher and Freshman of the Week: Makenna Kliethermes, Fr., P, OREGON (Wardsville, Mo.)

No-hit LMU across seven spectacular innings, completing the 34th no-hitter in program history.

Struck out 15 batters and walked just one, becoming the fourth Oregon pitcher to have at least 15 strikeouts in a no-hit performance.

Struck out the first six hitters of the game and struck out the side in the final frame to seal the Ducks’ 3-0 victory.

First career Pac-12 Pitcher and Freshman of the Week honors.

Source- Pac-12

SEC Softball Weekend Wrap Up

2021-03-29T14:12:00.000-04:00

1. LSU vs. Florida: In game one of their series played Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, Florida, behind the pitching of Elizabeth Hightower got the shutout win 5-0 over LSU. Raeleen Gutierrez, Georgia Clark, and Danieca Coffey were the only LSU players with hits in the game. In Saturday game action Florida got off to a fast start taking a 6-0 lead in the game before LSU was even able to get on the scoreboard. LSU tried coming back cutting the Florida lead to 6-4 in the fourth inning but that's as close as the Tigers got losing the game by a final score of 7-4. On a sunny Sunday, 11 am start game played at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium the Florida Gators took it to LSU getting a 9-3 win to sweep the weekend series.

2. Missouri vs. Auburn: It took them extra innings but Mizzou defeated Auburn 2-1 in Friday's opening game of their series. Pitchers Jordan Weber and Emma Nichols led the way for Mizzou. Weber set a new career-high with 13 strikeouts in only six innings of work. Game two of the series played Saturday afternoon was also won by Missouri 6-5. Sunday Auburn kept from getting swept in their series against Missouri by winning the final game of the weekend 3-0.

3. Mississippi State vs. Arkansas: The Razorbacks used the long ball in their 2-0 win Friday night. Mississippi State just couldn't put runs on the scoreboard once again even though they had four hits to Arkansas' two in the game MSU stranded seven base runners in the game. In their game played Saturday Arkansas defeated Mississippi State again to claim the weekend series by the score of 8-7. Sunday Mississippi State once again fell to Arkansas 4-3 to be swept in the weekend series.

4. Ole Miss vs. Georgia: Friday evening at the Ole Miss Softball Complex a two-run home run by Ole Miss’ Autumn Gillespie in the bottom of the seventh won the game for them over Georgia, 6-4. On Saturday Georgia pulled even in the series thanks to a three-run fourth inning from the Bulldogs to get the 3-1 win over Old Miss in Oxford. The loss ends Ole Miss's program-record home winning streak (single season) at 13 games. It was the first loss at the Ole Miss Softball Complex for the Rebels since 2019, marking the end of a 24-game run. In the final game of their weekend series, Ole Miss got the 3-2 win to claim the series.

5. Texas A&M vs. South Carolina: In their SEC home opener The Aggies took game one of their series Friday night over South Carolina by the score of 6-3 at Davis Diamond. On Saturday the Aggies defeated South Carolina 10-2 in a 5-inning run-rule game. Texas A&M's Kayla Poynter went 3.2 innings picking up the win. Texas A&M completed the series sweep Sunday with a 2-1 victory over South Carolina. With the loss, South Carolina is now 0-6 in SEC play.

6. Alabama vs. Kentucky: The Alabama Crimson Tide scored 11 runs on 13 hits, including two home runs (Bailey Hemphill and Kaylee Tow) to defeat Kentucky 11-6 in the opening game of their series. The 13 runs scored is the most for Alabama in a conference game since March 3, 2019, at Texas A&M. Alabama brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the seventh inning, but the late rally fell short as Kentucky evened the weekend series with a 4-2 win Sunday night.

Softball quotes from this past weekend's games

2021-03-29T14:01:00.001-04:00

1. LSU head coach Beth Torina’s thoughts after losing the third game of their series against Florida:

“It was good to see some fight in our team. We just need to adjust earlier in the game and quit digging ourselves into a hole. We will be glad to get back into Tiger Park this week and learn from this weekend.”

2. Texas A&M senior C/UT Kelly Martinez thought process going into hitting her grand slam in their Saturday game against South Carolina:

“Just watching her from the other previous at-bats and being a catcher in the first inning as well, I just knew the umpires strike zone. I knew what she was going to have to do to try to get a strike, so I just sat on a pitch that I was strong at.”

3. Mississippi State head coach Samantha Ricketts on the team's recent performances against Arkansas:

“I think we’re fighting. They definitely have not gone away yet. We’re just still waiting to put together all three phases. We need the hitters to show up when the pitchers show up and vice versa. That’s what we’re going to continue to work for and keep focusing on, the little things, the details, putting it all together.”

4. Michigan State head coach Jacquie Joseph after winning both games of their doubleheader on Saturday:

“This is the most complete day we’ve had all season,” said head coach Jacquie Joseph. “It would have broken my heart to lose game one – we had done the things we needed to do, made all the adjustments we had asked the team to make after yesterday. That was a huge swing by Kendall Kates to end it, and I felt like we got rewarded. In game two, we had already seen all three of their pitchers, and I think it allowed our players to feel a little more relaxed and settle in. The offense came naturally – we moved runners in addition to seeing the longball. I really kind of leaned into them a little yesterday when we lost, and I thought that everyone really bought in and responded to give us a really good day today.”

5. Texas A&M head coach Jo Evans' thoughts on the play of freshmen outfielder Bre Warren in Sunday's game that included her first collegiate home run.

“You can see how excited our whole team was for Bre and anybody who gets their first collegiate home run. It's a really exciting time, and to do it in your freshman year and to do it in front of your home crowd and your hometown. Every time Bre goes up there, she's going to be a hometown favorite, and you know she's worked really hard. She's put in extra time and worked hard to get herself in the lineup, and she's been one of our most consistent hitters through our lineup. You'd be hard-pressed to find a hitter, you know, Haley Lee, of course, but throughout our lineup to see someone who's been so consistent, day in and day out, and really proud of the freshman and what she's doing right now and just her potential to build on what she's done.”

Pitt softball returns to Vartabedian Field

2021-03-28T19:55:00.001-04:00

Pitt's last home game at Vartabedian Field was May 5, 2019, before their Friday afternoon contest against visiting Syracuse. It wasn't what Pitt was hoping for though as they fell behind 6-0 by the second inning and went on to lose the opening game of the weekend series by a final score of 7-1. Pitt pitcher Abby Edwards went only 1.2 innings taking the loss.

The results weren't any better in doubleheader action on Saturday for Pitt with them losing both games falling to Syracuse 7-4 in game one and 8-0 in six innings in game two.

In the final game of their weekend series played on Sunday Pitt lost again 9-3 giving Syracuse the series sweep.

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns sweep South Alabama

2021-03-28T17:41:00.000-04:00

In Sun Belt Conference play Friday night at Lamson Park the Ragin' Cajuns took advantage of an unearned run in the fifth inning of their game against the University of South Alabama to take game one of their weekend series by the score of 1-0. Summer Ellyson got the win in the pitching circle while Olivia Lackie took the loss for the Jaguars.

On Saturday the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns defeated South Alabama thanks to a two-out seventh-inning RBI double by Ciara Bryan giving the Ragin’ Cajuns the walk-off 1-0 win at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.

With their 6-0 win on Sunday the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns completed their series sweep of South Alabama. Summer Ellyson got the start going 4-2/3 innings before Kandra Lamb worked the final 2-1/3 innings to finish out the game.

Louisiana became the first team to shutout South Alabama in an entire Sun Belt Conference series since April 2017 when Texas State achieved the feat.

Penn State softball finally gets first win of their 2021 season

2021-03-28T16:02:00.000-04:00

Penn State's weekend series with Nebraska opened with doubleheader play on Saturday at Bowlin Stadium with the Nittany Lions still looking for their first win of the season. Unfortunately for Penn State they lost both games and find themselves still looking for that elusive first win of the 2021 season. Nebraska won game one 8-2 while in the second game of the doubleheader Nebraska run-ruled Penn State 10-2 (5 innings) for the win.

Penn State freshman Mel Coombs went 4-for-5 at the plate, including her first career home run to help lift Penn State to the first win of their 2021 season. It took Penn State eight innings in their Sunday afternoon game against Nebraska to pick up the 7-5 win for the Nittany Lions. Sophomore pitcher Vanessa Oatley picked up the win in the circle after entering the game in relief of starting pitcher Bailey Parshall who went 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts.

Fun upbeat County song, " You Drive Me Crazy"

2021-03-27T13:03:00.001-04:00

Currie Wayne Clayton Jr has spent many years in the music scene including over two years of touring in the US including performing at several Key West Clubs on famous Duval Street. Besides being a musician Clayton is also co-owner of Cabin Fever Studio Productions, a producer/ engineer, writer, plays, drums, bass, guitars, fiddle, along with piano and is also co-owner of record label and publishing company. So when it comes to music he can pretty much say been there, done that to anything put before him.

Clayton's song, "You Drive Me Crazy," is a fun upbeat track that will have you up dancing along to its, Country/Pop/Beach beats. Clayton says that there is already a line dance that's been made by Rebecca Lapping on Facebook to dance along with it.

Website: https://curriewayneclayton.com/

Middle River Hymnal, 'Holy Week, Vol. 1,' music review

2021-03-26T12:05:00.001-04:00

Band: Middle River Hymnal

Album: 'Holy Week, Vol. 1'

Label: Gospel Song Records

Release Date: Out Now

After years of singing in their local church Josh Diaz and Laura Creel began their, 'Holy Week, Vol.,' music project on Gospel Song Records.

The duo hopes that the reworked well-known hymns found on the album will work as a way to unify worshippers of all ages and backgrounds. “These hymns honor the past while bringing it into the present,” notes Creel. “There’s something deeply grounding about having these words, sung so long ago by so many, embedded in your heart and mind.”

The five hymns found on, 'Holy Week, Vol. 1, ' are, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken," "Give Me Jesus," "How Great Thou Art," and "Were You There."

These are not stand up on your feet clapping along to the beat type of songs. They are more down on your knees with raised hands to God in worship with rich, comforting ethereal strings and piano parts along with passion-filled melodic vocals that breathe life into each of the songs.

If your ready to worship God then Middle River Hymnal's, ''Holy Week, Vol. 1,' will put you in the right frame of mind.

https://gospelsong.ffm.to/holyweek

Josh Fata offers Christian songs with powerful messages

2021-03-24T17:56:00.001-04:00

I found out about Josh Fata through the MusicSubmit site where I'm listed as a music resource.

Unfortunately, the information related to him found there was sparse, no bio., press releases, etc... But after listening to Josh's songs I found myself getting drawn into wanting to learn more about the person who was making this music that was filled with powerful lyrics. So I searched first his website then his Facebook page but I still couldn't find any bio. type of information on Josh.

So I Goggled his name and found a well-done informative article about him on Medium. Here's the link to it - https://ltownjubilee.medium.com/a-gradual-process-f7e67f2da150 . I would encourage you to read it too. It tells about Josh's life of overcoming and not giving up along with finding faith and purpose in life.

Josh, who recently moved from Michigan to Nashville to further his music career likens his style to that of Christian artist Chris Tomlin.

Here's a link to the YouTube video for one of Josh's latest songs, "Everywhere You Go."

https://youtu.be/eJXLYteA5hs

Website- https://www.joshfata.com/

Big 12 Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week

2021-03-23T18:44:00.000-04:00

Texas Tech Duo Sweep Week 7 Softball Honors After Historic Performances

IRVING, Texas – Texas Tech seniors Karli Hamilton and Missy Zoch are respectively the Big 12 Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, as a history-making day in Lubbock was just part of a dominant weekend for both.

Hamilton hit two grand slams in back-to-back innings against Tarleton State, tying an NCAA single-game record. She had nine RBIs in the Sunday contest, shattering the Texas Tech one-game record. Only 13 players in NCAA history have recorded more RBIs in a game. For the weekend, in six games against UTEP and Tarleton State, Hamilton was 6-for-18 with three home runs, 13 RBIs, eight runs scored, four walks and two stolen bases. Her nine RBIs in the 23-0 win over Tarleton matched her season total through the previous 24 games.

In the same memorable game, Zoch threw a five-inning no-hitter. A hit batter in the first inning and walk in the fifth were all that separated a perfect game. It was her first no-no as a Red Raider and the second in the career of the DePaul transfer. Her eight strikeouts tied a season high. Also last weekend, Zoch tossed a complete game two-hit shutout over UTEP, striking out six and walking one in the five-inning contest. In all last weekend she allowed just two earned runs in 13.1 innings and struck out 17.

Source- Big 12

Pac-12 Announces Softball Weekly Awards - March 23rd

2021-03-23T18:40:00.000-04:00

Player and Freshman of the Week: Maya Brady, Fr., UT, UCLA (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)

Highlighted UCLA’s series sweep of then-No. 6 Arizona State to begin Pac-12 play, hitting a home run in each of the series’ last three games.

Reached base on 10-of-12 plate appearances, recording six hits and drawing three walks.

Knocked in a career-high six runs in the series finale, including an opposite-field grand slam in the Bruins’ 9-0 win.

Recorded a phenomenal diving catch in the top of the first inning on Sunday, robbing a Sun Devil of extra bases.

Pitcher of the Week: Rachel Garcia, R-Sr., P, UCLA (Palmdale, Calif.)

Earned two wins during UCLA’s four-game sweep of Arizona State, starting game one and entering game three in relief.

Tied a career-high with 14 strikeouts across eight innings in the series opener, striking out the side on three occasions.

Surrendered her first run of the season in 24 innings, leaving her earned-run average at a sparkling 0.29 with 49 strikeouts.

Struck out seven more hitters in 5.2 innings on Sunday, allowing just two hits.

Source- Pac-12

SEC softball players of the week-6

2021-03-23T18:30:00.004-04:00

SEC Player of the Week – Arkansas’ Danielle Gibson, a redshirt junior infielder from Murrieta, Calif., hit .400 for the week with six hits, three runs scored and three RBI. In the series sweep over Ole Miss, Gibson batted .545 to help the Razorbacks start their SEC season at 6-0 for the first time in program history. On Friday, she went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and the first of her three doubles on the weekend. In the second game of the series, Gibson registered a game-tying double in the sixth followed by a walk-off solo home run in the eighth to secure the win. On Sunday, she recorded her 13th nation-leading double.

SEC Pitcher of the Week – Florida’s Elizabeth Hightower, a junior right-hander from Monticello, Fla., collected two wins and a save and held her opponents to a .176 batting average. Hightower threw 15.0 scoreless innings over four games to extend her streak to 19.1. She pitched 14 of the 19 innings against Mississippi State to help Florida post its first series shutout of an SEC opponent on the road since Stacey Nelson and Stephanie Brombacher achieved the feat at LSU in 2009.

SEC Newcomer of the Week – Georgia’s Jaiden Fields, a redshirt sophomore outfielder from Kennesaw, Ga., batted .500 with five hits, three runs scored and four RBI in the series win over No. 16/18 Missouri. Fields hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning Saturday, the first of three home runs that inning to begin the game 8-0. She later provided a sacrifice fly in the fourth to add another run in the fourth. On Sunday, Fields had a leadoff double in the fifth inning, which led to the Bulldogs’ seventh run of the game.

SEC Freshman of the Week – Georgia’s Jayda Kearney, a freshman outfielder from Columbus, N.J., hit .500 with four hits, three runs scored and four RBI over games 2 and 3 against No. 16/18 Missouri. Kearney recorded her first career home run in the first inning of Saturday’s game and later added a two-RBI double in the third. On Sunday, she had an RBI single a scored a run in the third and then reached on a fielder’s choice in the seventh while the game-winning run was scored.

Source- SEC

SEC Softball Weekend Wrap Up

2021-03-22T14:12:00.000-04:00

1. Alabama vs. Tennessee: In their weekend series the Lady Vols took game one played Friday night at Rhoads Stadium by the final score of 4-3 thanks to an outstanding performance from Tennesse junior pitcher Ashley Rogers. During the game Rogers' retired 16 consecutive Alabama batters that spanned the first five and a third innings. Alabama roared back though in Saturday's game two of the series winning it 7-1. Alabama's seven runs came on 10 hits from a total of seven different players. Bailey Hemphill led the way with three RBIs, coming on a two-run single a solo home run. She now sits at third all-time in UA history with 55 career home runs and improves her career RBI total to 205. Alabama pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl earned the complete-game win. In the Sunday afternoon rubber match of the series Alabama used a three-run 5th inning rally to defeat the Lady Vols 3-0 to claim the series. With the win Montana Fouts moves to 9-2. Fouts struck out eight batters and gave up just one walk in the game. Sunday’s game was Montana Fouts’ eighth complete game of the season and her fourth solo shutout

2. Ole Miss vs. Arkansas: Ole Miss had its 11-game winning streak snapped on Friday, falling to Arkansas 5-1 in game one of the weekend series played at Bogle Park. In game two of the series on Saturday Ole Miss held a two-run lead for much of the game but was unable to hold it, falling again to Arkansas 3-2 in eight innings. In Sunday's game Ole Miss had a 2-0 lead late in the game again but couldn't hold it falling to Arkansas 3-2 to finish out their series on Sunday, getting swept by the SEC leading Razorbacks.

3. Georgia vs. Missouri: Georgia dropped a 6-1 decision to Missouri Friday evening in their Southeastern Conference opener at Jack Turner Stadium. Georgia came back in Saturdays game two of the series though to win 14-10 in a offensive slugfest. Georgia's offense scored a season-high 14 runs on a season-high 15 hits, including five home runs in the game with four coming in the first inning. In the series deciding game played on Sunday Georgia held on to defeat Missouri 8-7 at Jack Turner Stadium to win their Southeastern Conference-opening series.

4. LSU vs. Texas A&M: In the opening game of their series against Texas A&M the LSU tigers went down to the Aggies by a score of 2-1 Saturday night in Tiger Park. Makinzy Herzog pitched a complete seven innings game, picking up her eighth win of the season for the Aggies. Herzog allowed just two hits in the game while giving up three walks and striking out six. In game two of the series played Sunday afternoon LSU pulled even winning the game by the score of 6-1. LSU’s Shelbi Sunseri had eight strikeouts, while only giving up three hits in the game. She also helped herself out on offense hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The two teams will play again Monday at 6 pm to decide who will win the series.

5. Florida vs. Mississippi State: Florida downed Mississippi State, 1-0, in the first game of their series Friday evening at Nusz Park. Redshirt junior Kinsey Goelz’s solo home run in the 4th inning was all the offense the Gators needed to win. Florida ace Elizabeth Hightower got the complete game shutout victory. In what had been a close game until Florida's explosive nine-runs 7th inning to get the 10-0 victory in Saturday's game two of their series. In the final game of their series played Sunday afternoon Florida once again shutout Mississippi State by the final score of 8-0 in a 5 innng run-rule game. Florida pitcher Elizabeth Hightower (10-0) is as good as they come right now and held MSU to just two hits in the game. The weekend’s series shutout of Mississippi State is the first series shutout of an SEC opponent on the road since Stacey Nelson and Stephanie Brombacher achieved the feat at LSU in 2009. Where has MSU's offense gone? Head coach Samantha Ricketts on areas the team needs to improve: “I think it’s getting back to the little things. It’s not even the timely hitting but swinging within a plan and executing like I talked about yesterday too. Just doing some of the little things right where we’re not pressing and not trying to win the game every time we’re up at the plate. [We need to] execute our pitches and make plays behind our pitchers. The game’s pretty simple when we’re able to do those things.”

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns open Sun Belt Conference play

2021-03-21T18:49:00.000-04:00

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns offense scored seven runs over the first four innings of their Sun Belt Conference's opening game Friday night which was needed as UT Arlington made a big push in the game but it wasn't enough as the Ragin' Cajuns held on for the 9-6 win. Kandra Lamb dominated in the circle for the Ragin’ Cajuns both as the starting pitcher and then later re-entering the game to stop UTA's rally.

In Game 2 of their Sun Belt Conference series with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, UT Arlington returned the favor from game one and took an early lead, and held on to win the game by the final score of 8-3, and evening up the weekend series at 1-1.

In Sunday's series-deciding game three, the score was tied up going into the sixth inning when Ciara Bryan hit a two-run home run to give the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns a lead they were able to hold, winning the game by the score of 4-2 and claim the three-game series over UT Arlington.

Ragin’ Cajuns' Ciara Bryan has extended her team-best hitting streak to15 games now with her home run in the seventh inning of game three in the series. Bryan also has now reached base safely in all 22 games she's played this season.

Tough ACC series for Pitt against Virginia Tech

2021-03-21T16:15:00.000-04:00

The University of Pittsburgh softball team had a tough weekend as they faced a ranked Virginia Tech team. The first game of the series ended in a 9-0, five-inning run-rule blowout win at Tech Softball Park Friday evening for VT. The outcome was never in doubt as Virginia Tech recorded six runs off of four hits in the bottom of the first inning to take a 6-0 lead and never looked back from that point of the game.

In Saturday doubleheader action Pitt split with the Hookies taking game one 5-3 before losing in game two, 5-0. The 5-3 victory in game one was the first win for Pitt over a ranked program since a 1-0 defeat of No. 13/9 Florida State on April 6, 2018.

Sunday's final game of the weekend series resulted in another loss for Pitt. Virginia Tech's pitching ace Keely Rochard had Pitt's batters baffled all weekend and Sunday's game was no different with Rochard holding Pitt to just 1 hit while striking out a career-high 19 batters in route to the 2-0 victory.