Tuesday, March 28
Central Arkansas 6, Tulsa 5 – Box Score
Ole Miss 6, Memphis 0 – Box Score
Wednesday, March 29
UCF 2, North Florida 2 – Box Score
Wichita State 6, Omaha 1 – Box Score
East Carolina 8, North Carolina 4 – Box Score
Oklahoma State 3, Tulsa 1 – Box Score
Recaps
UCF 2, North Florida 2 – Box Score
ORLANDO – Sophomore infielder Micaela Macario had a bit of time off, but Knights fans in attendance for the UCF softball team's Wednesday evening tilt against North Florida wouldn't have known.
Making her first appearance since UCF's March 17 contest against No. 2 Oklahoma State in Stillwater two weeks ago, Macario did it all in the Knights' 3-2 walk-off win over the Ospreys, headlined by her leadoff triple in the bottom of the seventh inning that would later prove to represent the game-winning run.
Leading off the bottom of the seventh frame, Macario was indeed patient, working her way ahead in the count 2-0 before driving North Florida (19-12, 2-4 ASUN) right-hander Izzy Kelly's next offering just fair down the left field line, digging hard all the way to third base for her second triple of the season.
Macario would not have to wait long to find her way down the remaining 60 feet, as junior utility player Kennedy Searcy later came through with a ground ball that squeaked through Ospreys shortstop Savannah Channell, lifting UCF (20-18, 1-2 The American) to its second walk-off win of the season.
Macario started the game as Ball-Malone's designated player but shifted to second base in the top of the third inning and recorded a putout and an assist in the field in addition to her 2-for-3 showing at the plate. In the winning effort, the reigning 2022 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year also produced her first multi-hit game since March 11 against Kennesaw State.
UCF's late-inning heroics saved another dominant outing by junior right-hander Grace Jewell, who in total tossed 6.1 innings of one-run ball, yielding just two hits and two walks while recording four strikeouts on 89 pitches.
Jewell came within two outs of posting her fifth complete-game shutout of the season, but was pulled in favor of fellow right-hander Sarah Willis after allowing a one-out single through the left side in the top of the seventh inning.
Willis labored through a shaky appearance uncharacteristic of what she has come to regularly produce, allowing one run, in addition to seeing her inherited baserunner score, on a pair of singles and two more walks in just two-thirds of an inning.
She still managed to limit the damage to just a soft two-run single to left field though, allowing for her offense to pick her up and deliver UCF's 20th win of the year.
Jewell began her evening with a spotless first frame, including her first strikeout of the night, before working around a pair of Aubrey Evans fielding errors in the top of the second inning. The righty was aided by a perfect throw to home plate from center fielder Johneisha Rowe on a North Florida single to cut down an Ospreys runner attempting to score.
Jewell only grew stronger as the game progressed, retiring six of the eight hitters she faced in the third and fourth innings before spinning perfect fifth and sixth frames.
Following a Jasmine Williams sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning that broke the ice in the Knights' favor, junior utility player Katie Burge came through in the fourth inning with a deep drive over the North Florida center fielder playing somewhat shallow.
Burge ended up on third base, plating pinch-runner Nehanda Lewis to double UCF's lead and collecting her third triple of the season.
Wichita State 6, Omaha 1 – Box Score
WICHITA, Kan. – No. 23 Wichita State took care of business Wednesday night with a 6-1 win over Omaha at Wilkins Stadium.
Wichita State (27-7) pounded out 12 hits and allowed only three on the other side.
Sydney McKinney, Lauren Lucas, Zoe Jones, Lauren Mills and Taylor Sedlacek all recorded multi-hit games. McKinney doubled and scored three times, Lucas doubled and drove in a pair, while Mills and Sedlacek both singled twice. Jones homered for the third straight game to go with two RBI.
Addison Barnard was 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI and Lainee Brown was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Lauren Howell won her conference-leading 13th game of the season, improving to 13-2. She allowed only one hit in 4.0 innings of shutout ball to go with six strikeouts. Alison Cooper came out of the bullpen to throw the final 3.0 innings. She allowed the lone run on two hits and three walks.
After Howell struck out the side in the top of the first, her offense put an early run on the board in the bottom half. A leadoff double from McKinney led to a 1-0 start after a Barnard sac bunt and Lucas sac fly.
Jones blasted her 11th home run of the season in the bottom of the third on a two-run shot. Singles from Mills and Sedlacek led to a Brown RBI double, putting the Shockers up 4-0.
In the fourth, McKinney reached on a hit by pitch and Barnard immediately brought her in on an RBI triple to right-center.
Omaha scored its lone run in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI single. Sedlacek kept it at just one run, as she threw out a potential runner at the plate to end the inning.
Wichita State's final run came in the bottom of the sixth on a Lucas RBI double, scoring McKinney from second after a stolen base.
East Carolina 8, North Carolina 4 – Box Score
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Taylor Edwards went 4-for-4 at the plate and Anna Sawyer hit her first career home run as East Carolina defeated North Carolina 8-4 at Anderson Stadium on Wednesday night.
Logan Sutton and Taudrea Sinnie each added hits for the Pirates (22-12, 0-3 AAC) who defeated the Tar Heels (13-22, 3-6 The American) for the first time since April 23, 2015, forced Carolina to use four pitchers and improved to 3-1 in midweek games this season.
The Pirates would get on the board first in the top of the second after a Taylor Woodring single advanced Sutton to third and Sutton would then steal home to give ECU an early 1-0 lead. The Tar Heels would answer to knot the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third.
ECU would open the game up in the top of the fifth after Sawyer's three RBI bomb to center field to extend its advantage to 6-1. Carolina would rattle off three straight singles to trim the deficit to three runs but the Pirates would record three straight outs to escape the inning.
Sutton would hit a two RBI double to push ECU's lead to 8-3 in the top of the sixth in the top of the sixth to give the Pirates enough of a cushion to earn their first win in Chapel Hill since 2008.
Addy Bullis (13-4) tossed five strikeouts in seven innings of work for the win while Lilli Backes (6-11) gave up three earned runs and four hits for the loss.
Oklahoma State 3, Tulsa 1 – Box Score
TULSA, Okla. – A two-run home run off the bat of Rachel Becker in the top of the ninth proved the difference in No. 2 Oklahoma State's 3-1 extra innings win over the University of Tulsa in front of a sold-out crowd at Collins Family Softball Complex on Wednesday evening.
The Golden Hurricane (14-16) was without head coach Crissy Strimple against the Cowgirls (30-2). Strimple was serving a one-game suspension stemming from a postgame ejection following the loss to Central Arkansas. Sandra Moore served as the head coach against OSU.
Tulsa sent the game to extra innings with a single through the right side from Rylee Keith. Pinch runner Kennedy Cramer raced around third and barely beat the throw home to tie the game.
Maura Moore (8-6) was tagged with the loss, but the sophomore spun a brilliant game against the high-powered Cowgirls offense. Moore pitched 8.2 innings, allowing three runs and nine hits while striking out six batters. She threw 152 pitches and kept the Cowgirls off the board until the sixth inning.
Kylee Nash entered to get the final out of the ninth after the deciding home run. While only featuring for a little bit in the circle, Nash added a pair of hits at the plate, including a vital seventh inning single that helped Tulsa tie the game.
Lexi Kilfoyl (9-1) blew her save opportunity but stayed in the game to eventually collect the win for Oklahoma State. Kyra Aycock had the start and pitched six innings of shutout ball. She allowed five hits and struck out four.
MacKenzie Denson went 3-for-4 for the Hurricane and almost beat the throw in her lone out. Imani Edwards doubled and had a pair of hits, joining Nash and Denson as Tulsa hitters with a multi-hit game.
Central Arkansas 6, Tulsa 5 – Box Score
CONWAY, Ark. – After leading the entire game, the University of Tulsa softball team allowed four runs in the final frame as the Golden Hurricane fell at Central Arkansas 5-4 on Tuesday evening.
The loss dropped Tulsa to 14-15 on the season while the comeback helped Central Arkansas improve to 21-8.
Despite a fantastic performance through much of the game, Kylee Nash (6-8) was tagged with the loss. She pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits with a trio of strikeouts. Maura Moore struck out a batter and walked three after coming on in relief in the seventh.
In the first five innings, Nash allowed just one hit and retired 13 consecutive batters from the second inning through a third of the sixth.
Emma Vickrey earned the start behind the plate and was effective at the plate as well. She drove in her second RBI of the season and had a pair of hits in three at-bats. Haley Morgan and Imani Edwards each reached safely and came around to score. Kailyn Bearpaw provided Tulsa's lone extra-base hit with a double that drove in Edwards.
Tulsa held a 4-1 lead heading into the final inning. TU's lone error of the evening could not have come at a worse time, as it allowed the leadoff batter to reach first safely. A single and sacrifice bunt for the first out placed two runners in scoring position. Consecutive singles brought in a pair of runs to cut Tulsa's lead to 4-3.
Moore entered the circle to try to earn the save, but the first pitch went to the backstop, tying the game and putting the winning run on third. A walk and strikeout made the scenario two outs with runners on the corner. The next two batters also drew walks, bringing in the winning run.
Ole Miss 6, Memphis 0 – Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tiger softball team dropped their game against Ole Miss 6-0 as they closed out their midweek play. The Tigers (5-27) struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities with five runners left on base in their scoreless loss.
Linsey Hargis starts things off for the Tigers reaching base on a single grounded to the shortstop in the top of the first inning. Hargis was able to advance to third before being left on base to end the inning.
Ole Miss got on the board first as Kamoku hit a sacrifice fly to center field with a runner on second and third, sending Furbush home in the bottom of the second inning. The Rebels doubled their lead as Smith hit a stand up double to center field allowing Sikes to score.
Madison Berner hit a stand up double to the center field wall in the top of the fourth inning looking to add a score for the Tigers, however Berner would get stranded at second to end the inning.
Sam Ibison hit a single through the middle in the top of the fifth inning however the Tigers were unable to capitalize with the runner on base and went scoreless into the bottom of the inning.
The Rebels added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as Stevenson hit a two-run homerun down the left field line. Ole Miss added to its lead as MacKay hit a double with the bases loaded sending Sikes and Grisham in to score.