MAY 4 2008 COLLEGE

430PM UPDATE

TOP 25 SCORES (ESPN/USA Softball poll +)

1. Arizona State def UCLA 5-2
2. Florida def Tennessee 5-3; wins SEC title
3. Alabama loses to Georgia 4-2
4. UCLA loses to ASU 5-2
5. Michigan def Penn State 3-0
6. Texas A&M
7. Oklahoma
8. Stanford def Oregon State 2-1 (8)
9. Fresno State
10. Arizona def Washington 3-0 no hitter
11. Northwestern def Michigan State 6-1
12. Tennessee loses to Florida 5-3
13. Houston beats UTEP 2-0
14. North Carolina
15. Long Beach St loses to CS Fullerton 3-0
16. LSU def South Carolina 9-0
17. ULL def Louisiana-Monroe 10-0
18. Virginia Tech
19. San Diego State def New Mexico 1-0
20. U Mass def St Bonaventure 11-0, 2-1
21. Washington loses to Arizona 3-0
22. Nevada
23. T Mississippi St loses to Arkansas 7-6
24. T Hawaii
25. California loses to Oregon 4-1

26. Missouri def Nebraska 9-4
27. DePaul def Pittsburgh 4-1, loses 7-3
28. Creighton def Missouri State 1-0
29. Georgia def Alabama 4-2
30. Hofstra def George Mason 8-0 no hitter
31. South Florida cancelled
32. BYU
33. Oregon def California 4-1

TOP 25 GAME CAPSULES (Gametracker and SPYmail)

#1 Arizona State 5 #4 UCLA 2  WP Megan Elliott  LP Megan Langenfeld   SV Katie Burkhart

No. 1 ASU Softball team topped No. 4 UCLA Bruins 5-2 at Easton Stadium, which clinches the series over the Bruins for the first time since 1980. The Sun Devils are now 54-4 overall which ties their all-time high in wins and 16-2 in conference play, a new conference win record in Sun Devil history. The Bruins fall to 43-6 overall and 15-3 in conference play.  ASU staged a two-out rally in the 1st; Cochran was hit by a pitch; Donnenwirth singled; Miller slugged a 3-run homer.  Donnenwirth led the 4th with a double; Miller walked, Welty singled to load the bases; two runs scored on sac flies by Cowles and Crabb for the 5-0 lead. Anjelica Selden relieved Langenfeld.  The Bruins Katie Schroeder doubled in Harrison in the bottom half, 5-1.  In the 5th, Kamekona led off with a home run, and Burkhart relieved Elliott.  The Sun Devils host the Stanford Cardinal and Cal Golden Bears this Thursday, May 8-10 in Tempe at Farrington Stadium.

#3 Alabama loses to #29 Georgia 4-2

Junior Christie Hamilton tossed a complete-game and freshman Megan Wiggins drove in three runs to lead the Georgia Bulldogs to a 4-2 upset of the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday at the UGA Softball Stadium in front of a record crowd of 1,663.

“We showed a great team effort today,” Georgia head coach Lu Harris-Champer said. “I am so proud of the team for playing with all their heart and emotion. They left it all out there on the field, and I also think the crowd was a huge boost for us today. It was fantastic to see so many Georgia Bulldogs in the stands keeping the atmosphere very lively. The fans made a big difference for us and we really appreciate that.”

By pulling off the first-ever win over a No. 1 ranked opponent in program history, Georgia concluded its 2008 regular season with a 43-21 overall record and 14-14 mark in Southeastern Conference action. Alabama, the SEC Western Division champion, saw its 22-game SEC winning streak come to a close with the loss. The Crimson Tide finish the regular season at 49-5 overall and 25-3 in league play.

In front of the record crowd, Hamilton worked all seven innings allowing the Crimson Tide to score just two runs on seven hits while striking out five. With the win, Hamilton improved to 12-3 on the year. Alabama’s Charlotte Morgan suffered the loss falling to 14-2 after allowing three runs, only one earned, in three innings.

“Christie was a warrior out there today,” Harris-Champer stated. “I know that she got that win for three things – for the Georgia Bulldogs, for the seniors and for her mom. I’m very proud of her.”

Wiggins provided Georgia with a 2-0 edge in the third inning when she blasted a two-run home run to right, her fifth home run of the season. After Alabama tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run from Morgan, Georgia senior Melissa Wood answered with her 11th home run of the season, a solo blast in the bottom of the fourth, to put Georgia back ahead at 3-2. In the fifth, Georgia placed two runners on base after a pair of hit-by-pitches issued by Alabama’s Kelsi Dunne, and Wiggins followed with an RBI single to give the game its final margin of 4-2.

“Megan is a clutch hitter and she really got extended on the pitch in which she hit the home run,” Harris-Champer noted. “Melissa was an amazing leader today. She wanted this game bad, and she was a true field general out there.”

Alabama threatened to score again in the sixth inning by getting runners on at second and third with just one out. However, Hamilton worked out of the jam by getting the next two batters to groundout.

Prior to Sunday’s crowd of 1,663, the previous high in attendance for a home Georgia softball game was 1,612 on May 5, 2003 against Alabama.

Up next, Georgia will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the SEC Tournament at LSU’s Tiger Park May 8-10. The fifth-seeded Bulldogs will take on the fourth-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday, May 8 at 12 p.m. ET.
 

#2 Florida 5  #12 Tennessee 3 WP-Stacey Nelson  (38-2) LP-Megan Rhodes  (19-8) Wins SEC title

The No. 2 Florida Softball team (59-2, 27-1 SEC) is the 2008 Southeastern Conference Champion. The Gators won the title outright, as they swept the series with Tennessee (46-13, 14-12 SEC), winning the final game 5-3 in Knoxville on Sunday afternoon. The title is only the second in school history. The Gators also won the conference title in 1998, finishing the regular season with a 23-5 conference record. The 27-1 record by the 2008 squad is the best conference record in school history.

Florida scored five runs on eight hits and one Tennessee error to secure the win. The Gators finished the game with 502 hits on the season, setting a new record for hits in a season. The previous record was 495, set in 1998 and again in 2000. Four of the Gators eight hits were doubles. Junior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) and senior Mary Ratliff (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) lead the team with 2-for-4 performance, with Gardiner leading the way with two RBI. Junior Kim Waleszonia (Fontana, Calif.) and freshman Aja Paculba (Wildomar, Calif.) each scored two runs to lead the team. Junior hurler Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) pitched the complete game to improve her record to 38-2 on the season.

After sitting down the first three Gators in order in the top of the first, the Lady Vols went up 2-0 in the bottom of the opening inning. With one out, Lillian Hammond reached on an infield base hit. Following the second out, Shannon Doepking hit the first home run off Nelson this season for the 2-0 Tennessee lead. The Gators took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third. Waleszonia drew a lead off walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Paculba’s double, the first of four for the Gators, scored Waleszonia. Megan Rhodes came in the game to replace starter Ashton Ward for Tennessee. Gardiner took the first of her two doubles to center field on a full count to tie the game at 2-2. With two outs, Ratliff’s double to centerfield gave Florida the one-run lead. The bottom of the fourth brought a tie, and thoughts of a repeat of Saturday night’s 6-5, 11-inning Gator win. With one out, Tennessee’s Erinn Webb hit a double to left center. She moved to third on a wild pitch. She scored on a sacrifice squeeze by Nicole Kajitani to tie the game at 3-3. The Gators scored the winning run in the top of the fifth. After a Paculba walk to lead off the inning, Danielle Pieroni replaced Rhodes in the circle. Gardiner doubled to left center to score Paculba for the game-winning run.  Florida added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Waleszonia led off with a bunt single. Paculba moved her to second with a sacrifice bunt. With one out sophomore Francesca Enea (Woodland Hills, Calif.) knocked a single up the middle and moved Waleszonia to third. Sophomore Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) was intentionally walked to load the bases and make for an easier out, but a Pieroni wild pitch allowed Waleszonia to score for the 5-3 Gator victory. Three straight batters hit balls to Megan Bush in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win. Rhodes took the loss for Tennessee, throwing two innings and giving up the middle two runs.

Florida will now head to Baton Rouge as the top seed in the SEC Tournament. The Gators will face eighth-seeded Ole Miss at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live video will be available free of charge for all games in the SEC Tournament at www.LSUSports.net. Florida radio information will be released later in the week

#5 Michigan 3 Penn State 0  WP Jordan Taylor Shares Big 10 title with Northwestern

The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan softball team used solid pitching and a pair of home runs to defeat Penn State, 3-0, claiming a share of the Big Ten Conference championship Sunday (May 4) at Nittany Lion Field. The regular-season title is the 11th in Wolverine program history -- at least five more than any other Big Ten school -- as U-M wrapped up league play with its best record in nine seasons (18-2).

The Wolverines will share the crown with Northwestern, which defeated Michigan State 6-1 today to complete its respective weekend sweep. The Wildcats will host the 2008 Big Ten Tournament next weekend (May 8-9) after winning the coin-flip tiebreaker last week. Michigan will receive the tournament's No. 2 seed.

Senior second baseman Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) paced the Wolverines with a 2-2 effort from the plate, including her third home run in as many games. The fourth-inning leadoff solo shot gave the U-M captain her 21st bomb of the season, matching her own single-season record in the category. Freshman first baseman Dorian Shaw (Burke, Va./Robinson SS) snagged the game winner two innings earlier, knocking out a two-run jack with two out in the second.

Freshman pitcher Jordan Taylor (Valencia, Calif./Valencia HS) earned the complete-game shutout -- her 12th of the season -- with a sound performance from the circle. The Wolverine rookie struck out five while allowing five hits and a pair of walks to claim her second win of the weekend and improve her record to 27-2.

#8 Stanford 2 Oregon State 1  WP Missy Penna  LP Erin Dyer

Senior Michelle Smith stepped up with her third strong performance of the weekend, cracking the game-winning hit and nabbing both of Stanford's RBI in a 2-1 win over Oregon State today at OSU Softball Complex in Corvallis. With the win, the No. 8/8 Cardinal completed a season sweep of the Beavers, and remains tied for third place entering the final weekend of Pac-10 play. The Cardinal improves to 45-10 overall and 10-8 in the Pac-10, while Oregon State falls to 26-29 overall and 4-14 in conference play. The Cardinal finished off season sweeps of both Oregon schools this weekend, sweeping both schools in the same season for the first time in school history. Smith continued her already productive weekend with perhaps her best game of the series. The Cardinal third baseman went 2-for-4 with her third extra-base hit of the weekend and two RBI. Stanford topped Oregon State in the hit column, 7-6, outhitting an opponent for the 42nd time this year.

Junior pitcher Missy Penna continued her impressive work in the circle. With five more strikeouts against the Beavers in the game, the Cardinal ace moved within five K's of Dana Sorensen's single-season record (358). With a 33-9 record, she is one win short of Sorensen's single-season win record as well. Penna has now thrown 13 consecutive complete games in conference play. Sophomore Kelly Dyer took the loss for the Beavers and falls to 17-23. Freshman Erin Guzy went 3-for-3 and reached on all four plate to lead OSU's offense.

Stanford registered three of its seven hits in the fourth inning to push its first run across. Rosey Neill singled to left field, and her pinch runner, sophomore Michelle Schroeder, slid in safely at second on a fielder's choice off the bat of Maddy Coon. Smith then stepped up with her first of two clutch hits, ripping a single up the middle that scored Schroeder from second.Oregon State wouldn't let the Cardinal off easily, however, as Audrey Roderfeld crushed a homerun in the sixth inning that tied the game. Despite a double by Alissa Haber in the seventh, the Cardinal couldn't score and the team went to its sixth extra-inning contest of the year.

In the top of the eighth, the Beavers recorded two quick outs before Stanford rallied for the game-winning run. Coon drew a five-pitch walk, and stole second three pitches into Smith's fourth at bat of the day. With Coon in scoring position, Smith battled to a full count, and then drove Dyer's offering off the fence in left field for a stand-up double. Penna allowed the Beavers one hit in the bottom of the eighth, but, backed by another strong defensive effort by her teammates, held on for the win.

The Cardinal will finish the regular season in Arizona next week, taking on the No. 1/2 Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday night, and the No. 10/12 Arizona Wildcats Friday and Saturday. The NCAA Selection Show will air Sunday, May 11 at approximately 7 p.m. (PT) on ESPNU and ESPNews.

#10 Arizona 3 #21 Washington 0  WP Taryne Mowatt 10K   No hitter LP Caitlin Noble

Banister opened the Wildcat 4th with a solo HR to left.  Roth singled; Balko struck out; Schutzler singled; pinch-hitter Kemp walked to load the bases; Roth and Schutzler scored.  Lastrapes and Arredondo had rbi's.  Arizona 33-16, 10-8.  UW 28-21-1, 5-12 Pac 10.

#11 Northwestern 6, Michigan State 1  WP Lauren Delaney 3H  LP Lesley Noel  Will host Big 10 tourney

#13 Houston 2  UTEP 0 WP-Angel Shamblin (28-2) 2 hitter LP-Stacie Townsend (12-11)

The University of Houston softball team closed out the 2008 regular season with a 2-0 win over UTEP Sunday at Cougar Softball Stadium, completing their second straight Conference USA series sweep and their sixth this season. Houston finishes the regular season with a 48-8 record and a 21-2 mark in Conference USA.

Houston's 21 wins in C-USA are the second most single-season wins in the conference's nine years and the most since DePaul recorded 22 wins during the 2003 season. UH is only the second program to record back-to-back 20 wins conference seasons. DePaul was the last, doing so during the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

Senior pitcher Angel Shamblin improves to 28-2 this season. She pitched her 16th shutout, allowing two hits and retiring seven batters.

The Cougars put two runs on the board in the third inning, both coming with two outs on the board. Junior Katie Bush started things off reaching base on a bunt and senior Amanda Grote would put herself into scoring position, reaching base on a single through the left side. Bush and Grote would both score when junior Laurie Wagner hit her first triple of the season, giving Houston the 2-0 advantage.

UH finishes the season with a 33-2 record on their home field. Their only two losses came to Baylor and Louisiana Lafayette. They are also only the second program in school history to record 48 wins in a single season. Baseball recorded 48 wins during both the 2000 and 2002 seasons.

Up Next
Houston will play host to the 2008 Conference USA Softball Tournament May 8-10 at Cougar Softball Stadium. The first day of the tournament will feature five games beginning at 9 a.m. There will be two semifinal games at 2 p.m. on Friday. The Championship game is slated for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and will air on CBS College Sports Network.

The Cougars enter the tournament as the leagues top seed and will play at 5:30 p.m. They will play the winner of the UAB vs. Memphis game, which is scheduled for a 9 a.m. start.
 

#15 Long Beach State loses to  CS-Fullerton

    CS-Fullerton 3 Long Beach State 0 WP-Jessica Doucette (13-12) LP-Bridgette Pagano (13-10)

Titans won the series.  After Long Beach stranded two runners in the 2nd (singles by Linke and Pagano, two of three base runners on the day), CSF scored its three runs.  Craddick singled and scored on Martinez' two-out single.  Vieyra and Gollhardt singled for the other two scores. CSF 26-24-1, 10-8 Big West.  LBSU 37-14, 13-5.

#16 LSU 9 South Carolina 0  WP Cody Trahan. 2H LP Krystle Robinson

The shutout, in which Ashton Payne had both SC hits, ended the Gamecocks' season.  With one out in the top of 1st, Stein and Mitchell singled, both advancing on an error by Robinson.  Duhon drove in both with a single to center, which also drove Robinson out of the circle; Melissa Hendon relieved. Duhon scored the third run of the inning. Duhon walked and scored on Hollis' single in the 3rd.  Mitchell opened the 5th with a double; Duhon jacked a 2-run homer.  Roessner singled; Pouilot relieved Hendson.  Pinch-runner Shaw scored, LSU 7-0.  Mitchell and Roessner had rbi doubles in the 6th.  LSU 41-15, 17-11.  South Carolina 21-26, 8-18.

#17 Louisiana-Lafayette 10  Louisiana-Monroe 0   (5 inn) WP-Brittany Cuevas  (5-2) LP-Swillie   (0-2)

#19 San Diego State 1  New Mexico 0 WP-Christina Ross  (28-12) 3-Hitter 9 K's LP-Kelly Ninemire  (15-15)

Aztecs tie school record with 41st win. (41-15, 13-5 MWC).  NM 23-24, 5-11.  Each team had 3 hits but SDSU put theirs together in the 4th.  Floros doubled; Quichocho in to run.  With one out, Marquez doubled to drive in the only score.

#20 UMass sweeps St. Bonaventure 11-0, 3-1

     UMass 11  St. Bonaventure 0  (5 inn) WP-Brandice Balschmiter  no hitter (25-6) LP-Brianna Bricker (2-6)

     UMass 2  St. Bonaventure 1 WP-Bailey Sanders (11-5) LP-Sherri Thompson (16-10)

    Sophomore Carly Normandin's 2-RBI double in the top of the seventh rallied the 20th-ranked Massachusetts softball team (36-11, 20-0 A-10) for a 2-1 win over St. Bonaventure (20-23, 11-7 A-10) and a perfect 20-0 record to end regular season play for the Minutewomen. In game one, junior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter threw her second-consecutive no-hitter as UMass tallied 11 runs on 12 hits for an 11-0 five-inning win. The Minutewomen extend their overall win streak to 26 games, 38 in Atlantic 10 conference play. UMass will be the No. 1 seed in the A-10 Championship Tournament May 7-10 in Charlotte, N.C.

#23 Mississippi State loses to Arkansas

    Arkansas 7 Mississippi State 6 WP-Katy Henry (19-12) LP-Elizabeth Woolven (4-2)

In the last regular season game at Lady’Back Yard, senior Katy Henry earned the win in the circle and sophomore Miranda Dixon picked up a save as the Lady Razorbacks (36-27, 8-20 SEC) tallied 12 hits, including a single by senior Samantha Buckner and a double by senior Dayna Huckabee. The Bulldogs fell to 40-19 and 13-14 in conference play.
        “Today was a big series win for us,” said head coach Jamie Pinkerton. “They came out after being eliminated from the SEC Tournament and could have thrown in the towel, but they finished strong and for that I’m probably most proud. It was a sunny day; the grass was green; it was the last game at Lady’Back yard and the last game for our seniors, and it was a fitting way to go out on all accounts.”
        Three consecutive singles got Arkansas out to a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Juniors Kayla Johnson and Whitney Cloer each had base hits before sophomore Sandra Smith scored Johnson from second on a single up the middle.
        In the second, back-to-back singles by Buckner and sophomore Brittany Robison put two runners on. With two outs, Bachkora and Johnson both reached on errors. Pinch runner Brandy Foust crossed the plate and gave Arkansas a 2-0 lead when Johnson touched first base.
        In the third, Jessie Bailey and Nakita Boyce singled before Ali Bainbridge and Courtney Bures hit consecutive RBI singles to even the score at two apiece.
        Junior Jocelyne Moncrief led off the fourth with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a groundout by sophomore Jessica Bachkora. Johnson laced a double down the right field line that plated Moncrief from second and gave the Lady’Backs a 3-2 lead.
        In the sixth, Bachkora dropped a single into left field, Johnson followed with a single through the left side and Cloer reached on an error to load the bases with one out. Smith then hit a fly ball in the infield that was caught by shortstop Bures. Bures tried to turn and double up Johnson on second, but an errant throw allowed Bachkora to cross the plate. In the next at bat, Dixon hit a three-run home run that put Arkansas up 7-2.
        The Lady’Backs needed each of those runs as the Bulldogs plated four in the top of the seventh before Dixon entered the game in the circle and the Lady’Backs putout the next three batters to secure the victory.
        Every Lady’Back in the lineup had a hit but Johnson led the way going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Dixon added two hits including a home run, a run scored and three RBI.
 

Utah State vs #23 Hawai'i 6:00 PM Honolulu, HI

#25 California loses to Oregon

     Oregon 4 California 1 WP-Alicia Cook  (15-10) LP-LaRosa   (6-5)

 University of Oregon senior Alicia Cook made a gutty return from an injury to pitch a two-hit, 4-1 complete game win over No. 22 California Sunday at Howe Field. Cook (15-10) came back from an injury suffered Thursday in practice when a fly ball struck her in the face and left her eye swollen shut for the next day.

“It was hard to sit on the bench and watch the last two games,” Cook said. “I knew they needed me, and I wanted to be out there, too. I gave it my best, and the team really supported each other in the field and at bat. It was great to be out there again and help get back on the winning track.” Besides her black and blue eye, the Elmira, Ore., native showed little effects from the injury in her second Pac-10 victory of the week and fourth in league play this season. She struck out four, walked one, gave up two hits, and her only run allowed was unearned en route to her team-leading 16th complete game of the year.

On offense, the Ducks (31-24, 4-13) combined on a five-hit, four-run third inning - its biggest run-scoring inning of the Pac-10 slate. Cal (40-21, 7-11) scored its lone run in the sixth inning.

In the third inning, UO’s first three hitters - freshman Monique Fuiava, and sophomores Carlyn Re and Blair Williamson - led off with singles to load the bases. After junior Sari-Jane Jenkins knocked in the first run on a groundout to first base, freshman Cortney Kivett slapped a 3-2 pitch through the right side of the infield for an RBI single that knocked Cal starter Brittany LaRosa out of the game. Two batters later, senior Lovena Chaput lined a two-out, two-run single down the right field chalk for Oregon’s final two runs.

Altogether in the game, five Ducks combined for six hits, and UO’s other hit was an infield single to deep shortstop by Fuiava in the fourth inning.

Cal starter LaRosa (6-4) pitched the first 2.1 innings and gave up UO’s first two runs, and was also tagged with the Ducks’ other runs that inning. She ended with one strikeout, four hits and no walks. Freshman Valerie Arioto pitched the final 3.2 innings, allowed two hits - including Chaput’s 2-run double - walked two and struck out five.

At the plate, Cal’s only hitters to hit safely were leadoff hitter Arioto (1-for-3, 1 RBI) and fifth hitter Bernice Masianiai (1-for- 3). Arioto accounted for Cal’s run with a two-out double to the right field gap in the sixth inning.

Sunday’s win gave UO a 3-2 record the past week after victories vs. Oregon State (2-1) and Portland State (8-4) last Tuesday and Wednesday. The Ducks lost 6-0 to No. 8 Stanford Friday, and 6-1 to No. 22 Cal Saturday.

Looking ahead, UO remains at home for its final weekend of the regular season and first faces No. 4 UCLA, Thursday, May 8 at 4 p.m. The Ducks then have a doubleheader vs. No. 21 Washington, Friday, May 9, at 1:30 and the season finale, Saturday, May 10, 1:30 p.m. UO’s original season opener vs. Washington on March 28 was postponed because of snow and rescheduled as the first game of Friday’s doubleheader.
 

OTHER GAME CAPSULES

#26 Missouri 9  Nebraska 4 WP-Stacy Delaney (18-3) LP-Molly Hill (12-16) S-Jen Bruck (2)

The Missouri softball team (44-14, 11-6) closed out its regular season on the road with a 9-4 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-27, 4-14) in Bowlin Stadium of Lincoln, Neb. Junior Stacy Delaney (Freeland, Mich.) was credited with the win (18-3) after throwing four innings, while senior Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.) earned her second save of the season by hurling two complete frames.

Outfielder Rhea Taylor (Buford, Ga.) set the Big 12 single season stolen base record in her first trip around the bases. Leading off the game with a single to second base, Taylor slid into second for the 52nd stolen bag of her freshman campaign. A throwing error by Nebraska catcher Ashley Guile allowed Taylor to advance to third and the Big 12 leader in runs scored (60) advanced home on a passed ball for Missouri's first run of the day. Taylor entered the afternoon game tied with 2007 Oklahoma State graduate Shanel Scott for the Big 12 single season stolen base record of 51.

Missouri took a 3-0 lead before the end of the inning with sophomore Julie Silver (Chesterfield, Mo.) scoring on Bruck's double to right center and Bruck scoring on second baseman Andee Allen's (Barnhart, Mo.) single to right.

Senior Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) hit a solo home run in the third setting the Missouri single season record at 18. Returning to the plate in the sixth inning, Renth reset the record at 19 after hitting a monster two run homer over the left field fence. Renth leads the conference with her 19 yard balls and improved on the previous Missouri record that was set in 2005 at 17 by Micaela Minner. To date, Renth has hit 42 home runs in her four year career and stands second in the Tiger career home run record book.

Taylor made her third appearance of the day at the dish and hit her first career home run, a three-run knock, over the right field fence. With the home run, Missouri jumped out to a 7-0 lead.

Nebraska stormed back in the fifth scoring three runs on three hits and two Missouri errors, but Nebraska was able to hold onto its lead for the eventual win.

Missouri will begin postseason competition Friday, May 9 at 11:30 a.m. (CT) when they take on sixth-seeded Texas Tech at

#27 DePaul vs Pittsburgh Split

    DePaul 4, Pittsburgh 1.  WP Becca Heteniak 4H 10K

    In the top of 1st, Patton walked, scored on Vojik's rbi sac bunt; Heteniak singled, scored on double by Tarulli-Fish.  Morocco singled with one out in the 2nd; scored on Patton's single.  Tarulli-Fish opened the 4th with a home run.  Pitt scored bottom of 4th when Amistade singled, scored on Hecker's double.  DePaul 45-15, 16-5 Big East.  Pittsburgh 30-24, 11-11 Big East.

    Pittsburgh 7, DePaul 2.  WP Kayla Zinger.  LP Lindsey Dean

    Patton doubled to start the game, scored on Heteniak's two-out single. The Panthers responded with 2 runs in the 2nd; Zinger walked with two out; Stiles jacked a 2-run homer.  The Blue Demons regained the lead in the 4th on home runs by Heteniak and Frankiewicz.  The 3-2 lead held until the bottom of the 6th when the Panthers scored 5 runs.  With one out, Amistade singled; Dignon reached on a fielder's choice, Amistade advancing on an error and scoring the tying run on Card's single.  Livesey drove in go-ahead run; Zinger singled, rbi; Stiles drove in a run with a sac fly; pinch-runner Stottlemyer scored on an error.  Pitt 31-24; 12-11.  DePaul 45-16; 16-6.

#28 Creighton 1, Missouri State 0

Michelle Koch’s third inning solo home run was Creighton’s only hit on Sunday afternoon at the CU Sports Complex, as the Bluejays edged Missouri State 1-0 in a classic pitcher’s duel to conclude the regular-season for both teams. The win wrapped up an unblemished Missouri Valley Conference home season for the Jays, as they swept the Bears to finish 12-0 at home in Valley play and 19-2 at the CU Sports Complex this season.

After falling behind 0-2, Koch took a 1-2 offering from MSU pitcher Melissa Porche deep over the left center field fence to account for the only offense for either team on the day.

Porche (16-15) struck out 12 Bluejays in the one-hit loss, while she walked two in the loss for the Bears (25-21, 11-13 MVC).

Bluejay hurler Tara Oltman tied the MVC single-season record with her 31st victory of the year, equalling MSU’s Kellie Becher’s 31 wins in 1994. The CU right-hander allowed just three singles, walked none and struck out eight to improve to 31-6 on the year.  The shutout was Oltman's 13th of the season, including eight blankings in 15 MVC starts.

The Bluejays wrapped up the regular-season with a 43-14 overall mark, including 21-3 in MVC play to establish a school record for conference wins. The 12 home MVC wins also established a school record for Valley home victories, while the perfect home MVC mark was just the second for CU – the 1997 team went 6-0 at home in conference play. CU is just the fifth team in league history to win at least 20 games in MVC play.

Creighton, the MVC regular-season champion for the second consecutive year, will enter the upcoming State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the number one seed for the second straight season. The Jays will look to become the first team in league history to win back-to-back regular-season and tournament titles, while CU will aim to bring home its fifth Valley tournament title in the last six years. The top seed secures two byes for the Jays in the single-elimination tournament, as CU will not play until the semifinals at noon on Friday against a to-be-determined opponent. This season’s MVC tournament will be hosted by Southern Illinois at Charlotte West Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
 

#30 Hofstra 8  George Mason 0 (5 inn) WP-Kayleigh Lotti no hitter (17-5) LP-Becky Anderson (14-17)

Lotti allowed only two baserunners on the day (both on walks), while recording 12 of her 15 outs by strikeout to get her fourth career no-hitter and her second this season (the first was a perfect game against Drexel on April 19). George Mason made only one bid for a hit in five innings, as designated player Kristen Dickel hit a sharp grounder for the final out of the fourth inning right at Dreslinski at shortstop, who was able to field the ball and get the routine forceout at second.

The shutout was Lotti's 12th of the season, 10 of which have come in conference play. As a team, Hofstra picked up its 21st shutout of the season, tying a school record, while also extending its streak without allowing an earned run to 69 innings. Hofstra also struggled offensively through the first four innings, as it scored one run in the fourth inning thanks for three George Mason errors to break a scoreless tie.

In the fifth, though, Hofstra used a barrage of singles to break the game open, scoring seven runs on eight hits to enforce the eight-run rule. Junior second baseman Casey Fee (Long Beach, NY) led off with an infield single in front of the pitcher's circle and stole second, her 19th stolen base of the year in 19 attempts. Junior center fielder Erika Bernstein (Somerville, NJ) then had a slap single to shortstop and a walk to Oliver loaded the bases.

After an RBI groundout from sophomore first baseman Michele DePasquale (Waterford, NJ) plated the second run, Dreslinski flared a single into left-center to make the score 3-0. Junior left fielder Melissa Hodge (Hamilton, NJ) then flared a single the other way to make the score 4-0, and Haney and sophomore pinch-hitter Stefanie Feinstein (West Chester, PA) tacked on shallow RBI singles to stretch the lead to 6-0. A wild pitch brought home the seventh run, and Bernstein slapped her second hit of the inning to plate the game-ending run.

Hofstra threatened in the first inning as senior designated player Courtney Oliver (Swansea, MA) flew out to the wall in right-center after Bernstein (Somerville, NJ) hit a one-out single. With runners on second and third, Dreslinski hit a sinking liner to center field, but Dee Murray was able to make a running catch to end the inning.

Bernstein finished the day 3-for-4 at the plate for the Pride, with a stolen base, a run scored and an RBI. Hodge was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

Hofstra clinched the CAA regular season championship yesterday and will next be in action when it hosts the CAA Tournament this coming weekend as it tries to extend its NCAA record of 10 straight conference tournament championships. The Pride will open play on Thursday at 12 noon against fourth-seeded Towson, while James Madison and Georgia State will face each other in the other opening round game at 3:30 p.m. The two losers will play an elimination game on Friday at 10 a.m., and the two winners will face each other at 12:30. The championship round will be on Saturday at 12 noon.

#31 USF vs Connecticut cancelled

ULTIMATE COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCOREBOARD

UCS conducts an independent national poll; numbers in red

NFCA SCOREBOARD (late night wrap)