As the Palm Springs tournament came to its conclusion, two teams that may have been declining in their visibility compared to past seasons re-asserted themselves, as if to say, "Don't forget about us."
UCLA, having suffered some blowout losses in recent weeks, bounced back today with an 8-6 victory over Northwestern. The big blow for the Bruins was a grand slam by senior shortshop Jodie Legaspi in the bottom of the sixth (the second day in a row she'd hit a grand slam). As shown in this combination box score/play-by-play sheet, Northwestern pitcher Eileen Canney turned in a very "uncanny" performance, exiting after giving up Legaspi's homer and all eight Bruin runs for the game.
The Texas Longhorns are another team that has been getting less attention this year than in the past, presumably because star pitcher Cat Osterman had completed her eligibility last season. The Longhorns entered this weekend's play as the No. 10-ranked team in the USA Today-NFCA poll and today shut out No. 6 Oregon State, 2-0, behind the arm of Meagan Denny. Look for Texas to move up in the polls.
Over in Tucson, Arizona scored a 6-2 victory over Texas A&M to take the three-game series between the two highly ranked teams, two games to one. Callista Balko homered twice for the Wildcats.
Finally, Texas Tech today was able to hold onto a 7-0 lead, besting Illinois to take the Florida Atlantic University tournament in Boca Raton.
UCLA, having suffered some blowout losses in recent weeks, bounced back today with an 8-6 victory over Northwestern. The big blow for the Bruins was a grand slam by senior shortshop Jodie Legaspi in the bottom of the sixth (the second day in a row she'd hit a grand slam). As shown in this combination box score/play-by-play sheet, Northwestern pitcher Eileen Canney turned in a very "uncanny" performance, exiting after giving up Legaspi's homer and all eight Bruin runs for the game.
The Texas Longhorns are another team that has been getting less attention this year than in the past, presumably because star pitcher Cat Osterman had completed her eligibility last season. The Longhorns entered this weekend's play as the No. 10-ranked team in the USA Today-NFCA poll and today shut out No. 6 Oregon State, 2-0, behind the arm of Meagan Denny. Look for Texas to move up in the polls.
Over in Tucson, Arizona scored a 6-2 victory over Texas A&M to take the three-game series between the two highly ranked teams, two games to one. Callista Balko homered twice for the Wildcats.
Finally, Texas Tech today was able to hold onto a 7-0 lead, besting Illinois to take the Florida Atlantic University tournament in Boca Raton.