At this point in the softball season, teams are knee-deep in SEC conference play. With a few weekends of conference play in the books, the SEC has nine teams in the USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 rankings. The conference is in full swing for this weekend.
This weekend is already in full swing!
🥎 Weekend Series
April 6 – April 10#SECSB pic.twitter.com/qySf8Nqqrd— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) April 6, 2023
Tennessee Invitational
The No. 5 Volunteers split their first two games of their Tennessee Invitational Thursday night. The Vols had an 11-0 win against Mercer to start the day, scoring six runs just in the second. Tennessee’s Nicola Simpson kept the Bears off the board and led the team to victory.
Game two of the day was against Baylor and it ended with a Tennessee loss of 1-0. Neither team could get much off the bat, having a combined total of four hits in the game. The only run of the game was scored in the first inning by Baylor.
Tennessee now sits at 30-4 overall and will play Baylor again and Mercer afterward. Not much movement in the rankings from Tennessee, only dropping a few spots after previously being No. 3.
Georgia’s comeback against Arkansas
The Georgia Bulldogs stole a 4-3 victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks. They didn’t get marks on the board until the third inning while Arkansas already had two runs from the first inning. They then went on to score three runs in the seventh, with Jayda Kearney’s home run in the inning being her 14th of the season. Georgia is 30-7 overall and now 10-2 in conference. They’re sitting at No. 8 after previously standing at 10.
Arkansas looks to even the series in game two of the series. The Razorbacks are 27-10 and 8-5 and right behind the Bulldogs at No. 9.
HOMER BY @jaydakearney 🔥#NCAASoftball x 🎥 SECN+ / @UGASoftballpic.twitter.com/UfII42u1Xl
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) April 7, 2023
Battle of the Tigers
The Missouri Tigers took the game-one title against the LSU Tigers for an 8-6 comeback victory in LSU territory. Missouri is unranked while LSU is No. 11, previously No. 12. After trailing 5-1 at the top of the fifth, they evened the score 5-5 with four runs. They followed with three more runs in the sixth to take the game.
Game two will start at 7 p.m. for the Tiger teams.
Gators take down Auburn
The Florida Gators took a 3-2 victory against the Auburn Tigers to start the series. The Gators are 27-9 overall and 5-5 in SEC play. Florida pitcher Elizabeth Hightower took on the Tigers for seven innings and held Auburn to just one earned run on four hits. Auburn tied it 2-2 in the seventh but Florida took the game with a run in the eighth.
Previously No. 13, the Gators are now at 18th while Auburn is No. 23.
Comin' in clutch 💪#GoGators | @ReaganWalsh17 pic.twitter.com/UPyT9zFYdN
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) April 7, 2023
Alabama takes the Gamecocks
The Crimson Tide beat the South Carolina Gamecocks in a 2-1 ninth-inning game. Alabama is 27-11 and South Carolina is right behind at 26-10. The Tide took the first run of the day in the third and the Gamecocks tied the score in the fifth. The Gamecocks had all bases loaded in the sixth but a strikeout ended the inning. Alabama took the game in the final inning with a single run. Alabama sits at No. 14 and the Gamecocks are unranked.