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Around the Bases: Feb. 13, 2025

by:Softball America Staff•02/13/25
widra
Courtesy of Florida State athletics

Around the Bases is Softball America’s free daily recap of the day’s biggest games. We’ll highlight four marquee matches and run toward the plate with other notable moments.

No. 7 Florida State 9, No. 15 Missouri 1

The Florida State bats were off and running in its run-rule win against Missouri. Michaela Edenfield crushed a three-run home run against Cierra Harrison, who had an off day in the circle. Edenfield finished the game with four RBIs. Kennedy Harp and Katie Dack continued their hot starts to the season with homers. Isa Torres found the long ball too.

Lonni Alameda has gotten the best from her newcomers on the pitching staff. Auburn transfer Annabelle Widra gave up a leadoff homer to Julia Crenshaw but cruised the rest of the way. She did a nice job working both sides of the plate, using her screwball on right-handed hitters. She pitched four innings, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts. Freshman Jazzy Francik pitched two perfect innings in relief.

Virginia 4, Kentucky 1

You’d have to assume one of Virginia’s goals this weekend in Clearwater was to find quality innings from non-Eden Bigham pitchers. And that’s what the Cavaliers got. Courtney Layne and Savanah Henley combined to open the game’s first five innings and allowed only two hits. Henley looked very efficient in her three shutout innings. Bigham closed the game after the offense extended the lead to three. She had two hitless innings, striking out two. This catch from Kelly Ayer also helped.

Sarah Coon led off two innings with a triple and scored each time. The Hoos took advantage of Kentucky miscues to tack on a pair of insurance runs in the fifth. Overall it was a quality effort for Virginia needing a bounce-back win after failing to hold on to leads against South Carolina last week.

No. 5 Texas A&M 9, Wichita State 1

The Aggies didn’t waste time at the plate. Mac Barbara’s RBI and aggressive base running started the show with two runs in the first inning. KK Dement had the same idea and took the first pitch she saw from Alex Aguilar over the wall in center field to open the second. 

Scoring early put visible pressure on Aguilar and the Wichita defense, but Aguilar persisted and made a strong turnaround, going six innings. The Shockers’ offense found the scoreboard in the fourth inning when Taylor Sedlaek doubled to left center, driving in an RBI. 

Freshman Sydney Lessentine had quite the start for Texas A&M, going four innings with three hits and three strikeouts. Lessentine began to struggle a bit though once the Shockers found the bats and Emiley Kennedy came in for relief. 

Texas A&M tacked on a few more insurance runs in the seventh inning when Mya Perez doubled to left field, driving in three runs. Erica Schertz and Ava Sliger took the mound after Ava Sliger, and three more runs were allowed. With the win, the Aggies are now 7-0 to start the season. 

No. 14 Georgia 3, Michigan 2 

Successful outings from Lilli Backes and Randi Roelling in the circle and a home run from Lyndi Rae led the way to a Bulldogs victory against Michigan. 

With bases loaded and no outs in the second, Georgia kicked off the contest scoring first when Esther White hit a blooper into shallow right field to score Mua Williams. Paislie Allen reached on a fielder’s choice to add an RBI. Rae then sent a solo shot to right field in the third to extend the lead.

Lauren Derkowski held it down in the circle for the Wolverines, throwing six innings with five strikeouts. Michigan managed to get on board in the fourth inning with an RBI from Maddie Erickson. After Erickson doubled in the sixth, a single from Lilly Vallimont put the game within one run. 

Backes started in the circle for Georgia and went four innings with three strikeouts. Roelling took over the mound and finished off the game, securing two strikeouts and halting the Wolverines from upsetting.

Players of the Day

Well Miranda Stoddard reminded us she can hit too. The two-way player for Arizona hit not one, not two, not three but four home runs across the Wildcats’ doubleheader sweep of South Alabama.

Freshman Miali Guachino set a program single-game record with 19 strikeouts but ultimately lost to Souther Miss in 10 innings.

Britton Rogers tossed a five-inning perfect game against Drexel with eight strikeouts.

The top of FAU’s lineup; Kylie Hammonds, Ciara Gibson and Jesiana Mora combined to go 6-for-9 with six RBIs in the Owls’ run-rule win over Minnesota.

After a rocky start from Josey Marron, Lexi Sosa threw 5.2 scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing two hits in Mississippi State’s 10-3 win over Southern Illinois.

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