An incredible defensive play in the world of college softball went viral on Wednesday night.
Binghamton softball was in the news after its starting infield combined for a ridiculous double play to preserve a run from scoring.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, with runners on first and second and one out, freshman infielder Akira Kopec went all out and made a diving stop to keep the ball in the infield. She forced out the runner at second, and after stepping on the bag at second base, graduate infielder Alli Richmond relayed the ball home to throw a Cornell runner out at the plate.
“Double play, double 𝑾𝑶𝑾,” the official NCAA Softball account tweeted. “@BinghamtonSOFT with the sliding catch AND a powerhouse throw from second to home stop a run for Cornell.”
Double play, double 𝑾𝑶𝑾
@BinghamtonSOFT with the sliding catch AND a powerhouse throw from second to home stop a run for Cornell #NCAASoftball x ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/A64RqQzZ8K — NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) March 30, 2023
The highlight-reel double play went viral as it was shared all over the Internet on Wednesday. As of now, the video posted from the NCAA Softball account has received over 38,400 views on Twitter.
CATZ D ON
! https://t.co/6aXkRmzd50 — Jen Petteys (@CoachPetteys_) March 30, 2023
This looks very familiar
https://t.co/sfwMZXnk22 — Binghamton Softball (@BinghamtonSOFT) March 30, 2023
Turning two! What a play from, Akira Kopec at short, @HHDSSoftball grad @Alli4richmond at second, and Hailey Ehlers at home, stopping a run! @BinghamtonSOFT !! https://t.co/lXuOzCTU8N
— Nick Ketter (@NickKetter_TV) March 30, 2023
The 6-4-2 double play prevented Cornell from tying the game at two apiece. The Big Red had already driven in one run in the bottom of the fifth and later tacked on another in the home half of the sixth inning, but the run-saving defensive play kept the game within reach. In the top of the eighth, junior catcher Hailey Ehlers, who tagged out the runner at the plate, delivered a go-ahead and eventual game-winning RBI double. The Bearcats would go on to win 3-2.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.