Behind a breakout two-way performance from freshman Mya Clark, the Memphis softball team opened its second day at the Kajikawa Classic with an impressive 6–4 victory over Toledo on Friday afternoon. The win marked Memphis’s second straight on the road, improving the Tigers to 2–0 overall while extending their early-season momentum under second-year head coach Trena Prater.
The early afternoon matchup had a bit of everything — clutch pitching, power at the plate, and even a dose of drama caused by tournament timing rules. Memphis struck first in the opening frame when Clark helped her own cause, driving in a run on a sacrifice fly to give the Tigers an immediate 1–0 advantage. She then settled in on the mound, working through early traffic and keeping Toledo off balance with a mix of movement pitches and command to both corners.
After both teams went quietly through the second, the Rockets knotted the score in the third on an RBI single from Audrey Miller. That only seemed to ignite the Memphis lineup. In the bottom half, Clark struck again — literally — launching her first collegiate home run to center field. Moments later, junior Kylie Waldrep followed with a blast of her own, giving Memphis back-to-back long balls and a 4–1 lead that sent the dugout surging.
The Tigers continued extending pressure in the fourth. Ariel Davis, who has been red-hot through the opening weekend, forced a defensive miscue that allowed her to score from third. The chaos didn’t end there — Isabella Hune scored soon after when Clark laced a double off the left-field wall, recording her fourth RBI of the day and punctuating what was easily the Tigers’ most complete offensive inning of the young season.
Toledo wasn’t finished, though. Miller’s two-run homer in the fifth cut the lead to 6–4, forcing Memphis to again dial in defensively. In the sixth, Dugar entered in relief and worked with poise, inducing weak contact and using her defense to escape another potential rally.
The seventh did bring a minor controversy: Toledo scored two runs to tie the game 6–6 before the umpiring crew invoked the tournament’s drop-dead time rule due to Toledo’s travel requirements. By NCAA rule, play reverted to the last completed inning, securing a 6–4 Memphis win and preserving Clark’s first collegiate victory in the circle.
The result marked Memphis’s first back-to-back road wins to begin a season since 2018, an encouraging sign for a program looking to build early-season consistency.
Clark finished the opener with a stat line that would make any veteran proud — two hits, four RBIs, a home run, a double, and four innings of steady pitching capped by three strikeouts. Dugar locked down her second career save, extending her streak of six scoreless innings pitched to start the year.
Offensively, Davis continued her torrid tear, going 2-for-3 with a triple and scoring twice. Waldrep chipped in with her first Memphis homer, while Hune reached base twice in her first start of the season. Defensively, the infield turned two key double plays, keeping pressure off Clark and Dugar during Toledo’s scoring threats.
With early-inning scoring becoming a calling card — Memphis now holds a 9–5 first- and third-inning advantage over opponents through three games — the Tigers are clearly finding success in jumping ahead early and dictating pace. That’s a recipe that travels well in February tournament play.
Next up, Memphis looked to carry its momentum into the nightcap against Texas State, before wrapping up the weekend with two marquee matchups Sunday against RV Northwestern and RV Arizona State.
