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College Senior Pitches Historic Perfect Softball Game

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It is rare in baseball or softball to pitch a perfect game. That's when no opponent reaches base. There's no hit. There's no walk. There's no error. But what do you call it when it's even more perfect?

HOPE TRAUTWEIN: I guess it's never been done before, so it doesn't have a name (laughter).

NOEL KING, HOST:

Over the weekend, Hope Trautwein, a senior at North Texas University, made history.

TRAUTWEIN: So I pitched a perfect game with all outs being strikeouts.

KING: She pitched all seven innings - that's how many you do in softball - facing three batters per inning and struck out all 21 of them.

INSKEEP: Unbelievable. The final pitch of the final out was a swing and a miss.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Good (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Great job (unintelligible).

(CHEERING)

INSKEEP: The 3-0 win against Arkansas Pine Bluff is believed to be the first-ever Division I perfect game that ended with 21 strikeouts.

RODNEY DELONG: I don't really know what else to call it. Never seen anything like it, don't know if I ever will.

INSKEEP: Coach Rodney DeLong admits there was not that much for him to do in the dugout.

DELONG: Yeah, it was pretty easy. Sitting there watching her doesn't really put any pressure on her defense or anything. And they weren't even hardly fouling the ball off early (ph).

TRAUTWEIN: (Laughter) I guess my poor team just had to watch me throw over and over and over again every inning. So it might have been boring for them, but I guess they were excited in the end.

KING: As for what to call this feat, the coach has an idea.

DELONG: I mean, Hope did it, so maybe we can call it a Hope-a-dope. (Laughter).

INSKEEP: OK. That's not as perfect as the game, but still pretty perfect.

(SOUNDBITE OF RED SNAPPER'S "3 STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.