Snohomish grad Trysten Melhart saves the UW softball team

Snohomish High School graduate Trysten Melhart was at the center of the national softball conversation Thursday afternoon.

Melhart, a senior outfielder for the University of Washington softball team, made a controversial catch that saved the Huskies’ 2-0 victory over the two-time defending-champion Oklahoma Sooners in their opener at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

The fifth-seeded Huskies were leading 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the fourth-seeded Sooners had two runners on and two out when Oklahoma No. 3 batter Shay Knighten lined a ball down the right-field line that Melhart dived for and caught for the game-saving catch. Or did she? The ball popped out of Melhart’s hand as she got up, and there was much discussion about whether Melhart dropped the ball, or whether the ball came out on the transfer. Have a look for yourself:

TRYSTEN MELHART makes the GAME-SAVING GRAB! #WCWS pic.twitter.com/3KHi89vz3B

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) May 31, 2018

And other views:

Another look at the incredible grab by @UWSoftball's Trysten Melhart! #WCWS pic.twitter.com/1ifBrVPNZ4

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) May 31, 2018

It was originally ruled an out, and after a discussion among the umpires the call was upheld, ending the inning. The Huskies went on to win 2-0.

The catch was part of a big day for Melhart, who scored the game’s opening run when she led off the top of the fifth with a walk, advanced to third on a pair of bunts, then slid home ahead of the throw on Sis Bates’ chopper back to the mound.

As for whether it was a catch or not, this is what Melhart had to say in the postgame press conference:

“In that moment I felt like I had it, so I went for it, and I did catch it. When I got up people were still running and I was like, ‘That was on the transfer,’ so I just threw it in all nonchalant and it worked out for us. They saw what I felt, so it was good.”

The Huskies advanced in the winners’ portion of its half of the bracket and will play top-seeded Oregon at 4 p.m. Friday. That game will be televised on ESPN.