FLORIDA-LSU: Tigers load the bases in the bottom of the first with no out, but can't get ball out of infield on next two at-bats, resulting in force play at home, and double-play (runner from second-to-third tagged out, batter thrown out at first)... Gator pitcher Lauren Haeger hits a two-run, milestone homer in the top of the fifth to break a scoreless tie... UF now leading 4-0 as LSU comes up in bottom of seventh... 4-0 is your final.
UCLA-MICHIGAN: I'm always excited to see my undergraduate (UCLA) and graduate (Michigan) alma maters play each other! It's also a rematch of the epic 2005 final series, in which Michigan became the first school east of the Mississippi River to win the NCAA softball title...
UCLA loads the bases with none out in the bottom of the first... 1-0 Bruins on a sharp single to left with one out... 2-0, as a two-out walk brings in a run... HBP makes it 3-0 Bruins, still bottom of the first... Haylie Wagner coming in to pitch for Megan Betsa... Wagner gets strike-out to end inning...
Wolverines get first two on in top of second... Runners bunted to second and third, one out... Moderately deep fly-out to right, UM runner on third doesn't try to score... Another fly-out to right, Wolverines come up empty... Bruins go quietly in bottom of second...
Michigan again gets first two batters on base (first and second) in top of third. Slugger Sierra Romero surprisingly (to me, at least) bunts. Second and third with one out... Single to right brings in Wolverines' first run; other runner stops at third... Runner on first advances to second on pitch in dirt. Kelsey Susalla deep shot to right-center, nearly a great catch by UCLA's Kylee Perez, drives in two... Susalla to third on errant throw home... Tied 3-3... Walk puts UM runners on corners... Fly-out nearly to warning-track in center brings home go-ahead run for Michigan, 4-3... UCLA wild-pitch advances UM runner to second... Wagner flies out to right-field warning track, ending rally...
UCLA gets first two batters on (first and second) in bottom of third, on HBP and sharp single to left. Runners bunted over to second and third, one out (I feel like I'm writing this scenario a lot!)... Weird play ties score, 4-4, but ends Bruin threat -- ground out to first (for second out), run-down with runner on third trying to score, throw back to third gets away allowing runner to score; other UCLA runner caught between second and third, retired in run-down... Got that?
Tera Blanco leads off top of fourth with single up middle for Michigan... UCLA replaces Ally Carda in circle with Selina Ta'amilo... Michigan bunts runner to second (without waiting to get a second runner on), one out... Sierra Lawrence grounds out, runner held on second... Romero coming up, ESPN announcers expect intentional walk... Looking like an "unannounced" IBB, as no signal from catcher, but pitches nowhere close to strike-zone... Indeed, Romero to first; Kelly Christner up with two outs, Wolverines on first and second... Bloop pop-out to second, a little behind infield dirt... Still 4-4 going to bottom of fourth...
Solid line single to center by Perez with one out in Bruin half of the fourth... Delaney Spaulding fly-out to shallow left... Allexis Bennett grounds out, ending inning... Still 4-4...
Susalla, leading off, now 3-for-3 with line single to right on 3-2 pitch... Lauren Sweet singles. Ball sort of dies upon landing in shallow right, delaying right-fielder in getting to it and allowing Susalla to make it to third... Carda back in to pitch, greeted with sac-fly by Lindsay Montemarano (her third sacrifice fly or bunt of game), now 5-4 Michigan... Wagner ground single to left, UM with first and second, with one out... Blanco grounds into rare 4-6-3 double-play (rare because bases are only 60 feet apart, vs. 90 feet in baseball), ending threat..
Carda leads off bottom of fifth with bloop single to left for Bruins... Bunted to second, one out... Strikeout and grounder to pitcher close down UCLA...
Abby Ramirez leads off sixth with bloop single to left for Wolverines... Lawrence pops out to shortstop... Romero coming up, strikes out (Carda's first of game)... Christner pulls line-shot double to wall in right, scoring Ramirez. Michigan leads 6-4... Susalla makes it 4-for-4 with an RBI single to left, advances to second on throw home. Now 7-4 Wolverines... Sweet walks, first and second, two out for UM... Pop-up ends half-inning...
Maddy Jelenicki leads off bottom of sixth with line single to left for Bruins... Gracie Goulder strikes out... Perez's foul fly to left should have been caught, but dropped; she's retired anyway on grounder to pitcher, runner to second...Michigan CF Sierra Lawrence charges in to make nice catch of Delaney Spaulding fly. Bruins retired...
Blanco and Ramirez get a pair of one-out singles for Michigan in top of seventh... Lawrence makes it three straight; sloppy fielding by UCLA allows run to score easily and runners to end up on second and third. Now 8-4 UM... Romero, with a quiet night thus far, up again... Gets a sac-fly to right, 9-4 Michigan... Christner line single makes it 10-4... Susalla, 4-for-4 so far, looks to stay perfect... Bruins bring in Johanna Grauer to pitch... Susalla walks... Sweet fouls out to left, ending rally...
Bruins down to final three outs... UCLA gets one on via HBP, but liner to left ends it. Michigan wins.
UCLA-MICHIGAN: I'm always excited to see my undergraduate (UCLA) and graduate (Michigan) alma maters play each other! It's also a rematch of the epic 2005 final series, in which Michigan became the first school east of the Mississippi River to win the NCAA softball title...
UCLA loads the bases with none out in the bottom of the first... 1-0 Bruins on a sharp single to left with one out... 2-0, as a two-out walk brings in a run... HBP makes it 3-0 Bruins, still bottom of the first... Haylie Wagner coming in to pitch for Megan Betsa... Wagner gets strike-out to end inning...
Wolverines get first two on in top of second... Runners bunted to second and third, one out... Moderately deep fly-out to right, UM runner on third doesn't try to score... Another fly-out to right, Wolverines come up empty... Bruins go quietly in bottom of second...
Michigan again gets first two batters on base (first and second) in top of third. Slugger Sierra Romero surprisingly (to me, at least) bunts. Second and third with one out... Single to right brings in Wolverines' first run; other runner stops at third... Runner on first advances to second on pitch in dirt. Kelsey Susalla deep shot to right-center, nearly a great catch by UCLA's Kylee Perez, drives in two... Susalla to third on errant throw home... Tied 3-3... Walk puts UM runners on corners... Fly-out nearly to warning-track in center brings home go-ahead run for Michigan, 4-3... UCLA wild-pitch advances UM runner to second... Wagner flies out to right-field warning track, ending rally...
UCLA gets first two batters on (first and second) in bottom of third, on HBP and sharp single to left. Runners bunted over to second and third, one out (I feel like I'm writing this scenario a lot!)... Weird play ties score, 4-4, but ends Bruin threat -- ground out to first (for second out), run-down with runner on third trying to score, throw back to third gets away allowing runner to score; other UCLA runner caught between second and third, retired in run-down... Got that?
Tera Blanco leads off top of fourth with single up middle for Michigan... UCLA replaces Ally Carda in circle with Selina Ta'amilo... Michigan bunts runner to second (without waiting to get a second runner on), one out... Sierra Lawrence grounds out, runner held on second... Romero coming up, ESPN announcers expect intentional walk... Looking like an "unannounced" IBB, as no signal from catcher, but pitches nowhere close to strike-zone... Indeed, Romero to first; Kelly Christner up with two outs, Wolverines on first and second... Bloop pop-out to second, a little behind infield dirt... Still 4-4 going to bottom of fourth...
Solid line single to center by Perez with one out in Bruin half of the fourth... Delaney Spaulding fly-out to shallow left... Allexis Bennett grounds out, ending inning... Still 4-4...
Susalla, leading off, now 3-for-3 with line single to right on 3-2 pitch... Lauren Sweet singles. Ball sort of dies upon landing in shallow right, delaying right-fielder in getting to it and allowing Susalla to make it to third... Carda back in to pitch, greeted with sac-fly by Lindsay Montemarano (her third sacrifice fly or bunt of game), now 5-4 Michigan... Wagner ground single to left, UM with first and second, with one out... Blanco grounds into rare 4-6-3 double-play (rare because bases are only 60 feet apart, vs. 90 feet in baseball), ending threat..
Carda leads off bottom of fifth with bloop single to left for Bruins... Bunted to second, one out... Strikeout and grounder to pitcher close down UCLA...
Abby Ramirez leads off sixth with bloop single to left for Wolverines... Lawrence pops out to shortstop... Romero coming up, strikes out (Carda's first of game)... Christner pulls line-shot double to wall in right, scoring Ramirez. Michigan leads 6-4... Susalla makes it 4-for-4 with an RBI single to left, advances to second on throw home. Now 7-4 Wolverines... Sweet walks, first and second, two out for UM... Pop-up ends half-inning...
Maddy Jelenicki leads off bottom of sixth with line single to left for Bruins... Gracie Goulder strikes out... Perez's foul fly to left should have been caught, but dropped; she's retired anyway on grounder to pitcher, runner to second...Michigan CF Sierra Lawrence charges in to make nice catch of Delaney Spaulding fly. Bruins retired...
Blanco and Ramirez get a pair of one-out singles for Michigan in top of seventh... Lawrence makes it three straight; sloppy fielding by UCLA allows run to score easily and runners to end up on second and third. Now 8-4 UM... Romero, with a quiet night thus far, up again... Gets a sac-fly to right, 9-4 Michigan... Christner line single makes it 10-4... Susalla, 4-for-4 so far, looks to stay perfect... Bruins bring in Johanna Grauer to pitch... Susalla walks... Sweet fouls out to left, ending rally...
Bruins down to final three outs... UCLA gets one on via HBP, but liner to left ends it. Michigan wins.