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Sunday of Opening Round -- 2021 NCAA Tourney

Today, we determine the 15 teams that will be joining Virginia Tech in the super-regionals (the Hokies' regional tournament started a day earlier than the rest). As listed below, each regional features an undefeated team that needs only one win to advance vs. a one-loss team that will need to beat the undefeated team twice. In other words, a regional isn't over until every team but one has two losses.

No. 1 Oklahoma (needs one win) vs. Wichita State (needs two)

  • OU leads 11-5, batting in the top of the fourth... The Shockers had temporarily shocked the Sooners with four runs in the bottom of the first, but OU doubled that with an eight-run second... OU lead now up to 18-7, top seventh... Final score, sending Sooners to supers, is 24-7...

No. 2 UCLA (needs one win) vs. Minnesota (needs two)

  • Opening game scoreless, heading into bottom (Gophers) half of second inning... Megan Faraimo pitching for UCLA, rather than Rachel Garcia, who pitched eight innings yesterday vs. Fresno State... Megan Dray solo shot gives Gophers a 1-0 lead... Minnesota adds a one-out double in bottom of second... Two-out HBP gives Minnesota runners on first and second... Bruins bring in Garcia to pitch... Another HBP, loading bases... K to end inning... Two-out rally in top of fourth puts UCLA up 2-1... Gophers up, bottom five... Possible two-out Minnesota rally, with single and infield error putting runners on first and third... K ends Gopher threat... Top six: UCLA threat with runners on second and third, one out... Apparent Bruin insurance run on sac fly nullified (and half-inning ended) as UCLA runner ruled to have left third base early. Still 2-1 UCLA... Gophers go quietly in bottom of sixth, UCLA same in top of seventh... Minnesota down to final three outs... Pop-up for first out... Weird play for second batter. She grounds to short and stumbles out of batter's box on way to first. However, errant UCLA throw to first gives Gophers potential tying runner on second... K for second out... Fly out to left ends it, 2-1 UCLA... Bruins advance...

No. 3 Alabama (needs one win) vs. Clemson (needs two)

  • 5-0 Tide, Clemson batting in bottom of fifth... No further scoring, Alabama advances...

No. 4 Florida (needs one win) vs. South Florida (needs two)

  • Gators advance on first try, with 8-0 win. Was only 2-0 through six, before UF scores six runs in top of seventh. Florida's Elizabeth Hightower pitches no-hitter (video of final half-inning).

No. 5 Oklahoma State (needs one win) vs. Mississippi State (needs two)

  • Grand-slam homer by Hayley Busby (video) makes it 10-2 Cowgirls, top fourth. Potential run-rule game (if eight-run lead lasts through five full innings). Indeed, the game ends via run-rule, OSU advances...

No. 6 Arkansas (needs one win) vs. Stanford (needs two)

  • Arkansas (playing as the road team) leads Stanford 4-3, top of fifth... Razorbacks win, 7-3, to advance. Cardinal had tying run at plate before final out...

No. 7 LSU (needs one win) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (needs two)

  • Ragin' Cajuns lead 2-0, top (LSU) half of sixth, looking to force a second game... ULL wins 2-0 to force a winner-take-all rematch... LSU leads the rematch, 3-1, batting in the bottom of the third... LSU up 7-3, bottom sixth... Final score is 8-5, sending Tigers to super-regionals...

No. 8 Missouri (needs one win) vs. Iowa State (needs two)

  • Mizzou leads 4-0 in bottom (Cyclone) half of fifth... Tigers advance with a 5-0 victory...

James Madison (needs one win) vs. Liberty (needs two) (No. 9 Tennessee eliminated earlier)

  • JMU advances on first try with 8-5 win

No. 10 Florida State (needs one win) vs. University of Central Florida (needs two)

  • Seminoles lead 2-0 after six... Knights coming up for final chance... FSU holds on for 2-0 win and advances...

No. 11 Arizona (needs one win) vs. Ole Miss (needs two)

  • Now underway, scoreless, with Ole Miss batting in bottom of first... Mississippi's light-blue  uniforms with white pinstripes remind me of Chicago Cubs' 1978-81 design...  Quick 2-0 lead for Mississippi. Autumn Gillespie double (video) puts runners on second and third, both driven in by Abbey Latham single (video)... Line-out to 1B, doubling off runner, dampens Ole Miss threat, but still only two outs... Inning continues, as single, walk, and single load bases for Mississippi... Another single, by Mikayla Allee, makes it 4-0 Ole Miss in bottom of first... Side finally retired... Mississippi threatening again in bottom of second, with runners on first and second and no outs... K for first out... Pop-up to catcher for second out... Nice catch on deep flare to left saves Wildcats a run or two... Ole Miss continues putting across runs, now 6-0 after three... Two-run homer by Malia Martinez (video) cuts Arizona deficit to 6-2, top four... Double, single, HBP, and error get Wildcats to within 6-3, with bases loaded and two outs... Foul-out ends UA threat... Top five: A variety of singles, doubles, and errors have allowed Arizona to put up a six-spot, making it 9-6 Wildcats... UA now leads 12-6, batting in top of the seventh... No further scoring and Arizona advances...

No. 12 Texas (needs one win) vs. Oregon (needs two)

  • Weather delay. Texas Twitter page says "Definitely not starting before 6 p.m. CT..." Should be starting soon (around 8:00 p.m. CT)... Scoreless, as Ducks bat in bottom of second... Alyssa Brito solo shot in second (video) is only run, as UO leads 1-0... Now 2-1 Oregon, Ducks batting in bottom of the sixth... Texas ties it in top of seventh, but Oregon scores in bottom of eighth to win, 3-2, and force a rematch...
  • Texas plates one run in bottom of fourth (on single, fielder's choice that advances runner, and another single) and that holds up for 1-0 victory to advance the Longhorns to the super-regionals... Given that in other regionals (e.g., Georgia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Washington) the pitching appeared to decline and the run totals soared as the games went on, it's amazing to have a 1-0 score so late in the Texas-Oregon series!

Georgia (needs one win) vs. No. 13 Duke (needs two

  • Bulldogs take a wild one (10-9) to advance on first try

Notre Dame (needs one win) vs. No. 14 Kentucky (needs two)

  • Wildcats have beaten the Fighting Irish, 7-0, to force a winner-take-all rematch... UK leading rematch game 1-0 after three... Wildcats win 4-0 to advance...

Virginia Tech has already won the regional hosted by No. 15 Arizona State

Michigan (needs one win) vs. No. 16 Washington (needs two)

  • Now underway, with Huskies batting in top of first... Wolverines start Meghan Beaubien in the circle, changing pace from Alex Storako yesterday... Opposing pitcher doesn't seem to matter to Huskies' Morganne Flores. She homered yesterday off Storako and now blasts one to center off Beaubien to give UW a 1-0 lead... Jadelyn Allchin doubles home Sarah Willis (who had reached on error) to give Huskies 2-0 lead in top of second; obstruction called at plate to allow run... Leadoff walk for Michigan in bottom of third... Nothing comes of it... Bottom six: Michigan with runners on first and second and one out... Next two UM batters are power-hitters Lou Allan and Taylor Bump... Huskies get lead runner at third on Allan grounder to pitcher... Side retired on Bump grounder to short, yielding force at second... 2-0 is your final... Rematch to follow...
  • After Michigan jumps out to 5-1 lead after two, Huskies score final nine runs for 10-5 victory and advance...

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