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Women's College World Series 2021 -- Opening Thursday

The Women's College World Series is back for the first time in two years, owing to last year's COVID-19 cancellation of most of the season... It has not been a good year for top-eight seeded teams, as shown in this graphic I created (you can click on it to enlarge). Only four of them made it to OKC (seeds 1, 2, 3, and 5). The others are No. 10 and 11 and two unseeded squads. Below the graphic are my reactions and comments regarding today's games (and there has sure been a surprise!)... 

UCLA-Florida State

Bruins batting, bottom second, in scoreless game... Still scoreless after two and a half... UCLA wins 4-0 on the strength of Maya Brady golfing a two-run homer to center (video) and various other contributions...

Alabama-Arizona

Tide leads 2-0, bottom third, on small-ball run in the first (walk, walk, single, error) and Bailey Hemphill blast in the third (video)... Meanwhile, Bama pitcher Montana Fouts with eight strikeouts and nine batters faced (very first batter grounded out)... Wildcats get first hit on Janelle Meono chopper down third-base line, top of fourth... Next batter bunts and, at first glance, it appears Arizona will have runners on first and second with none out, as throw to first dropped. However, hitter ruled to have stepped out of batter's box on bunt, rendering her out and sending Meono back to first... Double-play on infield grounder ends Wildcats' mini-rally... Bama with three insurance runs in bottom of the sixth. A two-out single and double make it 3-0 and then a pinch-hit two-run homer by Abby Doerr (video) makes it 5-0, effectively "closing the door" on Arizona... Top seven, a two-out solo homer by Arizona's Jessie Harper cuts Alabama's lead to 5-1, but no further scoring... Fouts finishes with 16 K. This "greatest hits" video of Fouts tonight shows her striking out Wildcats with heat in the mid-low 70s, most pitches dead-center over the plate or high, but sometimes locating them low or slightly outside.

Oklahoma State-Georgia

Scoreless after one... Chyenne Factor two-run shot (video) gives Cowgirls 2-0 lead in bottom of third... OSU closes out a 3-2 victory, but not without a Bulldog threat in the top of the seventh. OSU entered seventh with 3-1 lead. With UGA runners on first and second and one out, Ellie Armistead doubles to the wall in left-center (video). Lead runner scores to cut Bulldogs' deficit to 3-2, and potential tying and go-ahead runs stand on third and second, respectively... However, pop-up and ground-out end the threat and the game...

Oklahoma-James Madison

James Madison is out to a 3-0 lead over top-seeded Oklahoma on a three-run shot by Sara Jubas, top of third (video)... Can JMU's Oddici Alexander do what few other pitchers have and tame the Sooner bats? The short-term answer is no, as OU's Tiare Jennings answers with a three-run dinger of her own (video)... However, both Alexander and the Sooners' Shannon Saile have pitched shutout ball from the fourth inning onward... OU now batting, bottom six... Runner on second, two outs... Fly-out to center ends threat, still 3-3... Dukes down quietly in top of seventh... Nothing doing for OU, either, heading to extras... Kate Gordon with one-out solo shot to give JMU 4-3 lead in top of the eighth (video)... Nothing further for Dukes... One out in Sooner eighth... USA Softball Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo walks on four pitches... Fly to left-center for second out; left- and center-fielders a little confused over who should take it, before CF steps in... Fly-out (unambiguously) to left to end game... Dukes win 4-3... Per ESPN, first time an unseeded team has beaten the No. 1 seed since 2008 (Louisiana-Lafayette over Florida)...

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