Yesterday, we had a few national seeds lose (Virginia Tech, Alabama, and Missouri). They, and all other one-loss teams, will have a chance to come back through the losers' bracket and then try to beat the winners' bracket winner (which has no losses) twice to win the regional and advance to the super-regionals next week. Below is a chart of how many losses each team has in each region, who has been eliminated (i.e., two losses), and who will be moving on (based on this page from the NCAA website). Teams advancing to the super-regionals shown in red in the chart, with unseeded teams advancing shown in italics...
In today's final game -- the Texas-Washington winner-take-all rematch -- the Horns break through with a two-out, two-run double by Bella Dayton (video) in the top of the fifth to lead 2-0... Huskies with runners on first and second with one out in their half of the fifth... Double-play (grounder to 3B-person who steps on bag and fires to first) ends U-Dub threat (video)... On to the sixth... No scoring in sixth... Top 7: Janae Jefferson pulls a long homer to right to make it 3-0 Texas (can't find a video clip on Twitter)... Longhorns load the bases with two out, looking for an even bigger cushion... But they don't get that cushion, as batter flies out... Huskies down to their final three outs to preserve their season... U-Dub gets leadoff batter on base, as Jefferson can't handle grounder at 2B... Fly to center for first out... Double to gap in left-center yields Huskies' first run... K for second out... Line-single to right cuts Washington deficit to 3-2... This is what is called a "Golden Pitch" situation, where either team could win on any of the next pitches (UW with a homer, UT with an out)... Huskies down to final strike (2-2 count)... High foul pop behind plate that Texas catcher can't come up with... Strike-out swinging on off-speed pitch... Texas advances with 3-2 win...
Duke-Georgia winner-take-all match-up tied 5-5, as Blue Devils score four (all with two out) in bottom of third to come back from 5-1 deficit... Still 5-5, but Devils have bases loaded and none out in bottom of fifth... Run walks in, making it 6-5 Duke... Sac-fly advances all three runners, making it 7-5 with one out... Walk to reload bases... 11-5 Duke after all the damage! Game ends in the sixth inning due to run-rule (13-5). Blue Devils advance...
Two-run homer (apparently into lake; video) gives Washington 2-1 lead over Texas, top six, as Huskies strive to stay alive... The Huskies hold on for a 2-1 win, forcing a winner-take-all game to advance...
No. 5 UCLA looking like it will advance, leading Mississippi 9-0 in the fourth... Bruins advance on 9-1 run-rule victory after five innings...
No. 8 Arizona State looking like it will advance, leading San Diego State 8-3 after four-and-a-half... 8-4 is the final, as Sun Devils advance...
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Kentucky leads No. 3 Virginia Tech 3-2, as Wildcats bat in top of fourth inning of winner-take-all showdown (gametracker)... Three-run blast by Hokies' Mackenzie Lawter into sea of orange and maroon shirts in left-field bleachers (video) gives VT 5-3 lead in bottom of fifth... VT with homer-saving catch in sixth (video), preserving 5-3 lead... UK with single run in seventh, but not enough as Hokies hold on for 5-4 win, trip to supers...
North Texas, in first postseason appearance (per ESPN 7 Innings Live crew), hanging in vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State, as Cowgirls need only one win to advance... Scoreless through five, but OSU puts up single runs in top of sixth and seventh, now leading 2-0... That's your final, as Cowgirls advance...
Arizona, looking to close out No. 15 Mizzou, leads 1-0 on a solo shot by Sharlize Palacios in the top of the fifth (video). Tigers stranded runners on first and second in bottom of the fourth (gametracker). Still 1-0, as Tigers down to final three outs in seventh to preserve their season... One-out walk gives Mizzou some hope... K looking for second out... Force at second on infield grounder, Wildcats win 1-0 and advance... Shutout for U of A pitcher Devyn Netz... Amazing turnaround for Arizona, which tied for last place in Pac 12 (among nine softball-playing schools)...
Virginia Tech and Alabama have already staved off elimination, defeating Kentucky (9-2) and Stanford (4-0), respectively... Georgia has done likewise with a 5-3 win over Duke...
Stanford takes winner-take-all match-up with Alabama, 6-0, to advance to super-regionals...
Mississippi State stuns No. 2 Florida State with 5-0 shutout, forcing winner-take-all rematch... Seminoles lead 3-1 in bottom of third in that one... Still 3-1 as MSU comes up in top of fifth... Bulldogs with one run in and bases loaded with only one out, FSU lead down to 3-2... Single to center drives in two, Mississippi State takes lead, 4-3... Nice play by 3B-person to snare ball and get runner at first for second out, runners advance to second and third... Infield grounder ends threat... Unusual play: Florida State has runner on first with one out, batter singles to (seemingly) give Seminoles runners on the corners. However, runner found to have left first-base before pitcher released ball, rendering her out in an immediate dead-ball situation. Batter's hit is thus annulled and she is sent to bat again... Batter singles for second time within a few minutes... Next batter singles, putting runners at first and second with two out... K ends threat... Bottom 7: No. 2 Noles down to their final three outs... Leadoff FSU batter beats out slow roller for infield hit (pending replay review). Initial replays on TV look like almost an exact tie between batter's foot touching first and 1B-person receiving ball... Called out on review! FSU goes uneventfully on final two outs, No. 2 is out, Bulldogs advance!
Leave it to Beavers! Oregon State routs Tennessee 8-3 to force winner-take-all showdown... Scoreless in that one, as OSU batting in bottom of second... Winner-take-all game scoreless until bottom of sixth, when Oregon State plates three (including two on this Mariah Mazon homer; video)... Vols down to final three outs in top of seventh... Two-out solo shot keeps Tennessee alive, barely, trailing 3-1... Fly-out ends game and sends OSU to supers...
No. 4 Arkansas advances with 9-3 win over Oregon...
No. 10 Clemson has already won its regional. I had noted in a previous posting how new the Duke program is. Clemson's is even newer, having played its first game in 2020.
The Norman regional looks to be all over but the shouting, as No. 1 Oklahoma leads Texas A&M, 10-0. Likewise for the Gainesville regional, where No. 14 Florida leads Wisconsin, also by a 10-0 score.
Central Florida seems likely to advance, leading Michigan 5-0, as Wolverines bat in bottom of fifth... Same for Northwestern, who leads McNeese State 8-1 in the fourth...
| Region | No Losses | One Loss | Two Losses |
| 1 (Norman OK) | Oklahoma | Tex A&M, Minn., Pr. View | |
| 2 (Tallahassee FL) | Mississippi St. |
FSU, S. Florida, Howard | |
| 3 (Blacksburg VA) | VA Tech |
UK, St. Fran., Miami (Oh) | |
| 4 (Fayatteville AR) | Arkansas | UO, Wich. St., Princeton | |
| 5 (Los Angeles CA) | UCLA | Miss., LMU, Grand Canyon | |
| 6 (Tuscaloosa AL) | Bama, Murray St., Chatt. | ||
| 7 (Stillwater OK) | OK State | N. Texas, Neb., Fordham | |
| 8 (Tempe AZ) | Arizona St. | S Diego St., LSU, Fullerton | |
| 9 (Evanston IL) | Northwestern | M. St., N. Dame, Oakland | |
| 10 (Clemson SC) | Clemson | ULL, Auburn, UNCW | |
| 11 (Knoxville TN) | Oregon St. |
Tenn., Ohio St., Campbell | |
| 12 (Durham NC) | Georgia, Liberty, UMBC | ||
| 13 (Seattle WA) | UW, Lehigh, Weber St. | ||
| 14 (Gainesville FL) | Florida | Wisc., G. Tech, Canisius | |
| 15 (Columbia MO) | Arizona | Mizzou, Illinois, Mo. State | |
| 16 (Orlando FL) | C. Florida | UM, S. Dak. St., Villanova |