The marquee game of the Mary Nutter Classic, featuring No. 1 and undefeated UCLA against No. 2 and once-defeated Oklahoma, figured to be a tight, back-and-forth battle, or so I thought. The Sooners laid waste to that forecast, routing the Bruins 14-0 in run-rule fashion. With Michigan transfer Alex Storako pitching five innings of shutout ball for OU (5 K, 3 hits, 0 BB), the Sooners began their offensive onslaught scoring 6 in the second inning, 2 each in the third and fourth, and 4 in the fifth. Perhaps the most amazing stat of the day was that OU amassed 20 hits in just five innings! UCLA starter Megan Faraimo was driven from the game after just 1  2/3 innings, having allowed 7 hits and 4 runs. 

Softball America has a new article on how all the head softball coaches in the Pac 12 (with nine softball-playing schools) are women. As the article notes, in no other Power Five conference is this true.

This weekend's major tournament is the annual Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, California, near Palm Springs. The 30-team field includes the Top 3 teams in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, namely No. 1 UCLA (12-0), No. 2 Oklahoma (8-1), and No. 3 Florida (10-0). I'm personally a little skeptical regarding the Gators being ranked so high, as they haven't played any top opponents yet (UF game log ). The two best match-ups, in my view, are UCLA vs. Florida tonight at 7:30 pm Pacific and UCLA vs. Oklahoma at 9:30 am Sunday morning. UPDATE: UCLA crushes Florida 10-0 via run-rule, Gators get no hits.

Baylor scored a 4-3 victory over Oklahoma earlier today in the Getterman Classic, hosted by the Bears. I must that this game flew under my radar screen. For one thing, two teams in the same conference (the Big 12 in this instance) typically don't play in the nonconference part of the schedule, so I didn't know Baylor and Oklahoma would even be playing at this point of the season. The Bears led 4-1 until the Sooners scored two in the top of the sixth to close within 4-3. OU had the tying run at third in that inning, but couldn't bring her home. The Sooners were retired in order in the seventh to end the game.

We're down to the final three games of this year's Clearwater Invitational, in one of which Florida State is taking on Alabama... Crimson Tide pitcher Montana Fouts gets a two-out, bases-loaded strikeout to end an FSU threat in the top of the first... Bama goes quietly in the bottom of the first... Still scoreless with the Tide batting in the bottom of the third... Alabama leading 2-1 after four and a half... All three runs in the game are via solo homers (two from the Tide in the bottom of the fourth and one from FSU in the top of the fifth)... Seminoles coming up in the top of the seventh for their final opportunity to stay alive, still trailing 2-1... First two FSU batters retired. Jahni Kerr, whose earlier homer provided the Seminoles' only run, gets an infield single on a deep grounder that the shortstop fields but has no play on... Pinch-runner for Kerr steals second and advances to third on bad throw... Josie Muffley, a veteran of FSU's 2021 national runner-up sq...

It's 3:20 pm Central and UCLA is off to a quick 3-0 lead over Virginia Tech in the bottom of the first. The first five UCLA batters have singled! Bruins finish the inning up 6-0... VT rallies a bit, but 8-4 UCLA is your final. The Bruins knocked off Florida State 6-4 early this morning, whereas this is the Hokies' first game of the day. Virginia Tech lost narrowly to Oklahoma State and beat Nebraska yesterday (VT game log ).

Two-run shot by Ashley Prange ( video ) gives Alabama a 2-0 lead over UCLA in the top of the first... Single, double, and walk load the bases for UCLA in the bottom half... Frosh Jordan Woolery goes opposite field for grand-slam, putting Bruins on top 4-2... Prange with solo shot for her second homer of the game, but UCLA answers with one, making it 5-3 UCLA... No further scoring, as the Bruins win 5-3 . UCLA's Megan Faraimo (complete game, 13 strikeouts) outduels Bama's Montana Fouts (4 2/3 innings, 9 strikeouts) in this battle of star pitchers.

Softball fans seeking a binge-watching opportunity will get just that this weekend, as the Clearwater Invitational features 16 teams and 40 games on the ESPN Family of Networks. Five of the Top 10 teams in the current ESPN.com/USA Softball poll are in the field: UCLA, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. The action gets underway this morning. Check back frequently for updates and commentary! Alabama, which led 5-0 after two innings, holds on for a 5-4 win over Duke. Oklahoma State using the long ball ( here and here ) in building 6-0 lead over Texas A&M (Aggies batting in bottom of the fifth).

Two major tournaments highlight the opening weekend of the 2023 college softball season. One is the Mark Campbell Invitational in Irvine, California, whose seven-team field includes Oklahoma (winner of the last two Women's College World Series and this year's unanimous preseason No. 1 ), along with 2022 super-regional participant Duke and perennial contender Washington. The other is the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida, a 16-team affair. This tourney features last year's WCWS runner-up Texas and four SEC schools (Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Auburn). This NCAA.com article previews the first several weeks' tournaments .