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.
Washington used a first-inning grand-slam homer from pitcher Danielle Lawrie and some late insurance runs to defeat Georgia by a score of 9-3 in tonight's late game. The win gives U-Dub a spot in the best-of-three championship series against Florida starting Monday (Georgia had defeated Washington earlier today, 9-8 in nine innings, to force tonight's rematch). The Huskies thus claimed "top dog" status over Georgia on their side of the bracket. Florida got a two-out grand-slam homer from Ali Gardiner in the bottom of the seventh to edge Alabama 6-5. The Crimson Tide made a strong recovery in the tournament after looking "not ready for prime time" in an opening-round loss to Michigan. But, as a result of tonight's heartbreaking loss to the Gators, Bama is now eliminated. Lowrie's and Gardiner's grand-slams are among four that have been hit so far in this World Series.