It's called "Survival Saturday," because every game features teams coming in with one loss and thus every game will eliminate someone. The only way to survive is to win. Today's first two games pit against each other teams that lost in Thursday's first round: Auburn vs. Tennessee, and Alabama vs. Oregon. The winners will then take on a team that lost in Friday's second round (LSU or UCLA). Here's a chart to help you follow the proceedings, with my live-blogging of the games below it...
HTML Tables
Unless Tennessee gets something going, it will be the first team to pack its bags, as the Volunteers trail Auburn 4-1, with the Tigers batting in the top of the fifth... Vols cut deficit to 4-2 in bottom of fifth, but leave bases loaded... 4-2 Auburn is how it ends... As pointed out on Auburn's Twitter page, this is the school's first-ever win in WCWS competition... Auburn will face UCLA later today...
Oregon and Alabama have just completed an inning with no score, the final out of the bottom (Tide) half coming on a Chaunsey Bell drive nearly to the wall that the Oregon right-fielder pulls in... Bama's got something going in the bottom of the second, as a Danielle Richard double to the wall in right puts runners on second and third with one out... Two-out single by Chandler Dare, landing just in front of a charging right-fielder, drives in two runs. 2-0 Alabama after two complete... Hard line-drive single to right by Janie Takeda that skims mitt of second-baseperson drives in Oregon run. 2-1 Bama after two-and-a-half... UO with runners on first and second with two outs in top of fourth... HBP loads bases or, to use a phrase, puts "Ducks on the pond"... Ground-out ends threat... Takeda gets one-out bunt single for Oregon in top of fifth, but thrown out stealing after over-sliding bag... Ground-out ends half-inning... Dare with one-out double for Bama in bottom of fifth... Dare a little too "daring," breaking for third on grounder to pitcher, tagged out in run-down; batter gets to second... Intentional walk to Haylie McCleney... Jadyn Spencer strikes out... Still 2-1 Bama after five... UA's Alexis Osorio strikes out the side in top of sixth... Oregon goes 1-2-3 in top of seventh. Bama wins 2-1, Ducks going home, Tide to face LSU later today...
UCLA-Auburn underway... Bruins get runners on second and third with two out in top of first, but on dribbler toward circle, Auburn pitcher throws runner out at plate. UCLA comes up empty... UCLA goes up 5-0 in top of third, in part from a bases-loaded triple by Gabielle Maurice... Auburn has come up with three runs so far in its half of the third, with runners at second and third and no outs... Both starting pitchers have been removed... Walk loads the bases again for Auburn... Force at home, bases still loaded, one out... Double to left-field wall by Carlee Wallace clears bases, gives Auburn 6-5 lead. Carda back in to pitch for Bruins... Wallace advances to third during next at-bat (perhaps a pitch got away, I don't know)... Auburn chopper to third leads to Wallace being tagged out trying to return, batter safe on first... Two-out single puts Tigers on first and second... Fly-out to left ends Auburn rally... Double-steal puts Bruins on second and third with one out; sac-fly to left ties score, 6-6... No further scoring for UCLA... Auburn with runners on first and second, none out, bottom four... Three-run blast for Branndi Melero, 9-6 Tigers... No further scoring for Auburn... UCLA gets runners on first and second with no outs, top five... Single to right scores run, runners to second and third on throw home. 9-7 Auburn... After strikeout, walk loads bases for Bruins... Foul pop to catcher, two out... Mysha Sataraka rips liner down third-base line, snared by a leaping Kasey Cooper to end Bruin threat... A two-out UCLA rally loads bases in top of sixth... Fly-out to left ends Bruin threat... Still 9-7 Tigers, as Bruins get last shot in top of seventh... Lead-off single to left... Auburn can't handle infield dribbler; Bruins on first and second with no outs... Runners bunted to second and third; tying runs in scoring position with one out... Maurice out on sharp grounder to first, but run scores, making it 9-8 Tigers, and putting tying run on third with two outs... Maddy Jelenicki coming up... HOMERS... 10-9 UCLA... Grounder to pitcher ends half-inning. Now Auburn down to its final three outs... Lead-off single for Auburn... Wallace doubles to wall, tying game 10-10! Jade Rhodes bunts runner to third... Auburn runs itself out of inning; runner from third out in run-down on infield grounder; batter trying to get to second thrown out... We're going to extras!... Perez line single leading off for UCLA, her fourth hit per ESPN announcer Beth Mowins... Auburn starter Lexi Davis comes back in to pitch... Infield grounder, Tigers get lead runner at second, but batter safe at first on double-play attempt... Miscommunication on infield grounder puts Bruins at first and second... Ally Carda fly out to center doesn't advance runners... Stephany LaRosa grounds into force at third, ending top of eighth with no scoring... One-out HBP gives Auburn a runner... Strikeout for second out... Wild pitch puts runner into scoring position... Walk puts runner on first... Carda had been fooling Tigers with change-ups, but now is getting wild... Morgan Estell up... Also walks, to load bases... Haley Fagan hits towering fly to right... caught by Perez at the wall... On to the ninth... One-out double for UCLA's Maurice... Passed ball sends runner to third... Jelenicki strikes out... Gracie Goulder fouls bunt attempt on first pitch, but not a squeeze because runner on third not coming home... Goulder grounds to first, ending Bruin threat... Carlee Wallace, with two doubles previously, is walked on four pitches... UCLA 3B Sataraka snares hard chopper, gets lead runner at second... Jenna Abbott strikes out... Tiffany Howard comes up... Also strikes out... Bring on the tenth... Two-out botched grounder by shortstop Fagan (a play after she'd make a nice grab of a hard liner for an out) gives Bruins a runner... But next batter grounds to third ending half-inning... Lead-off walk for Auburn... Cooper singles, putting runners on first and second. Melero coming up... Blooper to left just finds grass, bases loaded with no outs... Estell coming up. First pitch way high; Carda needs to watch her control... Next pitch over catcher (ball 2), but ball bounces back off of backstop, runner on third stays put... Change-up perfect, 2-1 count... High, 3-1 count... Next pitch not as high as some others, but still high, for ball 4... Auburn wins 11-10... And there's still one more game to come, between LSU and Alabama! I just made a word cloud by copying and pasting everything I wrote above regarding the Auburn-UCLA game into wordle.net. A word cloud depicts the most frequently used words in large font and less frequently used words smaller. Here it is (you can click on the word cloud to enlarge it)...
Alabama-LSU is underway... The Tide strikes first with a run in the top of the first... LSU answers with three runs in its half. Key play: Kellsi Kloss singles home second Tiger run, then takes second on throw home. Bama throw to second goes somewhere into right-center field, allowing Kloss to score. It's not technically an inside-the-park homer because of the error on the throw to second, but it has the same efffect. LSU leads 3-1... It's now 5-1 LSU after two complete... Same score as Bama comes up in top of sixth. Dropped throw at first base on routine grounder, followed by single, give Tide first and second with no outs... Fly-out to left, runners hold... Ditto of previous at-bat, two outs... Pop-up to short ends half-inning... Bama, down to its final outs in top of seventh, gets infield hits from first two batters... Carley Hoover in to pitch in relief, replacing Allie Walljasper... Strikeout for first out... Wild pitch advances runners... Walk loads bases, brings tying run to plate... Jadyn Spencer up... Fly-out to right for second out, runners advance, making it 5-2 LSU... Marisa Runyon up... Wild pitch scores runner from third, making it 5-3... Grounder to first ends game... LSU advances...
| No Losses | One Loss | Two Losses (Gone) |
| Florida | ||
| Michigan | ||
| Auburn | ||
| Tennessee | ||
| Alabama | ||
| Oregon | ||
| LSU | ||
| UCLA |
Unless Tennessee gets something going, it will be the first team to pack its bags, as the Volunteers trail Auburn 4-1, with the Tigers batting in the top of the fifth... Vols cut deficit to 4-2 in bottom of fifth, but leave bases loaded... 4-2 Auburn is how it ends... As pointed out on Auburn's Twitter page, this is the school's first-ever win in WCWS competition... Auburn will face UCLA later today...
Oregon and Alabama have just completed an inning with no score, the final out of the bottom (Tide) half coming on a Chaunsey Bell drive nearly to the wall that the Oregon right-fielder pulls in... Bama's got something going in the bottom of the second, as a Danielle Richard double to the wall in right puts runners on second and third with one out... Two-out single by Chandler Dare, landing just in front of a charging right-fielder, drives in two runs. 2-0 Alabama after two complete... Hard line-drive single to right by Janie Takeda that skims mitt of second-baseperson drives in Oregon run. 2-1 Bama after two-and-a-half... UO with runners on first and second with two outs in top of fourth... HBP loads bases or, to use a phrase, puts "Ducks on the pond"... Ground-out ends threat... Takeda gets one-out bunt single for Oregon in top of fifth, but thrown out stealing after over-sliding bag... Ground-out ends half-inning... Dare with one-out double for Bama in bottom of fifth... Dare a little too "daring," breaking for third on grounder to pitcher, tagged out in run-down; batter gets to second... Intentional walk to Haylie McCleney... Jadyn Spencer strikes out... Still 2-1 Bama after five... UA's Alexis Osorio strikes out the side in top of sixth... Oregon goes 1-2-3 in top of seventh. Bama wins 2-1, Ducks going home, Tide to face LSU later today...
UCLA-Auburn underway... Bruins get runners on second and third with two out in top of first, but on dribbler toward circle, Auburn pitcher throws runner out at plate. UCLA comes up empty... UCLA goes up 5-0 in top of third, in part from a bases-loaded triple by Gabielle Maurice... Auburn has come up with three runs so far in its half of the third, with runners at second and third and no outs... Both starting pitchers have been removed... Walk loads the bases again for Auburn... Force at home, bases still loaded, one out... Double to left-field wall by Carlee Wallace clears bases, gives Auburn 6-5 lead. Carda back in to pitch for Bruins... Wallace advances to third during next at-bat (perhaps a pitch got away, I don't know)... Auburn chopper to third leads to Wallace being tagged out trying to return, batter safe on first... Two-out single puts Tigers on first and second... Fly-out to left ends Auburn rally... Double-steal puts Bruins on second and third with one out; sac-fly to left ties score, 6-6... No further scoring for UCLA... Auburn with runners on first and second, none out, bottom four... Three-run blast for Branndi Melero, 9-6 Tigers... No further scoring for Auburn... UCLA gets runners on first and second with no outs, top five... Single to right scores run, runners to second and third on throw home. 9-7 Auburn... After strikeout, walk loads bases for Bruins... Foul pop to catcher, two out... Mysha Sataraka rips liner down third-base line, snared by a leaping Kasey Cooper to end Bruin threat... A two-out UCLA rally loads bases in top of sixth... Fly-out to left ends Bruin threat... Still 9-7 Tigers, as Bruins get last shot in top of seventh... Lead-off single to left... Auburn can't handle infield dribbler; Bruins on first and second with no outs... Runners bunted to second and third; tying runs in scoring position with one out... Maurice out on sharp grounder to first, but run scores, making it 9-8 Tigers, and putting tying run on third with two outs... Maddy Jelenicki coming up... HOMERS... 10-9 UCLA... Grounder to pitcher ends half-inning. Now Auburn down to its final three outs... Lead-off single for Auburn... Wallace doubles to wall, tying game 10-10! Jade Rhodes bunts runner to third... Auburn runs itself out of inning; runner from third out in run-down on infield grounder; batter trying to get to second thrown out... We're going to extras!... Perez line single leading off for UCLA, her fourth hit per ESPN announcer Beth Mowins... Auburn starter Lexi Davis comes back in to pitch... Infield grounder, Tigers get lead runner at second, but batter safe at first on double-play attempt... Miscommunication on infield grounder puts Bruins at first and second... Ally Carda fly out to center doesn't advance runners... Stephany LaRosa grounds into force at third, ending top of eighth with no scoring... One-out HBP gives Auburn a runner... Strikeout for second out... Wild pitch puts runner into scoring position... Walk puts runner on first... Carda had been fooling Tigers with change-ups, but now is getting wild... Morgan Estell up... Also walks, to load bases... Haley Fagan hits towering fly to right... caught by Perez at the wall... On to the ninth... One-out double for UCLA's Maurice... Passed ball sends runner to third... Jelenicki strikes out... Gracie Goulder fouls bunt attempt on first pitch, but not a squeeze because runner on third not coming home... Goulder grounds to first, ending Bruin threat... Carlee Wallace, with two doubles previously, is walked on four pitches... UCLA 3B Sataraka snares hard chopper, gets lead runner at second... Jenna Abbott strikes out... Tiffany Howard comes up... Also strikes out... Bring on the tenth... Two-out botched grounder by shortstop Fagan (a play after she'd make a nice grab of a hard liner for an out) gives Bruins a runner... But next batter grounds to third ending half-inning... Lead-off walk for Auburn... Cooper singles, putting runners on first and second. Melero coming up... Blooper to left just finds grass, bases loaded with no outs... Estell coming up. First pitch way high; Carda needs to watch her control... Next pitch over catcher (ball 2), but ball bounces back off of backstop, runner on third stays put... Change-up perfect, 2-1 count... High, 3-1 count... Next pitch not as high as some others, but still high, for ball 4... Auburn wins 11-10... And there's still one more game to come, between LSU and Alabama! I just made a word cloud by copying and pasting everything I wrote above regarding the Auburn-UCLA game into wordle.net. A word cloud depicts the most frequently used words in large font and less frequently used words smaller. Here it is (you can click on the word cloud to enlarge it)...
Alabama-LSU is underway... The Tide strikes first with a run in the top of the first... LSU answers with three runs in its half. Key play: Kellsi Kloss singles home second Tiger run, then takes second on throw home. Bama throw to second goes somewhere into right-center field, allowing Kloss to score. It's not technically an inside-the-park homer because of the error on the throw to second, but it has the same efffect. LSU leads 3-1... It's now 5-1 LSU after two complete... Same score as Bama comes up in top of sixth. Dropped throw at first base on routine grounder, followed by single, give Tide first and second with no outs... Fly-out to left, runners hold... Ditto of previous at-bat, two outs... Pop-up to short ends half-inning... Bama, down to its final outs in top of seventh, gets infield hits from first two batters... Carley Hoover in to pitch in relief, replacing Allie Walljasper... Strikeout for first out... Wild pitch advances runners... Walk loads bases, brings tying run to plate... Jadyn Spencer up... Fly-out to right for second out, runners advance, making it 5-2 LSU... Marisa Runyon up... Wild pitch scores runner from third, making it 5-3... Grounder to first ends game... LSU advances...