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WCWS Day 4 (2017)

Florida is on to the championship round, having eliminated Washington by a 5-2 score.

Oregon and Oklahoma are now playing, with the Sooners needing to beat the Ducks just once to advance, whereas Oregon would need to defeat Oklahoma twice... Even though Oklahoma is well-known as "OU" and Oregon as "UO," I'll refrain from using these abbreviations to avoid confusion... Game is scoreless, bottom 2, but the Sooners are threatening with runners at the corners and two outs... Grounder near second base leads to easy force-out to retire Oklahoma... Lauren Lindvall leads off top of third with double for Ducks, but popped-up bunt, fly-out, and short bloop caught by pitcher Paige Parker quickly ends half-inning... Single and stolen base give Ducks runner on second with one out, top 4... Infield pop for second out... Fly-out ends half-inning... Top 5: Danica Mercado drills two-run homer to right, making it 2-0 Ducks... Oklahoma lead-off batter in bottom half bunts, ends up on second after errant throw to first. Ball looked like it probably was foul, rolling back behind first-base foul-line... Single puts runners at the corners, none out... Runner on first "steals" second on "defensive indifference"... Grounder to short, ill-advised throw home to try to get runner from third. Not close, and runner gets to first... 2-1 Ducks... Runners bunted to second and third, one out... Shay Knighten bloop single to right scores both runners, 3-2 Sooners... Knighten steals second on very close play... Infield pop for second out... Nicole Pendley belts double to the wall in right, scoring Knighten, now 4-2 Oklahoma... Miranda Elish (rhymes with relish) replacing Megan Kleist in the circle for Oregon... Ground-out ends Oklahoma rally... Ducks go down without a quack in top 6... Nothing for Sooners in bottom half, either... Oregon coming up for last stand in top of seventh... Sooners bring in reliever Paige Lowary, she of the fastball approaching 75 mph, to start off seventh... Grounder to short for first out... Grounder to second for second out... Fly to center ends it, 4-2 Oklahoma...

Sooners advance to championship round vs. Florida, a two-out-of-three series beginning Monday night... We are guaranteed that for fifth straight year, the national champion will be either Oklahoma (which won it in 2013 and 2016) or Florida (which won it in 2014 and 2015)... Short day today, as neither Washington nor Oregon could force an extra game against their respective opponents...

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