Tonight's play features two games, each matching winners from yesterday. In tonight's opener -- just underway -- No. 1 seed Oregon is facing conference-mate and No. 5 seed Washington. Oregon is the visiting team in this game, despite the higher seed. The Ducks swept three games from the Huskies in Seattle (April 27-29), so it would be a major upset if Oregon lost tonight. However, one never knows in a one-game context.
Oregon strands a runner at second in the top of the first... Pretty uneventful game until bottom of the fifth. At that point, U-Dub gets leadoff single, followed by botched force-play at second on infield grounder, putting Huskies at the corners with none out... Bunt-attempt popped-up and caught for first out... Walk to load bases... Attempted force at home-plate on grounder to short botched, giving Washington a 1-0 lead. Not sure if Oregon could have gotten runner out at home even with well-executed throw and catch... Single to right drives home two (the second runner being declared safe on obstruction call at the plate). Runners to second and third on throw home... 3-zip Huskies... Miranda Elish (rhymes with "embellish") replaces Megan Kleist in the circle for Ducks... Pop-up to right that no Duck can get to makes it 4-0 Washington. Still only one out, with runners on second and third... Ducks avoid further damage... A two-out walk and single, followed by a passed ball to advance each runner a base, gives Oregon some hope of getting back into the game in the top of the sixth... Batter takes two near-strike pitches on 0-2 count, which is now full... Ground-out ends threat... Huskies add two more in bottom of sixth, increasing their lead to 6-0... Oregon rallies a bit in the top of the seventh, but only scores twice. Washington wins by a 6-2 score.
The second game will feature a third Pac-12 team, No. 3 UCLA, playing against No. 2 Florida... Gators' Kelly Barnhill strikes out the side in the top of the first... Gators get leadoff hitter to first on Bruin error... A one-out line-drive single to right puts runners on the corners... Wild-pitch (high) brings in runner from third, 1-0 Florida... UCLA's Rachel Garcia ends up getting all three outs in bottom of first via strikeout, albeit non-consecutively... Another three Bruin batters in the top of the second, another three strikeouts (six in all for Barnhill)... After Garcia gets her fourth and fifth strikeouts, Sophia Reynoso homers to left. 2-0 Florida... Barnhill now 7-for-7 in striking out Bruins... 8-for-8... Kinsley Washington grounds out back to Barnhill -- the first Bruin not to strike out! Bottom 3: Kayli Kvistad pulls a two-run homer to right, nearly halfway up the bleachers. 4-0 UF... Top 4: Error, HBP, and walk load the bases for UCLA with one out... Barnhill walks in UCLA's first run, now 4-1. Bruins still with no hits in the game... UCLA gets second run on tag-up after foul-out to LF corner. Replay shows runner really was out at home on extremely close play, but evidently no replay review... Taylor Pack packs some heat, drilling three-run homer, and, what do you know, Bruins take a 5-4 lead... Bottom 5: After a two-out single, Janell Wheaton lofts a high drive to left-field that probably caused many Bruin fans' hearts to stop briefly, but the ball is caught a few feet in front of the wall... UCLA coming up in the top of the sixth... Bubba Nickles blasts a solo-shot to left-center, making it 6-4 Bruins... A one-out solo-shot by UF's Jordan Roberts cuts UCLA's lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth... Two-out walk puts tying run on base for Florida... UCLA shortstop can't backhand a sharp grounder, putting runners at the corners... Grounder back to circle ends threat... Bruins go quietly in top of seventh (and Florida coach Tim Walton goes noisily, getting tossed for complaining about ball-and-strike calls). Gators down to final three outs... K looking for first out... K swinging for second out... K swinging for third and final out... UCLA wins 6-5...
UCLA's Rachel Garcia ends up with 15 strikeouts (throwing 89 strikes on 127 pitches; 70% strikes). Florida's Kelly Barnhill, after punching out the first eight Bruin batters she faced, records 13 K's for the game (77 strikes on 108 pitches; 71% strikes).
Oregon strands a runner at second in the top of the first... Pretty uneventful game until bottom of the fifth. At that point, U-Dub gets leadoff single, followed by botched force-play at second on infield grounder, putting Huskies at the corners with none out... Bunt-attempt popped-up and caught for first out... Walk to load bases... Attempted force at home-plate on grounder to short botched, giving Washington a 1-0 lead. Not sure if Oregon could have gotten runner out at home even with well-executed throw and catch... Single to right drives home two (the second runner being declared safe on obstruction call at the plate). Runners to second and third on throw home... 3-zip Huskies... Miranda Elish (rhymes with "embellish") replaces Megan Kleist in the circle for Ducks... Pop-up to right that no Duck can get to makes it 4-0 Washington. Still only one out, with runners on second and third... Ducks avoid further damage... A two-out walk and single, followed by a passed ball to advance each runner a base, gives Oregon some hope of getting back into the game in the top of the sixth... Batter takes two near-strike pitches on 0-2 count, which is now full... Ground-out ends threat... Huskies add two more in bottom of sixth, increasing their lead to 6-0... Oregon rallies a bit in the top of the seventh, but only scores twice. Washington wins by a 6-2 score.
The second game will feature a third Pac-12 team, No. 3 UCLA, playing against No. 2 Florida... Gators' Kelly Barnhill strikes out the side in the top of the first... Gators get leadoff hitter to first on Bruin error... A one-out line-drive single to right puts runners on the corners... Wild-pitch (high) brings in runner from third, 1-0 Florida... UCLA's Rachel Garcia ends up getting all three outs in bottom of first via strikeout, albeit non-consecutively... Another three Bruin batters in the top of the second, another three strikeouts (six in all for Barnhill)... After Garcia gets her fourth and fifth strikeouts, Sophia Reynoso homers to left. 2-0 Florida... Barnhill now 7-for-7 in striking out Bruins... 8-for-8... Kinsley Washington grounds out back to Barnhill -- the first Bruin not to strike out! Bottom 3: Kayli Kvistad pulls a two-run homer to right, nearly halfway up the bleachers. 4-0 UF... Top 4: Error, HBP, and walk load the bases for UCLA with one out... Barnhill walks in UCLA's first run, now 4-1. Bruins still with no hits in the game... UCLA gets second run on tag-up after foul-out to LF corner. Replay shows runner really was out at home on extremely close play, but evidently no replay review... Taylor Pack packs some heat, drilling three-run homer, and, what do you know, Bruins take a 5-4 lead... Bottom 5: After a two-out single, Janell Wheaton lofts a high drive to left-field that probably caused many Bruin fans' hearts to stop briefly, but the ball is caught a few feet in front of the wall... UCLA coming up in the top of the sixth... Bubba Nickles blasts a solo-shot to left-center, making it 6-4 Bruins... A one-out solo-shot by UF's Jordan Roberts cuts UCLA's lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth... Two-out walk puts tying run on base for Florida... UCLA shortstop can't backhand a sharp grounder, putting runners at the corners... Grounder back to circle ends threat... Bruins go quietly in top of seventh (and Florida coach Tim Walton goes noisily, getting tossed for complaining about ball-and-strike calls). Gators down to final three outs... K looking for first out... K swinging for second out... K swinging for third and final out... UCLA wins 6-5...
UCLA's Rachel Garcia ends up with 15 strikeouts (throwing 89 strikes on 127 pitches; 70% strikes). Florida's Kelly Barnhill, after punching out the first eight Bruin batters she faced, records 13 K's for the game (77 strikes on 108 pitches; 71% strikes).