A very long day of softball is now over (past midnight in the Central and Eastern time zones). There will only be one game Sunday, as all the other super-regionals have been decided...
In Saturday's nightcap, Washington leads Kentucky 1-0, as the Wildcats come up in the bottom of the fifth... Noelle Hee's two-run shot in the top of the sixth gives the Huskies some cushion, 3-0... And U-Dub still not done in the inning, with runners on second and third and two out... UK escapes further damage... Bottom 7: Kentucky down to final three outs, as Washington leads 5-0... And that's how it ends... Huskies headed to WCWS.
Tennessee plates an early run vs. Florida... Still 1-0 Vols, as Gators bat in the top of the third... Bottom 4: Line single to left with two on by Tennessee's Madison Pacini gives Vols a 2-1 lead, with runners now at the corners and one out... K (taking) on 3-2 pitch for second out... Another K (swinging) minimizes the damage done by Tennessee... Top 5: Gators threatening with runners on first and second, with one out... Swinging strikeout on 3-2 pitch, a sinker that probably would have been Ball 4, for UF's second out... Hannah Adams rips single to center to tie game 2-2. Runners now at the corners... Steal of second... K keeps the game tied... Bottom 5: Vols put first two batters on first and second... Now two outs, with no advancement of the runners... K ends the threat with score still 2-2... Still tied, going to the top (Florida) half of the seventh... No score for Florida in top of seventh, Tennessee coming up... Leadoff hitter Aubrey Leach beats out chopper to third on extremely close call at first base... UF gets lead runner on infield grounder, but not double-play... Same thing again -- out at second on infield grounder, but not at first. Two outs now... Walk puts runners on first and second for Kaili Phillips... Strike-out... We haven't had too many extra-inning games in the tournament, but we'll have one here! Leadoff double for UF's Adams (who I've just learned is 4-for-4 today) in top of eighth... Dribbler to pitcher for first out, no runner advancement... Here's a weird play: One bobbled strike (which Gator batter thinks is third strike), batter runs to first and is thrown "out." Only problem is that there was only one strike at the time. Adams goes to third on throw to first. Tennessee argues Adams should be sent back to second, but umpires decline to do so. Batter walks, so runners on corners with one out... Jordan Matthews, who ESPN announcers say has a "clutch gene," pinch-hitting... Runner on first goes to second via defensive indifference... Matthews fouls one off on 1-2 pitch to stay alive... K to Matthews for second out... Alex Voss coming up... Tennessee pitcher snags hard Voss grounder, throws her out at first to end half-inning... A walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth wins it for Tennessee, 3-2. We'll be back tomorrow for a decisive Game 3.
Mississippi and Arizona tied 1-1 after three... Wildcats pull away for 9-1 victory and trip to the WCWS.
UCLA with 4-0 lead on James Madison, with Dukes up in bottom of third... Final score is 7-2, as Bruins advance to WCWS.
Minnesota-LSU scoreless, as the Gophers come up in the top of the third... Still scoreless in the top of the fourth... Allie Arneson rockets a solo-shot to left to put Minnesota up 1-0, top five... LSU looking for equalizer in bottom of sixth, with runner on first and two out... Ground-out to third ends threat... Gophers now up 3-0 going to bottom of seventh... One out, runner on first for LSU, as tries to stay alive... Apparent Tiger single to right nullified by out-of-the-batter's-box call. Two out... Grounder to second ends it... Minnesota going to WCWS for first time ever...
Oklahoma with an early run to lead Northwestern 1-0... Sooners now up 2-0 in the top (OU) half of the third... OU now pulling away, up 5-0... And now 7-0... It's a final, 8-0... Oklahoma to WCWS.
Alabama leaves the bases loaded (all on walks) in the bottom of the first. Scoreless in Tuscaloosa... Bottom 2: Leadoff double for Bama's Maddie Morgan... Texas pitcher bobbles bunted ball, runners at corners with none out... With one out, Tide's K.B. Sides singles in game's first run, 1-0 Bama... Top 3: Two-out single ties game 1-1... Bottom 3: A leadoff double and two sacrifice flies give Alabama the lead again, 2-1... A dropped fly ball (which would have ended the inning), a walk, and a homer by Sides blows the game open, 5-1 Bama... Bailey Hemphill then makes it back-to-back long balls, increasing the Tide's lead to 6-1... With Alabama up 7-1, the Longhorns' Shannon Rhodes hits a one-out grand-slam homer in the top of the fifth, making it 7-5 (video)... The Crimson Tide adds an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to increase their lead to 8-5... Texas batting in the top of the seventh with one out and a runner on first... Two outs after a force at second... Hard single to left brings tying run to the plate for Texas in the person of M. K. Tedder... She flies out to shallow right on a 3-2 pitch, ending the game and the Longhorns' season... Alabama to WCWS.
Oklahoma State leads Florida State 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, but Seminoles threatening with runners on first and second. Wild pitch by new pitcher advances the runners to second and third... K for second out... Infield line-out ends the threat... Top 6: Cowgirls add a run on HBP, steal of second base and advancement to third when catcher's throw goes into outfield, and sac-fly. Now 3-1 OSU... Nothing doing for FSU in bottom of sixth... OSU down quietly in top of seventh... Florida State, the defending national champion and this year's No. 1 team for the first month of the season, is down to its final three outs!... Anna Shelnutt leads off with solo homer to cut deficit to 3-2... K for first out (swing and miss on change-up)... Ground-out to third-baseperson for second out... Ground-out to second-baseperson. Ballgame. Oklahoma State to WCWS.
All series are Friday-Sunday, except for italicized ones, which are Thursday-Saturday.
In Saturday's nightcap, Washington leads Kentucky 1-0, as the Wildcats come up in the bottom of the fifth... Noelle Hee's two-run shot in the top of the sixth gives the Huskies some cushion, 3-0... And U-Dub still not done in the inning, with runners on second and third and two out... UK escapes further damage... Bottom 7: Kentucky down to final three outs, as Washington leads 5-0... And that's how it ends... Huskies headed to WCWS.
Tennessee plates an early run vs. Florida... Still 1-0 Vols, as Gators bat in the top of the third... Bottom 4: Line single to left with two on by Tennessee's Madison Pacini gives Vols a 2-1 lead, with runners now at the corners and one out... K (taking) on 3-2 pitch for second out... Another K (swinging) minimizes the damage done by Tennessee... Top 5: Gators threatening with runners on first and second, with one out... Swinging strikeout on 3-2 pitch, a sinker that probably would have been Ball 4, for UF's second out... Hannah Adams rips single to center to tie game 2-2. Runners now at the corners... Steal of second... K keeps the game tied... Bottom 5: Vols put first two batters on first and second... Now two outs, with no advancement of the runners... K ends the threat with score still 2-2... Still tied, going to the top (Florida) half of the seventh... No score for Florida in top of seventh, Tennessee coming up... Leadoff hitter Aubrey Leach beats out chopper to third on extremely close call at first base... UF gets lead runner on infield grounder, but not double-play... Same thing again -- out at second on infield grounder, but not at first. Two outs now... Walk puts runners on first and second for Kaili Phillips... Strike-out... We haven't had too many extra-inning games in the tournament, but we'll have one here! Leadoff double for UF's Adams (who I've just learned is 4-for-4 today) in top of eighth... Dribbler to pitcher for first out, no runner advancement... Here's a weird play: One bobbled strike (which Gator batter thinks is third strike), batter runs to first and is thrown "out." Only problem is that there was only one strike at the time. Adams goes to third on throw to first. Tennessee argues Adams should be sent back to second, but umpires decline to do so. Batter walks, so runners on corners with one out... Jordan Matthews, who ESPN announcers say has a "clutch gene," pinch-hitting... Runner on first goes to second via defensive indifference... Matthews fouls one off on 1-2 pitch to stay alive... K to Matthews for second out... Alex Voss coming up... Tennessee pitcher snags hard Voss grounder, throws her out at first to end half-inning... A walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth wins it for Tennessee, 3-2. We'll be back tomorrow for a decisive Game 3.
Mississippi and Arizona tied 1-1 after three... Wildcats pull away for 9-1 victory and trip to the WCWS.
UCLA with 4-0 lead on James Madison, with Dukes up in bottom of third... Final score is 7-2, as Bruins advance to WCWS.
Minnesota-LSU scoreless, as the Gophers come up in the top of the third... Still scoreless in the top of the fourth... Allie Arneson rockets a solo-shot to left to put Minnesota up 1-0, top five... LSU looking for equalizer in bottom of sixth, with runner on first and two out... Ground-out to third ends threat... Gophers now up 3-0 going to bottom of seventh... One out, runner on first for LSU, as tries to stay alive... Apparent Tiger single to right nullified by out-of-the-batter's-box call. Two out... Grounder to second ends it... Minnesota going to WCWS for first time ever...
Oklahoma with an early run to lead Northwestern 1-0... Sooners now up 2-0 in the top (OU) half of the third... OU now pulling away, up 5-0... And now 7-0... It's a final, 8-0... Oklahoma to WCWS.
Oklahoma State leads Florida State 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, but Seminoles threatening with runners on first and second. Wild pitch by new pitcher advances the runners to second and third... K for second out... Infield line-out ends the threat... Top 6: Cowgirls add a run on HBP, steal of second base and advancement to third when catcher's throw goes into outfield, and sac-fly. Now 3-1 OSU... Nothing doing for FSU in bottom of sixth... OSU down quietly in top of seventh... Florida State, the defending national champion and this year's No. 1 team for the first month of the season, is down to its final three outs!... Anna Shelnutt leads off with solo homer to cut deficit to 3-2... K for first out (swing and miss on change-up)... Ground-out to third-baseperson for second out... Ground-out to second-baseperson. Ballgame. Oklahoma State to WCWS.
| Teams |
Game 1
|
Game 2
|
Game 3
|
| Oklahoma (1) vs. Northwestern (16) |
OU
| OU | --- |
| Alabama (8) vs. Texas (9) |
Alabama
| Texas | Alabama |
| Florida (5) vs. Tennessee (12) |
Florida
| Tennessee | ??? |
| Florida State (4) vs. Oklahoma State (13) |
Oklahoma St.
| Florida St. | Oklahoma St. |
| Washington (3) vs. Kentucky (14) |
Washington
| Washington | --- |
| Arizona (6) vs. Mississippi (11) |
Arizona
| Arizona | --- |
| Minnesota (7) vs. LSU (10) |
Minnesota
| Minnesota | --- |
| UCLA (2) vs. James Madison (unseeded) |
UCLA
| UCLA | --- |