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Final Weekend of 2021 Season, Leading into Selection Sunday

 Conference tournaments and season-ending regular-season series (for leagues that don't have tournaments) headline the final weekend of play, leading into Sunday night's Selection Sunday show.

In one SEC semifinal game, the seventh-place Tennessee squad is down to its final at-bats in the top of the seventh, trailing third-place Alabama, 6-5. A two-run blast by Bama catcher Bailey Hemphill in the bottom of the sixth is the difference so far... Vols retired uneventfully in the seventh... Bama The winner faces first-place Florida in Saturday night's championship game...

In the non-tournament Pac 12, Game 3 of this weekend's four-game UCLA at Arizona series (also the nightcap of a Friday doubleheader) will be airing soon on ESPN-U (although the game has started out on "regular" ESPN)... The Bruins took Thursday's series opener 8-0 (run rule) and Friday's doubleheader opener, 6-2... UCLA's win in Friday's opener tops the standings clinches the Pac 12 regular-season title for the Bruins, with an 18-2 conference record. At the time, Washington was in second at 17-5 and Arizona in third at 12-9... Arizona breaks through to win Friday's nightcap, 5-1...

Michigan clinched the championship of the Big 10, another non-tournament conference, with a doubleheader sweep back on May 8...

Finally, the Big 12 is using a pool-play format for its tournament, which started today...

SATURDAY UPDATES

Alabama (No. 3 nationally and third-place in the SEC) has put up three runs in the top of the first against Florida (No. 4 nationally and first-place in the SEC) in the conference-tournament final. A squeeze-bunt, an error, and a rundown helped produce the three Crimson Tide runs... Still 3-0 Tide as Florida comes up in the bottom of the third... Bama closes out Florida, 4-0, to take the SEC tournament crown...

UCLA downs Arizona, 7-2, to take three out of four on the Wildcats' field...

Oklahoma follows up its regular-season Big 12 title with the conference-tourney championship, as well, via run-rule vs. OSU...


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