Only two games today, both of which are evening matchups of teams that won on Thursday. Starting around 6:00 pm Central, Oklahoma State will take on James Madison in tonight's opening game. UCLA and Alabama will then play a half-hour or so after the first game.
UCLA-Alabama
It will be hard to top Friday's first game (see below)... Alabama scores two in the top of the first on a single, double, and single... No further scoring by either team in the first three innings... Tide pitcher Montana Fouts has struck out seven of first nine UCLA batters... Bama now batting in top of fourth... Two outs with runner on second, after infield hit and stolen base... Foul-out in the third-base area ends threat... Crimson Tide wins 6-0, but the big story is that Fouts finishes with a 14-strikeout perfect game!
Oklahoma State-James Madison
JMU has a threat going in the bottom of the first, with runners on first and second, two out... Grounder to pitcher for what looks like inning-ending out. However, throw gets by 1B-person, who may have been distracted by batter quickly approaching first. Runner scores from second, giving the Dukes a 1-0 lead, with runners now at the corners... Ground-out to third ends inning... Top second: OSU with runners on first and second, with one out... Great play by JMU SS Sara Jubas, getting to deep grounder between short and third and throwing to third for force, two outs... Jubas grabs a line-drive for third out, as well, ending threat... Great infield defense -- in this case, by 3B-person Lynsey Meeks in third inning to snare a one-hopper and get the third out at first (video) -- pacing the Dukes thus far...
Kate Gordon leads off bottom of third with solo-shot (video), making it 2-0 JMU... Bottom four: Dukes with runners on first and second, one out... Fly to left for second out... Gordon up again, trying to put some daylight between the teams... Gordon drive to left gets almost to warning track, but OSU LF reels it in for third out... Cowgirls coming up in top of fifth, trying to get something going off of JMU pitcher Odicci Alexander, who has thrown nine consecutive scoreless innings (the last five yesterday against Oklahoma and four tonight)... One-out infield single to deep short for OSU... Runner bunted to second, now two outs... It's Alexander vs. Alexander, as OSU's Chelsea comes to bat... Alexander (the batter) grounds a single to shallow left. Runner from second scores, but looks like she probably would have been out if catcher could have snared throw cleanly... Pop-up to third ends threat... Now 2-1 JMU, heading to bottom of fifth...
Bottom five: Jubas with leadoff single up the middle for Dukes... Odicci Alexander helps her own cause with a line single to left, Dukes now with runners on first and second with no outs... OSU going to the bullpen, with Kelly Maxwell replacing starter Carrie Eberle... Pop-up to 2B for first out... Backward K for second out... Meeks, the JMU sparkplug, coming up... Full-count to Meeks... Strikes out swinging to end inning... Top six: Leadoff walk for OSU... Fly to left for first out... Pop-up to third for second out... Grounder back to pitcher for third out... Still 2-1 Dukes... Maxwell continues to dominate JMU, sending game to top of seventh, still 2-1 JMU...
Top seven: Leadoff hitter sends deep foul fly, just outside LF foul-pole, which is almost caught by JMU for first out. Instead, just a long strike... HBP to leadoff hitter... Steal of second... Grounder to pitcher leads to rundown between second and third of lead runner. She is tagged out, but obstruction called against a JMU infielder for bumping into runner without the ball, before she is tagged. Now, OSU runners on second and third, with none out (potential tying and go-ahead runs in this 2-1 contest)... In 50 years of watching softball and baseball, I don't recall ever seeing obstruction called on a rundown... Foul-out (a little beyond third-base depth) for first out... Squeeze play! Alexander grabs ball and tags runner from third out at the plate (video). Two away, runners on second and third (advancing during the hubbub at home plate), for Kiley Naomi... Strike... Foul for strike two... Pop-up to SS, Dukes win this nail-biter, 2-1!