Michigan coach Carol Hutchins, along with two co-authors, has an editorial in the New York Times , noting improvements in girls' and women's opportunities to play sports, but no such improvement in coaching and athletic administration ( link ).

I'm a bit late getting on the blog, sorry. UCLA (the home team tonight) leads 3-1, with all the scoring via solo homers: UCLA's first two batters of the evening, Bubba Nickles and Briana Perez slug back-to-back homers, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead. It could have been a lot worse for Oklahoma, as UCLA loaded the bases on an infield single (actually, an error), double (by the suddenly power-hitting Brianna Tautalafua), and walk, but with two outs, the Sooners' Shay Knighten grabbed a hard grounder down the line -- which potentially could have driven in two runs -- and got the final out. Sydney Romero homers for OU in the top of the third, to cut Sooners' deficit to 2-1 (she also led off the game with a double ). UCLA SS snared a hard liner on the play before, otherwise Romero's blast could have been a two-run homer. Aaliyah Jordan homers for UCLA in the bottom of the third to make it 3-1. Bruins also load the bases in the inning, but don't score further....

Oklahoma is the home team against UCLA in Game 1 of the championship round. UCLA Top 1st: Aaliyah Jordan gives the Bruins a quick 1-0 lead with a two-out homer . OU Bottom 1st: Nothing. UCLA T2: Nothing. OU B2: Shay Knighten goes yard to even things up, 1-1... As shown in this video , there's a yellow ribbon lining the top of the outfield fence all around, and the ribbon gets dislodged around where Knighten's ball landed. At first I thought the ball itself glanced off the ribbon and barely left the field. However, after looking over the replay a few times, it appears that the UCLA outfielder knocked off the ribbon and Knighten's ball went at least a few feet beyond the fence. UCLA T3: The tie doesn't last long. A combination of UCLA singles and OU errors gives the Bruins a 3-1 lead . However, UCLA strands a runner on third. OU B3:  One-out triple to right for Grace Lyons. Probably would have been a single or double, but UCLA right-fielder misplays the ball....

If you don't want to read all of the lengthy notes below, it will be UCLA vs. Oklahoma in the championship series, beginning Monday night! Oklahoma   vs.   Alabama  Act II:  Now underway, with OU as the home team... Whereas the Sooners have stuck with G. Juarez as their pitcher, the Crimson Tide is going with Krystal Goodman in place of Montana Fouts... That was fast: Walk to Romero and double by Clifton to right-center gap give Sooners a run in bottom of the first. 1-0 OU... Wild pitch advances Clifton to third... And another wild one brings her home. 2-0 OU... Inning ends... Reagan Dykes hits a one-out solo shot to get Bama on the board in the top of the second. 2-1 OU... After giving up another long fly ball -- this one caught for second out -- Juarez is removed in favor of Mariah Lopez... Bama's Claire Jenkins lays down a bunt. Lopez fields and throws to first, only one problem: No one covering the bag. Tide with runner on second... Fly out ends half-inning...

It's "Survival Saturday," pitting one-loss teams, so that each of the four games will eliminate someone. In the nightcap of this very long day, Alabama and Arizona are scoreless as the Crimson Tide bats in the top of the third... Bama has runners on first and second for slugger Bailey Hemphill with two outs... Hemphill smokes a liner to the left-center gap, making it 2-0 Tide... Bottom 4: A walk and a single give the Wildcats runners on first and second, with one out... A walk loads the bases for Reyna Carranco... K (after two balls to start) for second out... Hemphill with nice snare of liner for third out. Still 2-0 Tide... Bottom 7: Still 2-0... Arizona down to its final out of the season, with a runner on first... K to end the game. Alabama stays alive, Arizona eliminated. Washington vs. Oklahoma State are now underway in the day's third game. OSU's Chyenne Factor robs UW of two-runner homer in bottom of second... No score, with the Cowgirls batting in th...

Friday night's winners' bracket doubleheader pits UCLA and Arizona in the first game, and local " Bedlam " favorites Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in the second. Oklahoma strikes fast vs. Oklahoma State in the nightcap, a Jocelyn Alo single driving in two runs , with only one out... 2-0 Sooners... Grounder up the middle, bobbled by SS, leaves runners on the corners... Shay Knighten with a bloop/liner for a single up the middle, making it 3-0 for OU... Cowgirls finally get out of the inning... OSU bounces back for a run in the bottom of the first, driven in on a Michela Richbourg single ... 3-1 OU... Been awhile since I last updated, due to many uneventful innings and a delay due to the lights on one of the towers going out. Sooners add three runs in the top of the sixth, making it 6-1 for OU ... That's your final. UCLA bats first as the visitor in the first game. The Bruins get a two-out line single to right in the top of the first. HBP gives UCLA two runners.....

In the nightcap, Oklahoma is threatening against Alabama in the bottom of the first, with none out. With runners on the corners, a potential squeeze play (or delayed double-steal) lets the OU runner on first get to second, whereas the runner on third gets back to the bag when it looked like she might be picked off... Caleigh Clifton's sac-fly to center brings Sydney Romero home from third. 1-0 Sooners... Ground-out to second advances runner to third, with two outs... Walk puts runners on corners again... Foul-out near right-field line ends the inning... Top 3: After leadoff single, runner advanced to second on bunt (batter out), then next batter beats out bunt (replay shows runner probably out at first, but no replay review system has yet been adopted). As a result,  Bama has runners on the corners with one out.    K for second out... Bailey Hemphill with bloop single to right, tying game 1-1, again leaving runners on the corners... K to end the threat... Bottom 3: Romero...