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MINNESOTA 5, LSU 3
LSU has been put in an early 0-1 hole in their Super Regional against Minnesota.
The Golden Gophers defeated the Tigers 5-3 on Friday afternoon to take one step closer to their first WCWS appearance since they were part of the AIAW Women’s College World Series in 1978. Which is to say... it’s been a long time.
The Tigers struck first after Shemiah Sanchez reached on a dropped third strike. That allowed for Aliyah Andrews to race in to score to allow the Tigers to take a 1-0 lead. But that lead was merely short lived. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, right fielder and 2-hole hitter Maddie Houlihan tied the game with one swing, parking one over the fence to make it 1-1.
LSU was quick to strike back, though. Amber Serrett homered to right field to ead off the top of the 4th inning. Then, a few batters later, Amanda Sanchez brought their lead up to 3-1 after an RBI single, which saw Elyse Thornhill trot in to score.
LSU’s 3-1 lead went up in smoke, however. Houlihan once again struck in the bottom of the 4th this time. She hit a double to right centerfield, bringing MaKenna Partain in to score. Later, Natalie DenHartog hit an RBI single to left that allowed for Houlihan to trot in to tie the game. The Golden Gophers weren’t done. Two batters later, shortstop Allie Arneson smoked a two-RBI single to right, bringing in DenHartog and Hope Brandner.
The four-run inning was enough for Minnesota to take the lead and keep themselves in that spot. LSU put Minnesota on their heels with two on in the top of the 7th inning. HOwever, with those two runners aboard, Serrett flew out to center to end the threat.
ARIZONA 5, OLE MISS 2
After trading blows in the first two innings, Arizona scored a combined three runs in the 4th and 5th innings to take home a 5-2 win in the first game of the Tucson Super Regional.
The Rebels got on the board first after Kaylee Horton reached base on a fielding error. As a result of that error, Kylan Becker ran in to score to give Ole Miss a 1-0 lead. That 1-0 lead was short lived though, as Malia Martinez collected an RBI on a double in the bottom of the 1st. That run scored 2-hole hitter Jessie Harper and knotted the game up at one run apiece.
The 2nd inning saw more of the same. Abbey Latham doubled down the left field line, allowing for Becker to score her second run of the game. But like the bottom of the 1st inning, the bottom of the 2nd saw UofA knot the game up again. This time it was thanks to an RBI single by leadoff hitter Alyssa Palomino. Her two-out base knock tied the game up once again, leaving Ole Miss with the opportunity to take the lead again.
Take the lead again they would not. In fact, that inning was the final time they’d have an advantage in this entire game. In the bottom of the 4th, Palomino struck again, hitting a sac fly to allow Hanah Bowen to score and give the Wildcats their first lead of the game. Later that inning, it was Malia Martinez who came up big yet again. She singled to score Carli Campbell, which brought their lead up to 4-2.
Another run was scored in the bottom of the 5th. This one was thanks to the bat of Hannah Martinez. Hannah hit a single that plated Rylee Pierce, and that three-run advantage would be all that UofA would need to cinch the win.
FLORIDA 3, TENNESSEE 0
In the only all-SEC Super Regional, it was Florida who emerged victorious over Tennessee.
The Gators triumphed 3-0 over the Vols to move one step closer to yet another appearance in OKC. The victory gives them a 1-0 lead in the Gainesville Super Regional, and the Vols now have to try and win two in a row against mighty UF if they want to take down their SEC nemesis.
Florida got things started right away in the bottom of the 1st. Kendyl Lindaman doubled to center to bring home Amanda Lorenz for the game’s first run. Later in that frame, with two outs, Sophia Reynoso singled through on the left side to bring Lindaman home to give the Gators a 2-0 lead.
Florida would put a tight grip that lead going forward. Much of that was thanks to, who else? Kelly Barnhill. Barnhill was dominant yet again, allowing just three hits over the seven innings she pitched. She struck out seven batters but did walk three, however she didn’t allow any kind of damage on the scoreboard.
The third and final run was scored in the bottom of the 5th. Jaimie Hoover hit a double that brought Amanda Beane in to score, giving the Gators a 3-0 lead.
Aubrey Leach had two hits for the Vols, and Jenna Holcomb had one. But the rest of the Volunteer lineup went 0-for-16, which certainly plagued them in the end.
WASHINGTON 3, KENTUCKY 0
Things did not fare well for Kentucky out in Seattle.
The Washington Huskies dispatched the Wildcats in Game 1 of the Seattle Super Regional, earning a 3-0 victory to take one step closer to OKC.
Washington got ducks on the pond — or in this case, Huskies — early on and scored in the 1st inning. This after Sami Reynolds hit a sac fly that saw Sis Bates score following her leadoff double to start the inning. Two innings later, the Huskies added to their lead. Bates singled and plated home Amirah Milloy to swell the lead up to 2-0.
Two innings after that, Washington scored yet again. On a 3-1 pitch with two outs, Morganne Flores punched one over the fence to give UW a 3-0 lead over the Wildcats.
That would be all the Huskies needed to win, thanks in part to a stirring effort by Husky pitchers Gabbie Plain and Taryn Alvelo. They held the 1-2-3 hitters in UK’s lineup — Jenny Schaper, Katie Reed and SEC Player of the Year Abbey Cheek — to a mark of 1-for-10 with a walk and a HBP, both accounted for by Reed. UK could only get four hits the entire day, none of which went for extra bases.
TEXAS 7, ALABAMA 5
Alabama saw a 4-0 lead go up in smoke and lost 7-5 to Texas in Game 2 of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional.
After Bama’s crushing defeat, the series is now tied at one game apiece, with one final matchup on Saturday looming to decide who’s going to OKC.
Alabama built up their 4-0 advantage over the Longhorns in the first two innings. They put up a three spot on the Horns in the fist thanks to two pivotal plays. One was a sac groundout by Reagan Dykes that plated KB Sides. Then, Skylar Wallace hit a single up the middle that brought Kaylee Tow and Bailey Hemphill around to score.
Sides stood out in the 2nd inning with her RBI single, allowing for Merris Schroeder to come in to score. It seemed like everything was going their way... until it wasn’t any longer. The bottom of the 3rd saw Texas’ Mary Iakopo hit a three-run bomb that cut their lead to just one.
With one swing of her bat, MK Tedder tied the game up in the bottom of the 4th. Then, the runs kept pouring in. Iakopo reached on an error, which let Ki’Audra Hayter and Lauren Burke come in to score the go-ahead runs. After that, Shannon Rhodes tacked on one more with a sac groundout that saw Reagan Hathaway trot in to score.