NCAA Softball Tournament

[flyingMoose]

Bradley opens play today at the Columbia Regional against #15 DePaul.

[flyingMoose]

Bradley 1-0 DePaul

A single, stolen base and single in the second inning scores the only run of the game, and Bradley defeats #15 DePaul, the top seed of the regional . Ashley Birdsong gives up three hits, walks one and strikes out eight.

Tomorrow, Bradley meets the winner of the Missouri-Illinois game being played now.

[flyingMoose]

The line of storms which passed through Wichita (and extended from Amarillo to Detroit) postponed the Illinois-Missouri game in the top of the first. It will be resumed in the morning with its winner playing Bradley.

[flyingMoose]

Missouri 2-1 Bradley

Bradley now plays the winner of the DePaul-Illinois game later this evening.

And it is DePaul, a 6-0 winner over Illinois.

[flyingMoose]

DePaul 2-1 Bradley

DePaul manages only four hits, but a single, single/error and double in the fifth produce two runs. Bradley had only one hit on the day. Ashley Birdsong was outstanding for the entire regional.

[flyingMoose]

In the "shocker" to this point in the tournament, Oklahoma, #7 seed and regular season Big 12 champion, is eliminated in the Norman Regional.

They were defeated yesterday 1-0 by North Dakota State(!). This evening they gave up a two-out, walk-off three-run homer (after an intentional walk) to lose to Tulsa, 5-3.

[flyingMoose]

One super regional pairing has been decided. The Columbus and Chapel Hill regionals began on Thursday since BYU participated in the Columbus regional. Georgia, the #6 seed, won at Chapel Hill, and #11 Ohio State won at Columbus.

[flyingMoose]

The Super Regional matchups are (tournament seedings in parentheses):

California at Florida(1)
Arizona(9) at Stanford(8 )
Baylor at Michigan(5)
Jacksonville State at Alabama(4)
Washington(3) at Georgia Tech(14)
Ohio State(11) at Georgia(6)
North Dakota State at Arizona State(10)
Missouri at UCLA(2)

Jacksonville State lost the first game of the Knoxville Regional before reeling off four straight wins, defeating Tennessee twice today.

Washington beats UMass in a 15-inning if necessary game to win the Amherst Regional.

North Dakota State, the fourth seed at the Norman Regional, wins the regional without a loss.

All six of the Pac10 teams in the tournament advance to the Super Regional weekend.

[Hovpen]

Ya got to love North Dakota State LOL. My daughter was offered and seriously thought about going there back when she was in HS but there was no direct stagecoach into town then. Then she found out that they played most of their games indoors.

[flyingMoose]

Super Regionals start today and run through Sunday.


Ohio State 4-6 Georgia

Ohio State had a three-run homer in the third to take a 4-0 lead, but Georgia scored five in the fifth to take the lead and go on to win.


Arizona 4-6 Stanford

Stanford scored all of their runs in the fifth, capped by a three-run homer, to take a 6-1 lead and then held on to win.


Up tomorrow are the completion of the two regionals above and the start of

Baylor at Michigan
Jacksonville State at Alabama and
North Dakota State at Arizona State.

[flyingMoose]

Jacksonville State 0-9(5) Alabama

Alabama used a no-hitter and a seven-run third inning to coast to a run-rule victory.


Georgia 7-6 Ohio State

OSU hits a grand slam in the first (the same girl hit a three-run shot in last night's game) and stretches their lead to 6-1 after three. But Georgia puts up a five-spot in the fifth (two homers in the inning) to take a 7-6 lead. They allow the first two Buckeyes to reach in the bottom of the seventh but close out the game with two strikeouts. Georgia wins the series 2-0 and advances to the WCWS for the first time.


North Dakota State 0-3 Arizona State

Hillary Bach, a teammate of Kasha on the 18U Gold Tulsa Eagles last summer, pitches a three-hitter for the Sun Devils.


Baylor 1-8 Michigan

Dorian Shaw hits three homers, driving in six runs in the Wolverine rout. Baylor used four pitchers including Derby product Shaina Brock, and Shaw touched up three of the four with her homers.


Stanford 3-7 Arizona

Some shaky Stanford defense, not all of which showed up in the error column, contributes to an Arizona victory. The series is now tied 1-1, and the deciding game follows immediately.

Arizona 6-5 Stanford

Arizona scores four early with a three-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the third. Lindsey Sisk, the least used of the three Wildcat pitchers this season, comes on in the bottom of the first to shutdown the Cardinal after they score two. Arizona adds two runs in the sixth, and Stanford counters with three, but Sisk strikes out the side in the seventh, finishing with a career-high fourteen strikeouts. Arizona wins the series 2-1 and advances to the WCWS.


California at Florida
Washington at Georgia Tech and
Missouri at UCLA all begin tomorrow.

[flyingMoose]

Alabama 9-0(5) Jacksonville State

Kelsie Dunn pitches another no-hitter against the Gamecocks, and Alabama advances to the WCWS with another run-rule victory.


Georgia Tech 1-7 Washington

Washington leads off their first with a homer and is in control the entire game, scoring four in the sixth.


Michigan 7-1 Baylor

Shaina Brock gets the start for Baylor but cannot make it out of the fourth as the Wolverines score four in the third and three in the fourth. Michigan takes the series 2-0 and advances to the WCWS.


Arizona State 11-0(5) North Dakota State

The clock strikes midnight for the Bison as defending champion Arizona State scores early and often, cruising to a berth in the WCWS.


California at Florida

Postponed. Doubleheader tomorrow.


Missouri 2-1 UCLA

Missouri scores in the second and third and survives a lead-off homer by UCLA in the seventh.

[ShockerFever]

Here's my gripe with softball.

You have a bunch of girls trying to act like a bunch of hot-shot major leaguers. And then I see wide angle view of the little league sized park and all I can do is laugh.

With that said, I hope the Shocker ladies make it to the World Series one of these years.

[flyingMoose]

Here's my gripe with softball.

You have a bunch of girls trying to act like a bunch of hot-shot major leaguers.

I know what you mean. Those bench-clearing brawls, getting tossed after two pitches - that stuff is getting old. And don't even get me started on how many of those girls are juiced.

[flyingMoose]

California 0-2 Florida

Florida gets a lead-off home run in the first and scratches out another run for the win. Stacey Nelson strikes out thirteen.

Florida 2-1 California

A two-run double is enough as Nelson comes on in relief for the win. She snuffed out the only Cal threat by starting a 1-5-3 double play. Florida advances to WCWS.


Washington 7-0 Georgia Tech

Washington score five in the first three innings and eases to a berth in the WCWS.


UCLA 5-2 Missouri

UCLA breaks the game open with three in the fifth to force a deciding third game. Missouri has a two-run homer in the seventh but can get no closer.

UCLA 1-9(5) Missouri

A walk-off homer advances Missouri to WCWS for the first time. UCLA tried three pitchers, none of whom were effective. The Missouri pitcher's first appearance in the Super Regional is a start and a win.


The WCWS begins Thursday with the following first round matchups:

Bracket 1

Georgia v Washington
Missouri v Arizona State

Bracket 2

Arizona v Florida
Michigan v Alabama