2017 Women’s College World Series Day 3 Recap
Saturday brought day three of competition at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. Elimination day kicked off with Texas A&M vs. UCLA with the losing team being the first to exit the tournament. A total of four teams were eliminated on the day. Below are the recaps from Saturday’s Loser Bracket action.
Game 7: Bruins Move On, Aggies First to Say Goodbye
UCLA got on the board in the first inning after a solo shot to center by Kylee Perez. In the top of the second with two outs, Delaney Spaulding punched a bases-loaded single to right field scoring two runs, extending the Bruin lead to 3-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Aggie third baseman Riley Sartain blasted a solo home run to center cutting the lead down to 3-1. The UCLA offense took full control of the game in the top of the fifth inning after plating five runs extending their lead to 8-1. The Aggies recorded another run in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run from Celena Massey. Massey, a senior, had a total of eight at-bats during the entire 2017 season. The final score of the contest was 8-2 with UCLA coming out on top. With the win, the Bruins move on and will face Washington in Saturday’s survival night game.
Goosebumps. #WCWS
In her first at-bat in OKC, Celena Massey blasted a homer for @AggieSoftball! pic.twitter.com/A7Xa9wFKQN
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 3, 2017
Game 8: Oregon Defeats Baylor to Stay Alive
In the second elimination game of the day, Oregon struck first in the top of the second inning on a wild pitch. Jenna Lilley extended the lead in the same inning by roping a RBI double off the right field wall. After a one hour and 14-minute rain delay, the teams got back onto the field. Oregon’s Mia Camuso delivered a two-out double plating two more runs in the top of the third. Oregon pushed across another run in the top of the fifth extending the lead to 5-0. Miranda Elish got the nod for the Ducks in the circle, the freshman didn’t give up a hit until the bottom of the fifth when Sydney Christensen broke the streak. Baylor got some offensive momentum shortly after the first hit was recorded. The Bears pushed four runs across in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the Duck lead to 5-4. The Ducks responded with two insurance runs of their own in the top of the seventh pushing their lead to 7-4. Baylor loaded the bases with no outs recorded in the bottom of the seventh on Oregon’s Maggie Balint. Banlint replaced Elish in the fifth and was relieved by sophomore Megan Kleist who took care of all three batters herself to secure the win. Oregon moves on and will face LSU in Saturday’s final elimination game.
All smiles from Jenna Lilley as she belts a double to bring around the second Oregon run! #WCWS pic.twitter.com/0HIh0Qo5IP
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 3, 2017
Game 9: Washington Gets Past UCLA by Solo-Homerun
Game three of elimination Saturday between the Bruins and the Huskies was dominated early by pitching and defense. The Huskies put runners on in several innings but a few base-running mishaps prohibited them from putting runs on the board. The first run of the game came in the top of the sixth inning on a monster solo-homerun by the Huskies lead-off hitter Ali Aguilar. It was just enough for the Huskies and starting pitcher Taran Alvelo to earn the win and advance. Alvelo tossed all 7.0 innings for the Huskies surrendering just two this and notching seven strikeouts. Rachel Garcia for the Bruins pitched a gem and kept UCLA in the game all the way until the end. Garcia threw all 7.0 innings, issued one walk and struck out seven. Washington will move on and face Florida on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT. The Huskies will need to beat the Gators twice on Sunday in order to reach the Championship series which will begin on Monday.
Ali Aguilar's home run in the 6th was the difference in @UWSoftball's 1-0 victory over UCLA! #WCWS pic.twitter.com/BGAdFWW5zS
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 4, 2017
Game 10: The Ducks Fly Past the Tigers After 4-1 Victory
Oregon wasted no time on offense, the Ducks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after a home run by Gwen Svekis in the bottom of the first inning. LSU’s Shemiah Sanchez cut the lead in half in the top of the second frame on a towering solo shot that landed in the left-field bleachers. In the bottom of the third, Nikki Udria scored Alexis Mack on a ground ball single punched through the 3-4 hole. Carley Hoover entered the game in relief for the Tigers with two outs in the bottom of the third with bases loaded. Hoover got the defense off the field with no further damage done. Oregon plated another run in the bottom of the fifth extending their lead to 4-1 and that is where the score would remain. Megan Kleist went the distance for the Ducks in the circle. The sophomore tossed all 7.0 innings scattered five hits and recorded nine strikeouts- just her second game of the season tallying more than seven in an outing. Oregon moves on to play Oklahoma on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The Ducks will need to beat the Sooners twice on Sunday in order to reach the Championship series beginning Monday.
Fly, Ducks, Fly! @OregonSB advances to the #WCWS semifinals with a win over LSU! pic.twitter.com/ltwsSF0LMb
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 4, 2017
