WCWS Day Two: Recap
Courtesy of NFCA – Brian Stanley
OKLAHOMA CITY– In front of a record 9,820 fans, UCLA and Oklahoma are in the driver’s seat after posting wins on day two of the 2019 Women’s College World Series with victories on Friday at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium/OGE Energy Field.
The Bruins (53-6) knocked off Pac-12 rival Arizona, 6-2, while the Sooners (56-3) defeated Oklahoma State, 6-1, in Bedlam at the WCWS. Those two squads earned a day off and will return to action on Sunday, June 2.
Elimination Saturday begins at noon ET with Washington (50-8) and Minnesota (46-13), followed by Florida (49-17) and Alabama (57-9) at 2:30 p.m. ET. The winner of those two games will face off against Sooners (45-16) and Wildcats (48-13), respectively.
GAME ONE: #2 UCLA 6, #6 Arizona 2
Malia Quarles pinch-hit home run in the top of the sixth broke a 1-1 deadlock and Rachel Garcia went the distance as UCLA defeated Arizona, 6-2.
Garcia (26-1) allowed just four hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter in her second straight complete game of the WCWS. She also went 1-for-1 at the plate with a walk, hit-by-pitch and RBI.
The teams traded runs in the third inning. The Bruins loaded the bases with one out and Garcia hit a liner to right, but an outstanding diving catch by Hannah Martinez limited UCLA to just a sac fly and a 1-0 lead. Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza quickly even the contest at 1-1 with a solo homer to rightfield. She is the first player this season to home in regional, super regionals and the WCWS.
Following Quarles long ball, a four-run seventh gave Garcia some breathing room. Aaliyah Jordan’s RBI double and Brianna Tautalafua’s sac fly extended UCLA’s lead to 4-1. A two-out dropped fly ball in leftfield added two more runs for the Bruins and pushed their margin to 6-1.
Palomino-Cardoza left the yard for the second time with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to make the final margin, 6-2.
Taylor McQuillin suffered the defeat in 6.2 innings of work. She surrendered six runs, three earned, on six hits with five punchouts and five walks.
GAME TWO: #1 Oklahoma 6, #13 Oklahoma State 1
Victor Anderson of In the Circle Podcast
On a night which saw Bedlam take center stage, it was Jocelyn Alo who claimed a bigger spotlight even when the actual lights went out. Her three RBIs paced the Sooners 6-1 over their rivals from Stillwater.
OU wasted little time jumping on the Cowgirls’ Samantha Show with a three-run first inning. Oklahoma State rallied for a run, but couldn’t get any closer.
Apparently the atmosphere and tension was too electric as the right field light tower went out in the fifth inning causing a 17 minute delay. It could only delay the the inevitable as the Sooners used their patience and displine to plate three more runs in the 6th.
Giselle “G” Juarez again was lights out (figuratively) striking out 11 Cowgirls through six innings of work. 10 of those came versus the last 13 hitters she faced.
