Summing up the NCAA softball tournament so far.

[Plainosooner]

The left side of the bracket has four series. Two don't start until tomorrow, one is already done. One had an incredible game today.

UTenn already won two out of three against Florida State. The Vols were seeded eighth ahead of FSU's ninth, despite being fifth in the SEC regular season. They got that after winning the post season tournament. They came from 2-0 down Thursday night to win 3-2 in game one. FSU won game two Friday afternoon 6-1. UTenn won to go to the WCWS Friday night

Their higher seeding helped them in the two games they won by a run as designated home team. FSU won easily in game two.

They will play the winner of top ranked Florida vs SEC's Kentucky, who played in the weakest regional in the country last weekend, despite being 12th in the 13 team SEC softball standings. Florida is the top ranked team in the tournament. UF vs Kentucky starts Saturday.

The other two series in the left side of the bracket are ULaLa at Auburn, which started tonight and Arizona at LSU which starts tomorrow. Auburn trailed Louisiana-Lafayette 10-5 into B7 tonight, but rallied for 5 runs on a bunch of walks to tie the game, and a rare ruling, then after giving up a run in the top of the 8th, scored two in the bottom half to win 12-11.

The winners of those two series will play the first round in OKC.

In the right side of the bracket, Michigan swept Georgia in Ann Arbor. The first game was a near run rule. Game two Michigan led easily most of the game, but gave up a two run homer in B7 that cut it to 7-6. But they went back to the pitcher that started the game but was pulled early. She closed it out. Michigan is going to OKC and will play the winner of the OU-Bama series in their opening game. They are the three seed.

The other two series in the right side, are UCLA-Mizzou, which doesn't start until Saturday night, and Oregon hosting NC State. The latter played in by far the weakest region of the 16 played last week. The host was James Madison, the only seeded team that didn't make even the regional finals. NC State beat Fordham to advance. Those two winners will face each other in their opening game in Oklahoma City next weekend.

All the series this weekend start with one game on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, followed by a potential double header the following day. Win two to advance. All play all three games at the home field of the higher seed.

All games of the Women's College World Series are played in Oklahoma City.

 

[Plainosooner]

One other thing. If the Sooners beat Bama and the other higher seeds all win, then the left side of the bracket will have four SEC teams in the left side and four non SEC teams on the right.

I guess the powers that be, wanted to be sure and SEC team made the finals.

 

[sybarite]

The Auburn finish was a giveaway more than a win. Louisiana-Lafayette walked seven straight batters with a 10-5 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. With the score 10-5 and the bases loaded, La-Laf walked in five straight runs. One was a rather home-cooking kind of call. Louisiana-Lafayette changed pitchers with a 2-0 count and a 10-8 lead. After the warmups (seven allowed), the Louisiana-Lafayette coach was talking to the umpire. The new pitcher tossed a couple of balls over to the third baseman. Th umpire said those were balls, walking in the ninth run without throwing a pitch at the plate. Of the five walks with the bases loaded, only one had a two-strike count, and the last pitch was a 50/50 call that went to Auburn.
I think Louisiana-Lafayette walked seventeen hitters. They just flat gave the game to Auburn.

This occurs a week after Tennessee dropped a pop fly to left that would have ended the game with a Tennessee win. It was just a simple drop of a very simple pop out by an outfielder who had been inserted for defensive purposes. So, Auburn has now won two straight by being given the game.

 

[Plainosooner]

The think about ULaLa getting a tough call or two in the strike zone, it's kind of poetic. Because they get more home cooking than anybody in college softball. In game two, it's 2-2 and ULaLa has hit into four double plays already. So Auburn is doing something right.

Florida is pounding Kentucky in game one in Gainesville, early.