Live Updates: Alabama Softball vs. Arizona at the Women's College World Series
OKLAHOMA CITY— It's championship time for Alabama softball, and BamaCentral has you covered with all the action from the Women's College World Series.
The Crimson Tide opens up play in Oklahoma City against the Arizona Wildcats. The Cats are led by the winningest coach in college softball history Mike Candrea.
The two teams met up the last time the WCWS was played in 2019 with Alabama coming out on top 2-0 behind a shutout performance from Montana Fouts. In 14 career innings against Arizona, Fouts has given up zero earned runs.
Alabama (50-7) is coming into the World Series on a 18-game win streak all the way through the end of the regular season, the SEC Tournament, the regionals and the super regionals against Kentucky last weekend.
Arizona (41-13) defeated two of Alabama's conference counterparts, Ole Miss and Arkansas, in the regional and super regional respectively to reach Oklahoma City.
Both teams have the upperclassmen depth and experience to make a deep run in the tournament, but one team will start the week out in the loser's bracket.
There has already been a major upset on day one of the WCWS. In the first game of the series, unseeded James Madison beat the top overall seed Oklahoma 4-3 in extra innings. No. 5 Oklahoma State took care of business against unseeded Georgia 3-2.
Alabama begins its championship quest at 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. Stay here for live updates.
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Here are the starting lineups:
No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (50-7)
1. Alexis Mack- CF
2. Bailey Hemphill- C
3. Kaylee Tow- 1B
4. Jenna Johnson- DP
5. KB Sides- RF
6. Savannah Woodard- 2B
7. Maddie Morgan- 3B
8. Taylor Clark- SS
9. Elissa Brown
P- Montana Fouts
No. 11 Arizona Wildcats (41-13)
1. Janelle Meono- LF
2. Reyna Carranco- 2B
3. Jessie Harper- SS
4. Dejah Mulipola- C
5. Sharlize Palacios- DP
6. Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza- CF
7. Carlie Scupin- 1B
8. Malia Martinez- 3B
9. Isabella Dayton- RF
P- Hanah Bowen
LIVE UPDATES:
TOP of 1- Arizona batting
- Meono grounds out to Taylor Clark to start the game. One out.
- Carranco strikes out swinging for Fouts' first strikeout of the game. Two outs.
- Another swining strikeout on the rise ball, this time from Harper. Three up, three down for the Wildcats in the top of the first.
- MID 1- Alabama 0, Arizona 0
BOTTOM of 1- Alabama batting
- Mack lays down a bunt on the first pitch she sees but is thrown out at first. One out.
- Hemphill takes a five-pitch walk. Runner on first with one out for Alabama.
- Tow battles through an 11-pitch at-bat to draw a walk. Two runners on for the Crimson Tide with one out.
- Johnson singles through the right side. Hemphill advances home on a fielding error in left field for Arizona. Alabama grabs the early lead 1-0.
- Sides flies out deep to the warning track in left field. Two outs, runners still on first and second.
- Woodard strikes out swinging to end the inning for Alabama.
- Alabama gets on the board first, but leaves two runners on base.
- END 1- Alabama 1, Arizona 0
TOP of 2- Arizona batting
- Mulipola becomes Fouts' third straight strikeout victim for the first out of the second.
- Palacios strikes out swinging. Fourth strikeout in a row for Fouts. Two outs.
- Make it five in a row retired via the strikeout as Palomino-Cardoza goes down swinging. Side retired.
- MID 2- Alabama 1, Arizona 0
BOTTOM of 2- Alabama batting
- Morgan grounds it right back to the pitcher. One out.
- Clark strikes out swinging. Two outs.
- Brown grounds out to end the inning. Three up, three down for the Tide in the second.
- END 2- Alabama 1, Arizona 0
TOP of 3- Arizona batting
- Scupin strikes out and is the sixth straight Wildcat batter to do so. One out.
- Martinez goes down swinging. Seventh strikeout in a row for Fouts. Two outs.
- Dayton becomes the eighth straight Arizona batter to strikeout. Fouts is on fire. Side retired.
- MID 3- Alabama 1, Arizona 0
BOTTOM of 3- Alabama batting
- Mack grounds out to short on the first pitch for the first out.
- Solo home run right inside the left field foul pole for Bailey Hemphill. 2-0 Alabama.
- Tow singles through the left side. One on with one out for Alabama.
- Johnson goes down swinging. Two outs.
- Sides flies out to left field again to end the inning.
- Alabama adds one more with the Hemphill home run.
- END 3- Alabama 2, Arizona 0
TOP of 4- Arizona batting
- Meono chops one over Morgan's head at third for the first Arizona hit of the game. The hit also ends Fouts' strikeout streak.
- Carranco appears to reach on an infield single, but is called out at the plate for stepping out of the box. One out.
- Taylor Clark turns the unassisted double play from a ball off the bat of Harper. Alabama still faces the minimum.
- MID 4- Alabama 2, Arizona 0
BOTTOM of 4- Alabama batting
- Woodard flies out in foul territory. One out
- Morgan singles to right field on the first pitch she sees. Kat Grill in to pinch run for Morgan.
- Clark lays down a sacrifice bunt to send Grill to second with two outs.
- KJ Haney in to pinch hit for Elissa Brown with two outs and a runner in scoring position.
- Haney flies out to right field. Inning over for Alabama.
- END 4- Alabama 2, Arizona 0
TOP of 5- Arizona batting
- Mulipola strikes out swinging for the second time. One out.
- Palacios goes down swinging. Fouts' tenth strikeout of the day. Two outs in the inning.
- Palomino-Cardoza looks at a called third strike. For the third time in the game, Fouts strikes out the side in an inning.
- MID 5- Alabama 2, Arizona 0
BOTTOM of 5- Alabama batting
- Alyssa Denham in to pitch for Arizona.
- Mack called out for stepping out of the box. One out.
- Hemphill pops out to shallow center. Two outs.
- Tow grounds out to first. Alabama goes down in order.
- END 5- Alabama 2, Arizona 0
TOP of 6- Arizona batting
- Scupin strikes out swinging for the second time. One out for the Wildcats.
- This isn't déja vu, Fouts is just this good so far today. Martinez strikes out swinging. Two down for Arizona.
- Dayton strikes out swining. Fouts is up to 14 strikeouts on the game.
- MID 6- Alabama 2, Arizona 0
BOTTOM of 6- Alabama batting
- Johnson grounds out to the shortstop on the first pitch.
- Sides strikes out swinging.
- Woodard lines a two-out single to left field.
- Morgan hits a double to the left-center gap that rolls to the wall. Woodard scores from first to make it 3-0 Alabama.
- Abby Doerr hits a two-run pinch hit home run to give Alabama a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth.
- Brown grounds out to end the inning.
- Alabama adds three insurance runs in the sixth, all with two outs. Arizona down to its final three outs.
- END 5- Alabama 5, Arizona 0
TOP of 7- Arizona batting
- Meono grounds out to Clark. One down for Arizona.
- Carranco strikes out on a check swing. Two down, the Wildcats down to their final out.
- Harper homers to left center to end the shutout bid for Fouts. Alabama still up 5-1 in the seventh.
- Mulipola strikes out looking to end the game. Alabama advances to the winners bracket and will take on the winner of UCLA/Florida State.
- END 7- Alabama 5, Arizona 1
