31-05-2025
Women's College World Series: Tennessee blows out Florida, Oregon takes out Ole Miss in extras
The Women's College World Series continued on Friday with the second day of action. (Brett Rojo-Imagn Images)
As the Women's College World Series continues, so do the upsets. No. 7 Tennessee dispatched No. 3 Florida with a dominant 11-3 win in five innings, staying alive in the tournament and sending the Gators home early.
No. 16 Oregon then ended Ole Miss' season in extra innings, ending the game on a much-feared shrimp (a walk-off walk). The Volunteers and Ducks will advance to face each other on Sunday.
Tennessee mercy rules Ole Miss
Tennessee shook off a tough 4-3 loss to defending champs Oklahoma on Thursday to get the big win over Florida. The Lady Vols began the game red-hot, notching seven runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead.
Tennessee later took its lead to 9-0 off back-to-back solo homers from catcher Sophia Nugent and first baseman McKenna Gibson in the second inning. Florida switched pitchers twice in the first two innings to try and stave off Tennessee's run, but the damage was done. Another run for the Lady Vols came in the third inning off a muffed Florida catch.
Advertisement
But then the Gators came alive, getting back-to-back home runs of their own in the fourth inning. First baseman Reagan Walsh's two-run bomb and left fielder Korbe Otis' solo homer cut into Tennessee's deficit.
For a moment, Florida kept the run rule — an eight-run mercy rule — at bay. But the Lady Vols picked up another run in the fourth inning off outfielder Alannah Leach's fourth RBI of the game to keep the Gators sweating heading into the fifth inning.
Tennessee made quick work of Florida in the fifth and final inning, getting three outs off four batters to secure the eight-run win. On Sunday, the Lady Vols will now face off against the loser of Texas Tech vs. UCLA, which takes place on Saturday.
Advertisement
Florida, who lost to Texas on Thursday, will now be the first to head home.
Oregon outlasts Ole Miss in extras, on walk-off walk
Friday's second game turned the whole night into a game of "Would you rather?"
Specifically, would you rather your season end by getting mercy-ruled or on a bases-loaded walk, in the 10th inning. Ole Miss experienced the latter against Oregon.
The Rebels nearly had a dramatic comeback win in hand when they rallied in the seventh inning, tying the game after entering the frame down 5-2.
Once it reached extras, the game developed into a late-night war of attrition. The player who did not budge was Oregon starting pitcher Lyndsey Grein, who threw 9 1/3 innings on 144 pitches despite blowing the lead in the seventh.
Advertisement
Unfortunately, the ignominy fell on Ole Miss star Aliyah Binford, who took over on the mound in the fifth inning and kept Oregon scoreless from the sixth inning on, until she ran into some trouble in the 10th inning. Binford is a senior, and her career ended on the bases-loaded walk.
