Women’s College World Series opening day highlights

The GIST: Yesterday’s Women’s College World Series (WCWS) opening day brought plenty of drama to the diamond, complete with a pitchers’ duel, another broken attendance record, and, unfortunately, a multitude of weather delays. OKC never disappoints.

Day one recap: After taking arguably one of the easiest paths to the WCWS, No. 5 Alabama stumbled hard in the tourney’s opener, narrowly avoiding being run-ruled by No. 4 Tennessee, who won 10–5. The Vols posted their highest scoring WCWS game in program history, but they never had to face Bama’s star pitcher Montana Fouts.

• Next up, No. 9 Stanford sent their Freshman of the Year ace NiJaree Canady to the circle, and she nearly silenced the powerful No. 1 Oklahoma bats. One bad fifth-inning pitch and one error were all the Sooners needed to plate the game’s only two runs and secure the pitchers’ duel dub.

• In another shutout, No. 3 Florida State run-ruled No. 6 Oklahoma State 8–0 in a meteorological two-parter which featured a suicide squeeze and, of course, a masterpiece from ’Noles pitcher Kat Sandercock.

Up next: Though we were promised four games yesterday, the weather had other plans, moving No. 15 Utah vs. No. 7 Washington to ESPN2 today at 1 p.m. ET. After that, the regularly scheduled win-or-go-home Friday action takes place, with No. 5 Bama vs. No. 9 Stanford (and, hopefully, a Fouts and Canady battle in the circle) at 7 p.m. ET, before No. 6 Oklahoma State faces the loser of yesterday’s rescheduled nightcap, both on ESPN.

• Tomorrow is reserved for the victors, starting with the surging Vols facing the Goliath of two-time defending champs Oklahoma at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, followed by Florida State against the winner of Utah vs. Washington on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET. How lucky are we?