OKLAHOMA CITY – Hannah Rogers threw a four-hitter to help Florida defeat Alabama 5-0 in Game 1 of the best-of-three softball national championship series Monday night.
Rogers had a perfect game through four innings and a one-hitter going into the bottom of the seventh in the matchup of Southeastern Conference rivals.
Florida (54-12) now is just one win from its first national title after runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2011. Game 2 will be played today.
Jackie Traina got the loss for Alabama (53-12). She gave up five runs in 6 1/3 innings after having allowed just one earned run in her first three games during the World Series.
The Crimson Tide hadn’t been shut out since Feb. 16.
Aubree Munro got the Gators going with a solo homer to left-center field in the third inning. It was her third of the season.
In the top of the fifth, Florida got it going with two outs. Leadoff hitter Kelsey Stewart had a bunt single, then Kirsti Merritt doubled to left center to score Stewart. Stephanie Tofft singled to score Merritt and push Florida’s lead to 3-0.
Alabama’s Kaila Hunt broke up Rogers’ perfect game with a single in the bottom of the fifth, but the Crimson Tide couldn’t score after getting a runner to second.
Florida got two insurance runs in the top of the seventh. A sacrifice fly by Tofft scored Stewart, then Lauren Haeger’s RBI double scored Merritt.
BASEBALL REGIONALS
Houston 12, LSU 2
BATON ROUGE, La. — Connor Hollis had a two-run double to highlight a seven-run third inning to help Houston win baseball’s Baton Rouge regional.
The Cougars (48-16) advance to take on Texas in the super regionals. The host is to be determined.
Hollis greeted LSU reliever Brady Domangue with a two-run double to make it 5-2 and Ashford Fulmer followed with an RBI single to make it 6-2. After Domangue intentionally walked Kyle Survance, Michael Pyeatt followed with a two-run single make it 8-2. A sacrifice fly by Ratcliff capped the inning.
LSU (46-16-1) jumped out to 2-0 in the first on Sean McMullen’s two-run single.
Jared Robinson (5-1) worked 6 1/3 innings of relief for Houston. Parker Bugg (2-2) allowed four runs in 2 1/3 innings for LSU.
Stanford 5, Indiana 4
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Tommy Edman hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to lift Stanford over Indiana in the championship game of the Bloomington regional.
Stanford (34-24) plays at Vanderbilt in the super regional.
Wayne Taylor started the ninth with a single through the middle and moved to second on Brett Michael Doran’s bunt before Edman’s blast.
Indiana’s Nick Ramos broke a 3-3 tie with an infield single in the top of the eighth. Craig Dedelow had three hits, including an RBI single for the Hoosiers (44-15). Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer in the third.
Stanford answered with run-scoring singles by Alex Blandino and Zach Hoffpauir in the bottom of the third. Dominic Jose tied the game with a solo homer in the sixth.
UC Irvine 4, Oregon State 2
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Grant Palmer singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and UC Irvine went on to upset No. 1 national seed Oregon State to win the NCAA Corvallis regional.
The Anteaters (38-23) advance to the super regional round for the fourth time in school history, and will face Oklahoma State.
UC Irvine took the lead with two runs on three hits in the sixth. Palmer singled home Chris Rabago and Adam Alcantara was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The Anteaters added a run in the seventh.
Evan Manarino (4-3) allowed one run on two hits in 3 1/3 innings of relief for UC Irvine.
Jake Thompson (3-2) gave up three runs on four hits in the loss for the Beavers (45-14).
Louisiana-Lafayette 5, Mississippi State 3
LAFAYETTE, La. — Ryan Wilson and Matt Plitt combined on a six-hitter and Louisiana-Lafayette beat Mississippi State to advance to the NCAA super regionals for the first time since its last and only College World Series appearance in 2000.
Wilson (6-0) allowed four hits and three runs and 6 2-3 innings and Plitt allowed only two hits over a scoreless final 2 1/3 innings for his fifth save for ULL (57-8).
Louisiana-Lafayette advances to play Mississippi, winner of the Oxford regional, at a best-of-three super regional in Lafayette.
Mississippi State (39-24) got to within a run with RBI singles by C.T. Bradford and Brett Pirtle to make it 4-3 in the seventh.
ULL added an insurance run in the ninth on Blake Trahan’s RBI single.
Texas 4, Texas A&M 1
HOUSTON — Chad Hollingsworth pitched a two-hitter, C.J. Hinojosa had three hits and Texas beat Texas A&M to win the Houston Regional.
Hollingsworth (3-0), making his first start this season, struck out three to send the Longhorns (41-19) to their first Super Regional since 2011. Texas will next face the winner of the Baton Rouge Regional.
Madison Carter, who had singled to start the fourth, scored on an error to give the Longhorns a 2-1 lead.
Hinojosa extended Texas’ lead to 3-1 with an RBI double in the seventh, and Collin Shaw followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in Carter.
Cole Lankford put the Aggies (36-26) ahead 1-0 in the top of the first with a sacrifice fly.
Tres Barrera tied it in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single off Corey Ray (6-1).
Mississippi 3, Washington 2, 10 innings
OXFORD, Miss. — Sikes Orvis hit a run-scoring triple in the top of the 10th inning to push Mississippi past Washington in the championship game of the Oxford Regional.
Ole Miss (44-18) will either travel to Louisiana-Lafayette or host Mississippi State in the Super Regional round this weekend.
Washington (41-17-1) threw five pitchers in the game. Alex Nesbitt (0-1) took the loss.
Ole Miss scored first when freshman Colby Bortles hit a solo homer in the second. Washington responded with a run on Branden Berry’s single in the third and then pulled ahead 2-1 on Brian Wolfe’s sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Bortles doubled home a run in the sixth to tie the game 2-2.
Scott Weathersby (2-1) earned the win for Ole Miss.
College of Charleston 4, Long Beach State 2
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Morgan Phillips’ sacrifice fly drove in Ryan Welke with the tiebreaking run in the fourth inning and College of Charleston beat Long Beach State to win the Gainesville Regional.
The Cougars (44-17) advanced to the Super Regionals and will next face Texas Tech.
Long Beach State (34-26), which beat North Carolina 12-5 in a condensed game earlier in the day, took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Richard Prigatano’s RBI double and Johnny Bekakis’ run-scoring infield single.
Charleston tied it in the third when Blake Butler scored on a throwing error by Michael Hill.