OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Emma Clarke’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted Tennessee to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Texas Tech in a winner’s bracket game on Saturday at the Women’s College World Series.

Clarke’s homer to deep center field, combined with some excellent defense and stellar pitching from the Lady Vols’ All-America pitchers, sent Tennessee to the national semifinals with a 2-0 record. No. 7 seed Tennessee (49-10) will play either Texas or Nebraska on Monday with the chance to advance to the championship series. Texas and Nebraska meet in an elimination game on Sunday.

Eleventh-seeded Texas Tech (58-8) will play UCLA on Sunday in an elimination game.

Tennessee starting pitcher Karlyn Pickens took a shutout and a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning. Taylor Pannell, a transfer from Tennessee, scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly from pinch hitter Desirae Spearman. Pannell was originally called out at home on the throw from center fielder Sophia Knight, but video replay showed that catcher Elsa Morrison missed the tag.

Sage Mardjetko (16-2) relieved and walked the first batter to load the bases. The inning ended on a diving catch by left fielder Alannah Leach.

In the fifth, Tennessee’s Taelyn Holley homered to left field on a one-strike pitch from NiJaree Canady for the game’s first run.

Tennessee’s Knight made the defensive play of the game in the sixth inning. After Mia Williams doubled with one out, Mihyia Davis singled up the middle and Knight threw out Williams at home with a perfect one-hop throw to Morrison.

Kaitlyn Terry (24-2) gave up Clarke’s home run.

Thirty-six of the 42 national champions at the WCWS started off 2-0.

ALABAMA 2, NEBRASKA 0

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Marlie Giles homered and drove in four runs, Jocelyn Briski threw a complete-game one-hitter, and top-seeded Alabama ended Nebraska’s 27-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory on Saturday to improve to 2-0 at the Women’s College World Series.

Briski (25-3), the SEC Pitcher of the Year, struck out six with no walks. It was Alabama’s fourth one-hitter in seven NCAA Tournament games this season.

Alabama (56-7) advances to the national semifinals with a 2-0 record. The Crimson Tide will play either UCLA or Texas Tech on Monday with the chance to advance to the championship series. The Bruins and Red Raiders play an elimination game on Sunday.

Fourth-seeded Nebraska (52-7) faces Texas in the other elimination game on Sunday. The winner of that game will advance to play Tennessee on Monday.

Giles homered off Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm with two outs in the first inning, staking Alabama to an early 3-0 lead. Giles’ sacrifice fly in the third inning off of Alexis Jensen made it 4-0.

Briski retired the first 11 batters before Hannah Camenzind homered to center field with two outs in the fourth.

Alabama leadoff hitter Jena Young delivered an RBI-single in the fourth, extending her on-base streak to seven in a row — all of her at-bats in the World Series. She was 2 for 2 and walked once on Saturday.

Frahm (27-5), the 2025 and 2026 NFCA National Player of the Year, gave up three hits and three runs in two full innings.

Alabama, with 16 WCWS appearances this century, won its only championship in 2012.

Nebraska, in the WCWS for the 10th time, is seeking its first national championship.

UCLA 11, ARKANSAS 0

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Megan Grant hit her NCAA single-season record 42nd home run in a nine-run second inning and UCLA routed Arkansas 11-0 in five innings on Friday night in an elimination game of the Women’s College World Series.

In addition to Grant’s three-run home run, Aleena Garcia hit the first pitch of the inning for a home run and Soo-Jin Berry went deep for three runs. Kaniya Bragg drove in two runs with a double and every batter in UCLA’s lineup scored a run in the inning.

Jolyna Lamar hit a leadoff home run in the fifth inning.

The Bruins extended their Division I single-season records for runs, home runs, RBIs, total bases and extra base hits.

Eighth-seeded UCLA (53-9) advances to another elimination game Sunday against the loser between Texas Tech and Tennessee, who face off Saturday in the winner’s bracket.

Fifth-seeded Arkansas (47-13), playing in the WCWS for the first time, was eliminated after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Taylor Tinsley (33-7) allowed three hits, struck out two and walked two in the five-inning win.

Payton Burnham (14-4) allowed four runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Grant’s 91st career home run broke the 24-year-old UCLA record of Stacey Nuveman. Grant’s 68 home runs in the past two seasons ties the all-time Division I record.

It was UCLA’s largest margin of victory in a shutout at the WCWS after 150 games.

TEXAS 4,

MISSISSIPPI ST. 0

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Teagan Kavan pitched a complete-game four-hitter, Kaiah Altmeyer and Kayden Henry each belted a home run, and defending-champion Texas defeated Mississippi State 4-0 on Friday to stay alive at the Women’s College World Series.

Kavan (26-6), who was the losing pitcher in the Longhorns’ 6-3 loss to Tennessee on Thursday, returned to the form that led Texas to the WCWS title in 2025. On Friday, she threw only 78 pitches with two strikeouts and no walks.

Second-seeded Texas (48-12) advances to another elimination game on Sunday against the loser between Alabama and Nebraska, which face off in the winner’s bracket on Saturday. Unseeded Mississippi State (43-21), playing in the WCWS for the first time, was eliminated after back-to-back shutout losses.

Altmeyer’s home run, her first of the season, gave Texas a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Henry’s home run to right field was her 13th hit of the postseason, eight of them for extra bases. Henry’s third-inning double to left field missed clearing the wall by just a couple of feet.

Texas also lost its opening game in the super regional against Arizona State and it took a two-run pinch-hit home run by Victoria Hunter to force a Game 3. The Longhorns then advanced with a 5-0 win in the decisive game. If the Longhorns reach the championship series, they would be trying to become the fifth team to win the title after losing their opening game.

Mississippi State starter Delainey Everett (3-2) pitched through the fourth, allowing Altmeyer’s home run and just two other hits. She was the winning pitcher in both of the Bulldogs’ wins in the super regional against Oklahoma, Game 1 in relief and Game 3 with a complete-game shutout. She missed much of the season with a shoulder injury and pitched only 20 innings prior to Friday.

Xiane Romero had three hits for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State faced the two teams from the 2025 championship series — Texas and Texas Tech.