Amanda Locke hit a tiebreaking home run in the top of the sixth inning, Jackie Traina threw a three-hitter and second-seeded Alabama beat defending champion Arizona State 2-1 Friday night in the winners' bracket at the Women's College World Series.
Locke drilled a full-count pitch from Dallas Escobedo into the center-field bleachers to break a 1-1 tie in the sixth, and Traina struck out 11 to put the Crimson Tide (57-7) one win away from the finals for the second straight year.
Traina (39-2) hadn't given up a hit until Sam Parlich grounded an RBI single into right field, bring in Amber Freeman -- who had reached via a walk -- to put the Sun Devils up 1-0 in the fourth inning.
Alabama answered right back with Jennifer Fenton's RBI single in the fifth that drove in Courtney Conley.
Escobedo (24-7) struck out nine in the loss for the Sun Devils, who managed just three hits for the second straight night and stranded the potential tying run on second base in the seventh.
"Just one pitch changes the game," Escobedo said. "I'm not too upset
about it. I'm excited that we're still in it and we can still go strong
tomorrow."
ASU (52-10) moves into the loser's bracket and will play Saturday at 4 p.m. Arizona time against LSU, which beat South Florida 1-0 in an elimination game.
"We're not dead," Arizona State coach Clint Myers said. "We just didn't play well."
Fourth-seeded Oklahoma won the other winners' bracket game Friday night, beating top-seeded California 3-0, and will next play the winner of the elimination game between Tennessee and Oregon.
