Alabama’s unforgettable win over UCLA instantly wipes away brutal WCWS streak

It was never going to be easy.

UCLA's offense was too potent for even an elite pitcher like Jocelyn Briski to completely avoid adversity.

But Alabama responded to the adversity, coming from 3-1 down to score the game's final five runs to earn a 6-3 win over the national title favorites. It was just the second win in 15 tries against the powerhouse Bruins. It also broke a brutal Women's College World Series streak for Patrick Murphy.

Prior to Thursday night, Alabama had lost 13 straight games in the WCWS in which it trailed by multiple runs. The rally against UCLA was a microcosm of how different this Crimson Tide team is from any in recent seasons.

Jocelyn Briski, Brooke Wells come up huge in Alabama's 6-3 win over UCLA in the WCWS

A Marlie Giles RBI single in the 1st inning gave Alabama a 1-0 lead, but adversity struck for Briski in the 3rd inning. After mowing through the first six hitters with ease and with one strike away from ending the third inning, a questionable call went against the Tide on a pitch at the knees of Rylee Slimp. A couple of pitches later, she smacked a two-run homer to center to give UCLA a 2-1 lead.

One batter later, Megan Gant went back-to-back with her NCAA-leading 41st homer to push UCLA's lead to 3-1.

Alabama looked in dire straits, with an offense that was not taking advantage of opportunities and consistently leaving runners in scoring position. And then, just as she has done so often in the postseason, Alexis Pupillo came through in the 5th. The senior tied the game with a two-run homer to breathe new life into the Crimson Tide.

In the 6th, with the game tied at three, Kristen White and Jena Young reached on infield singles to put Brooke Wells at the plate in a clutch spot. Wells went 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in the Supers against LSU, limping into OKC in her worst slump of the season. But Wells has consistently been Alabama's biggest threat at the plate, and in the biggest moment of the season, she came up huge.

Wells drove a 1-1 pitch into the bleachers in right center field to push Alabama ahead 6-3.

Briski shut the door from there, working around hitting a batter in the 7th to get three more outs and lead Alabama to a pivotal win to open the WCWS. The SEC's pitcher of the year did everything she could against a potent UCLA lineup to put the Tide in a position to win and to allow the offense numerous opportunities to come through. They finally did.

It was a complete game for Briski, who allowed six hits and three earned runs while striking out nine. UCLA came in averaging 11 runs per game. They were always going to put some runs on the board. But Briski limited the damage to just the third inning, putting zeroes on the board all around it.

It was a legendary performance for Briski, who shook off the 3rd inning struggles and shut down the Bruins from there. Clutch homers by Pupillo and Wells paved the way for the offense, and now Alabama will head to the winner's bracket, just two wins away from the championship series.

Alabama will be back on the field on Saturday against the winner of Thursday night's Arkansas-Nebraska matchup at 6 pm CT.

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