Jocelyn Briski was ready for it. As dominant as she's been all year long, the SEC's Pitcher of the Year knew she wasn't going to just completely dominate a powerful UCLA offense that came into the Women's College World Series with an obscene 200+ home runs on the season. She knew the adversity was going to come.
"I've been kinda saying it all week that we knew they were going to score runs," Briski said. "They're a great offense, great team. It was just minimizing it as much as possible and just minimizing it to one inning. I'll take that any day, especially with our offense, I knew we were going to score runs."
For the first two innings, it didn't look like UCLA had much for Briski. She retired the first six batters she faced, striking out four. But the inevitable adversity came in the 3rd inning. Briski got one pitch away from getting out of the inning unscathed, but made a couple of mistakes that UCLA made her pay for. Rylee Slimp and Megan Gant hit back-to-back home runs to put the Bruins ahead 3-1.
It looked like things were going to unravel from there, and the Alabama offense just couldn't quite get the hit to break through against UCLA starter Taylor Tinsley. But Briski kept battling, kept keeping the Crimson Tide in the game until the offense finally delivered.
A two-run homer by Alexis Pupillo in the 5th inning tied the game, and then a three-run home run by Brooke Wells was the difference in Alabama's 6-3 win. Along the way, Briski retired 13 of the last 15 batters she faced, avoiding any further adversity and putting Alabama into the winner's bracket in the WCWS.
Patrick Murphy praises his ace Jocelyn Briski for her resliency in Alabama's comeback win over UCLA
"She's done it all year, seriously," Patrick Murphy said about Briski after the game. "I'm glad that you guys got to see it because it's truly been like that all year. No walks. Pretty much pound the zone, throw strikes. Here it is.
"She just has been so consistent game in and game out throughout the last four months. So I'm glad you got to see it tonight."
Briski's performance gives further hope that Alabama can go all the way and capture the program's second national championship. If she can pitch like that against the best offense in the country, then she can carry the Crimson Tide all the way.
And she might.
Alabama's win on Thursday means they get Friday off. They'll be back on the field on Saturday in the winner's bracket against either Arkansas or Nebraska. That means Briski might get the ball again with Vic Moten ready to go in relief, if needed.
Her performance, and some clutch hitting by Pupillo and Wells, has Alabama two wins away from advancing to the championship series.
This team has been resilient all year. The win over UCLA snapped a 13-game Women's College World Series losing streak for Alabama in games in which it trailed by two or more runs. They never feel like they're out of a game. When you have a workhorse like Briski, who is calm, cool, and collected in the face of adversity, it's hard not to exude confidence.
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