No. 1 Alabama Secures Spot in WCWS Semifinals with Dominant Win over No. 4 Nebraska

OKLAHOMA CITY — The pride of Clanton, Alabama has made Oklahoma City a second home. For the second straight game at the Women’s College World Series, Marlie Giles sparked Alabama’s bats to lead the top-ranked Crimson Tide to a 5-1win over No. 4 Nebraska.

Giles brought in four of Alabama’s runs, including a three-run home run to center field with two outs in the bottom of the first inning on the first pitch she saw. She started Alabama off with a two-out RBI single during its opening win over UCLA on Thursday. She is 2-for-4 with a walk and five RBIs over the Crimson Tide’s two wins at the WCWS.

"If you're familiar with Alabama, our slogan is "Where legends are made," and she solidified that tonight," Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said of Giles.

She now has a home run in all three of her trips to the WCWS. The senior captain also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third against the Cornhuskers.

"I would just say I'm very blessed," Giles said after the game. "God's blessed me beyond anything I can even imagine. I haven't hit as many home runs as Lex and Brooke have. For me to hit it here, I don't have an answer for you except it's His will, His plan. That's all I got for that answer."

Alabama's offense was facing the reigning NFCA National Player of the Year and two-time national champion Jordy Frahm in the circle. The offense came out patient and attacking. She only faced the Tide one time through the order before being lifted for freshman Alexis Jensen.

"She didn't have her best start today," Nebraska head coach Rhonda Revelle said of Frahm. "Walking that first batter is not customary for her. You look at her walk-to-strikeout ratio, that is not common. She hit a batter. We almost got out of it. Left a ball on the plate, and it got hit hard."

While Giles stepped up big at the plate, Jocelyn Briski sparkled in the circle. The junior ace allowed just one run on one hit while striking out six batters over seven innings with no free passes allowed.

"I think any pitcher will tell you when you score in the first inning, it takes a lot of pressure off you for the rest of the game," Briski said. "It allows me to trust throwing my pitches through the zone a little bit more and trying not to be so perfect.

The lone hit and run came on a Hannah Camenzine solo shot with two outs in the fourth inning. She needed just 83 pitches for the complete game victory in an efficient two-hour game.

"She threw 83 pitches, 62 strikes, which I think is pretty good," Murphy said. "She's been fresh. She looks like she could go forever. It's just been so fun to watch, especially with the no walks. It's very difficult to get people out nowadays. I don't care who it is. But to do it by not walking anybody and only giving up one run in the process is even more amazing."

Jena Young continued her superb play out of the leadoff spot. She went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI-single in the fourth inning to tack on more insurance. Young has now reached base seven straight times in her first appearance at the WCWS.

With the win, Alabama (56-7) secures its spot in the semifinals and will face the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 8 UCLA and No. 11 Texas Tech. It is the Tide's first trip to the WCWS semis since 2021. Whichever team wins will have to beat the Tide twice to advance to the championship series.

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