OKLAHOMA CITY — Survival Saturday and Elimination Saturday are just a couple of the taglines day three of the Women’s College World Series has earned over the years.

But regardless of what anyone calls it, Saturdays at the WCWS are always long and full of drama. This year wasn’t any different as No. 3 Washington and No. 8 Alabama went through a gauntlet to earn spots in today’s final four.

Despite having to take the arduous path to get into the semifinals, players from both advancing teams chose to see only the bright side.

“You have to find the love for what we do all over again,” UW’s Taran Alvelo said. “Sometimes it's easy to dwell on the loss or, I should have done this to change the game. Instead...I get to wake up tomorrow and play two games. I get to play two games with my best friends at the end of the season. You just find the love for each other and for the game.”

"I gave them all I had just like they gave to me."
– Taran Alvelo to @sportsiren#WCWS | @UWSoftball pic.twitter.com/PrmZch2QYg

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2019

The Huskies will face another Pac-12 rival in Sunday’s first semifinal. They get to take on No. 2 seed UCLA at noon.

The Tide will get a rematch with No. 1 Oklahoma in the 2:30 p.m. semifinal after dropping the WCWS openers against the Sooners.

“I just think, especially after the other day, each game we’re just fighting to keep putting on the jersey another time,” Alabama freshman Montana Fouts said.

Because the tournament is a double elimination affair, both the Huskies and Crimson Tide have to win twice today in order to make it to the championship series.

Washington started off Saturday by knocking off upstart Minnesota 5-3. Their game was interrupted by a three-hour weather delay.

? #WCWS Highlights – Game 7

(3) @UWSoftball eliminated (7) Minnesota Softball, 5-3, to advance into its second elimination game of the day. pic.twitter.com/pqOQSaUw7U

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2019

“The delay probably makes it the most difficult because in a way when you come off the field, your mind kind of has to shut down a little bit,” UW coach Heather Tarr said. “You don't really know how long the delay was going to be. It just continued and continued.”

Washington then came back had to face Oklahoma State in the second session. In a seven-inning pitching duel, UW shutout the Cowgirls 1-0.

Washington’s only run came in the fourth inning on an RBI from Amirah Milloy off OSU’s Samantha Show.

That would be all the Huskies needed because of the dominance of Alvelo (26-5). The senior picked up the win after allowing three hits and fanning a WCWS Huskies record 16 batters in seven innings of work.

15 STRIKEOUTS FOR ALVELO ???#WCWS | @UWSoftball pic.twitter.com/Y6ymVmttwm

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2019

“My goal as a pitcher is to get outs,” Alvelo said. “That's all I was doing. My mindset was just to get each person out, whether it be a strike-out, pop-up, groundball. My team needed outs.”

This is the third year in a row the Huskies have advanced to the final four. According to Tarr, they know how to play in elimination games.

“You're going on adrenaline,” Tarr said. “You are just hoping you get to play one more game together, one more game together, one more game together. We don't really think about the end. We just think about, let's keep going, let's stay together, keep going. This team has a lot of life left in them.”

RTR

Alabama’s path to the final four took them through a familiar opponent in Florida. The two SEC foes faced off for the fifth time this season with the Tide run-ruling the Gators 15-3 in five innings.

? #WCWS Highlights – Game 8

(8) @AlabamaSB advanced to the final elimination game of the night after eliminating (5) @GatorsSB, 15-3 in five innings. pic.twitter.com/SpTdIVdTXN

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2019

The offensive explosion included home runs from Kaylee Tow, Merris Schroeder, and Bailey Hemphill.

“I'm so proud of every one of them,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “That's easily the best offensive game we've had. One of the things we say is pass the baton, pass it down, pass it down. It's almost like a football team that gets to the 20-yard line, inside the red zone, fumbles or throws it away or doesn't score. That's the key, to score when in the red zone.”

It was also the final game in Kelly Barnhill’s illustrious career at Florida.

Kelly Barnhill throws the final pitch of her storied @GatorsSB career. #WCWS pic.twitter.com/WVYo9h1r0y

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2019

However, it was one moment in the fourth inning that had her emotional talking about it.

With the game out of reach, Florida coach Tim Walton brought Barnhill back into the game to make one pitch and get the sendoff she deserved.  After one pitch, she got a standing ovation from the Alabama players and the fans in Oklahoma City.

“Coach came up to me and he asked what I kind of wanted to do,” Barnhill said. “Just kind of a moment to honor what I've done at Florida wearing the orange and blue. He told me that I'd throw one pitch, he'd take me out. It was a really special moment just being able to go out there again, have one more pitch with my teammates by my side. The crowd was absolutely amazing. It was just a really special moment for me.”

The Crimson Tide moved on the face No. 8 Arizona in the final game of the night. The two teams faced off in February with Alabama winning 6-1.

? #WCWS Highlights – Game 10

(8) @AlabamaSB survives elimination and will play Oklahoma in the Women's College World Series semifinals after taking down @ArizonaSoftball, 2-0. pic.twitter.com/AnggDYUViv

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2019

Alabama got another strong pitching performance from its deep battery of hurlers. This time it was Fouts who spearheaded the 2-0 shutout victory over the Wildcats. The Kentucky native allowed just two hits and struck out nine batters in seven innings of action.

Montana Fouts seals the game with one final strikeout to bring her total to 9️⃣ in the game!#WCWS | @AlabamaSB pic.twitter.com/Uh7P8iZHRz

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2019

“She Is fearless,” Murphy said of Fouts. “She’s a freshman, but you’d never know it.”

Alabama got on the board in the top of the third with a two-run double from Hemphill.

“I think anytime we score first, we set the tone for the game,” Hemphill said. “So when came out and scored before them, the momentum was with us. So we just kind of kept it the whole game.”

From that moment on, it was Fouts and the Crimson Tide defense who held the Wildcats at bay the rest of the night.

Arizona had a golden chance to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning when they loaded the bases. Hannah Bowen came to the plate with two outs and laced liner that looked like it was going into right field.

However, Hemphill snagged it before it got past her at first base and ended the inning.  

In the seventh inning, it was KB Sides who made a catch at the wall to seemingly prevent a home run threat and help close out the game.

KB Sides makes the catch at the wall!#WCWS | @AlabamaSB pic.twitter.com/9dBcOBbqeB

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2019

The Crimson Tide now must find a way to get through the Sooners twice.

“I think it’s going to be fun,” Murphy said. “I think we had 16 of the 19 who had never played here. And that’s a lot the first time out playing the No. 1 team basically in their home facility. That was a big, big task and I think a lot of people were nervous. I think the first game (Saturday) helped is a lot. We’re just hoping to play really, really, well and allowing those seniors to keep wearing the jersey.”