Duke softball eliminated after 2-1 loss to Alabama in CWS

Kayla Beaver's dreams came true on Friday night.

The graduate student threw 3 2/3 innings of perfect relief, Marlie Giles knocked in two runs, and No. 14 seed Alabama defeated No. 10 Duke 2-1 in an elimination game at the Women's College World Series.

Beaver is a transfer from Central Arkansas who was playing her first World Series game. She stepped in for Jocelyn Briski and earned the win a day after throwing six innings in a loss to UCLA.

"It means everything," Beaver said. "Wearing the A, it's a dream. Being here makes it even better. Everything that I wanted to happen coming in this year, having one year to do it - there was a lot I wanted to get done in a year. We've done it all. There's one more thing left."

Giles' performance supported Beaver's effort.

"She saw the ball as big as a basketball tonight," Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said of Giles. "It was perfect timing. We had a runner on, she hits the double. The next time she hits a home run. Two RBIs, one person. That's all Beaver needed."

Alabama (39-19) will play the loser of Saturday's game between No. 1 Texas and No. 4 Florida on Sunday in an elimination game.

Duke (52-9) made history. Coach Marissa Young became the first Black head coach to lead a team to the World Series, according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and Duke.

It also was the Blue Devils' first trip to the World Series.

"I'm sure it won't hit us until we get back home to Durham, step on the field and see the Women's College World Series logo on the outside wall," Young said.

Duke's Cassidy Curd gave up one earned run on four hits in the loss.

Giles hit an RBI double in the first to open the scoring. Duke answered in the second with a solo homer by Ana Gold.

Alabama's Kali Heivilin appeared to have a solo homer in the third, but Duke's Amiah Burgess got her glove over the top of the fence to make the grab.

Giles hit a solo homer in the sixth to put Alabama up 2-1.

Duke couldn't muster any offense against Beaver in the sixth or seventh to extend the game. Still, the mood after the game was celebratory.

"I mean, our goal for this year was to make it to the World Series," Gold, a junior, said. "I think especially for this senior class, they're so deserving of it. They have led our team so well. Ever since I stepped on campus, they have been there for me every step of the way. I'm so happy we could do it for them their last year. They deserve it so much."

The Blue Devils will look to extend the softball season Friday night in a matchup against Alabama.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. and you can watch it on ESPN.

Duke is coming off a 9-1 loss against reigning champion Oklahoma. The Sooners have won the last three titles and would become the only team to ever win four in a row if they come out victorious this year.

Alabama lost its opening game 4-1 to UCLA.

If Duke or Alabama want to survive and win a berth into the finals, they will have to win four straight games. The winner today will get the day off Saturday but then have to face the loser of Saturday's Oklahoma-UCLA game on Sunday. The winner of that Sunday game will then face the winner of Saturday's Oklahoma-UCLA matchup and have to beat them in back to back games Monday.

Kinzie Hansen homered and knocked in three runs, and three-time defending national champion Oklahoma opened its title defense with a 9-1 win over Duke in six innings on Thursday in the Women's College World Series.

Hansen, Jayda Coleman and Alyssa Brito each had two hits for the second-seeded Sooners (55-6).

Kierston Deal threw 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to get the win for Oklahoma, which looks to become the first team to win four straight national titles.

Cassidy Curd, who got both wins against Missouri in super regionals, started and gave up one run on three hits in two innings. Jala Wright a second-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American, allowed five runs on four hits in one inning and took the loss.

Oklahoma will play No. 6 seed UCLA on Saturday, with the winner reaching the semifinals. Duke will play No. 14 Alabama in an elimination game on Friday.

The 10th-seeded Blue Devils (52-8) made their first World Series appearance under coach Marissa Young. Duke led Thursday's game 1-0 when Hansen's two-run blast in the third put the Sooners ahead. Alynah Torres added a two-run shot later in the inning to make it 4-1.

Duke loaded the bases against Oklahoma starter Kelly Maxwell with two outs in the fourth, and Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso replaced her with Deal. Jayda Coleman's diving catch in centerfield saved the Sooners from allowing any runs.

Cydney Sanders' two-run blast in the fourth made it 6-1. Brito closed the scoring with a single that knocked in two runs in the sixth.

It's David versus Goliath to start off the 2024 College World Series for the Duke Blue Devils.

Duke Softball enters its first ever CWS and gets the privilege of playing one of the most dominant programs in the country.

Oklahoma is looking to win its fourth straight CWS -- a feat that has never been done before.

"The past three years, it's been a blessing," Oklahoma catcher Kinzie Hansen said. "But living up there -- it's really hard to get there, but living up there I would say is even harder."

In addition, Oklahoma has a total of seven titles -- which is coincidentally the total numbers of seasons Duke Softball has played in its entire existence.

Duke and Oklahoma were scheduled to face off at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. However, a rain delay pushed back the start of the game playing before them by 1.5 hours.

The format of the CWS is two double elimination tournaments, followed by the winners of each tournament playing a best of three series.

Duke, Oklahoma, UCLA and Alabama are one of the brackets. Texas, Florida, Oklahoma State and Stanford make up the other bracket.

Click here for a closer look at the CWS bracket.

Another first for Duke

The NFCA and Duke Sports Information believe Duke coach Marissa Young is the first Black coach to reach the Women's College World Series.

"It means a lot," Young said. "I didn't have that as something to see growing up. Obviously in taking the job here at Duke, I understood that I had an opportunity to do something that's never been done."

Black coaches are rare in softball. According to the NCAA's demographics database, there were just 19 Black head coaches among the nation's 297 Division I schools in 2023.

Young also has led the Blue Devils to their first World Series. Veteran UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez, an Asian American, said she is a fan of Young and said the achievement by a fellow woman of color should be celebrated.

"She's a quality coach, but a better person," she said. "I'm excited that she's been able to build such a strong program and get to this stage so quickly. Says a lot."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.