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Another dunking after the softball super regional. (DBB photo)

And now, today’s story as you should have seen in today’s newspaper when you found it on your porch (Click here for video of the above celebration) …

TUSCALOOSA — It was hot Friday. Water was in short supply.

So a few Alabama softball players raided the other dugout to complete its postgame celebration. With a jug from the Michigan bench, the last Crimson Tide coach went home soggy in what’s becoming a familiar scene.

The 4-3 comeback win over Michigan in the NCAA super regionals sent Alabama to the Women’s College World Series for the fourth time in five years. Head coach Patrick Murphy took his ice-water bath while preparing for a live television interview. His assistants came next.

The 2,557 in Rhoads Stadium witnessed a scene similar to the one two weeks ago when No. 2 Alabama (55-7) took the SEC crown. This time, the bigger goal is within reach after sweeping Michigan in the best-of-three series.

“It’s huge. I think it’s portrayed that it’s not that hard to get there, but it’s very hard to get to the World Series,” Tide short stop fielder Kaila Hunt said.

She had quite a say in putting the team back in Oklahoma City for a Thursday opener with either Tennessee or Georgia.

Her two-run homer to left tied the game at 3 after Michigan appeared to have control. Scoring one in the first and two in the second, the Wolverines were hitting Tide pitcher Jackie Traina hard.

But Hunt’s blast changed the every dynamic in the game.

“The whole country will ask why I didn’t walk Kaila Hunt with a runner on first base,” Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. “And I’ll spend the rest of the day wondering why I didn’t.”

That coaching decision led to another.

Click here to read the full story for no extra charge.

This was the scene on the field as Alabama celebrated its fourth trip to the College World Series in five years.The Tide beat Michigan 4-3 to clinch the super regional title.

Score: Alabama 4, Michigan 3. Final

• Jackie Traina ended it with a strikeout.
• Nothing for the Tide in the seventh. Heading to the final half inning.
• Michigan goes down in order in the sixth. We head to the seventh.
• Kendall Dawson led off with a single. Danielle Richard pinch ran for her. Sacrifice and stolen base put Richard in position for Kayla Braud’s triple to score her easily and give Alabama the 4-3 lead.
• Traina got her second strike out of the day to end the fifth inning. Two frames left. Remember Michigan is the home team in this one.
• Alabama had 2 on with 2 out before Courtney Conley popped out to the catcher.
• Kaila Hunt ties the game at 3 with a homer to left. She was the hero last night, remember.
• First 1-2-3 inning of the day for Michigan. Three innings left. Keep Traina in or save her for potential deciding Game 3?
• Jackie Traina stepped in as a pinch hitter with 2 outs and 2 on, but grounded out to the short stop.
• Michigan making solid contact all day. Tide pitcher Jackie Traina got first strikeout of the game in the third inning. She had 10 last night.
• Kaila Hunt was hit by a pitch with two outs. Coaches took a look at her sore hand, but she stayed in the game. Tide still has just one hit.
• Michigan scores another 2-out run with slow single up the middle. Wolverines take the lead on RBI single with two outs. Error allowed go-ahead run to reach second on previous at-bat. Tide has two errors this inning.
• Catcher Kendall Dawson’s sac fly scored Jazlyn Lunceford. Alabama has runners on first and second, no out in second.
• Michigan takes the lead on a homer to left crushed by Amanda Chidester.
• The Tide has  had runners on first and second with one out and Amanda Locke stepping to the plate. (Locke hit into an inning-ending double play) Continue reading →

You can click here to follow the team leaderboard as Alabama tees off with a 2-stroke lead in the final round of the NCAA women’s golf championship. And now, some commentary to be updated as warranted …

• (6:20 p.m.) Alabama wins first women’s golf national championship in school history.
• (6:03 p.m.) Alabama lead down to one stroke. One group left on the course.
• (5:44 p.m.) Alabama lead now 4.
• (5:41 p.m.) Tide lead now back to three. Two holes left final group.
• (5:39 p.m.) Alabama lead down to two strokes. Only three holes left for last group on course.
• (5:29 p.m.) Alabama lead now four stokes with three holes left for final group.
• (5:13 p.m.) Alabama lead now at two strokes (+17 to +19 for USC). Last group has three holes left. Brooke Pancake is in second, two strokes off lead for individual medalist.
• (5:02 p.m.) Alabama takes a 1-stroke lead on USC. Last group has four holes left.
• (4:49 p.m.) Now a 2-stroke USC lead.
• (4:48 p.m.) Six holes left for the last group and Alabama trails by three strokes.
• (4:37 p.m.) Tide back within three strokes. LSU making late charge, only two behind Alabama.
• (4:26 p.m.) Alabama falls five strokes behind USC. See live scoring link above.
• (4:12 p.m.) Tied at 15-over.
• (3:58 p.m.) Tide still up 1. Last group has 10 holes left.
• (3:51 p.m.) Alabama up 1. Jennifer Kirby keeping Tide in it (-3 today).
• (3:44 p.m.) Tied.
• (3:39 p.m.) Alabama leads by 1.
• (3:33 p.m.) Tied again. A pattern is developing.
• (3:21 p.m.) Alabama slips to second place.
• (3:16 p.m.) The Tide takes a 1-stroke lead over USC. Brooke Pancake is tied for third at 2-under for the tournament.
• (3:01 p.m.) Alabama and USC are tied +16.
• (2:54 p.m.) Alabama’s lead is down to one stroke as the first players make the turn. Only one Tide golfer (Jennifer Kirby) is under par today.
• (2:04 p.m.) The Tide is 4-over early in the round. Meadow has three bogeys in three holes.
• (1:51 p.m.) Stephanie Meadow opened the final round bogey-bogey. Alabama still holds two-stoke lead over USC.
• (1:35 p.m.)  Lead back down to two strokes with final players still waiting to tee off.
• Alabama’s Courtney McKim birdied the first hole played by the Tide today. That put Alabama up three strokes.

(AP Photo/Tuscaloosa News, Michelle Lepianka Carter)

Today’s print story about Alabama’s softball win last night in the NCAA super regionals …

TUSCALOOSA — They packed every seat, railing and patch of outfield grass.

The crowd 2,475 at Rhoads Stadium on Thursday evening saw the softball prequel to the highly-anticipated Alabama-Michigan football season opener.

What they witnessed started as the softball equivalent of three yards and a cloud of dust, but ended with a little SEC speed. Alabama’s big fifth inning pushed the second-ranked Tide within a game of the Women’s College World Series with a 4-1 win.

The NCAA super regional beating was slow and lumbering until Kaila Hunt stepped to the plate with two runners on and one out in the fifth.

“It’s not pressure, I wouldn’t say, because if you get caught up in the pressure, you’re not going to perform,” Hunt said.

Her two-run double slapped to left gave Alabama (54-7) all the offense it needed with Jackie Traina pitching.

Click here for the full version at no extra charge.

Score: Alabama 4, Michigan 1. Final.

• Alabama one win from Women’s College World Series. The Tide needs to win one of two tomorrow to earn the ticket.
• Michigan’s Ashley Lane drove an  RBI double to left field that broke up the shutout with two outs.
• Jazlyn Lunceford’s single scored Hunt. Tide lead now 4.
• Kaila Hunt hit a 2-run double in the fifth to give the Tide a 3-run lead.
• 1-2-3 for the Wolverines in the fifth. Jackie Traina has eight strike outs so far.
• Traina walked two, but got the third out by strikeout.
• Jennifer Fenton was stranded at second after a 1-out double in bottom of third.
• Tide pitcher Jackie Traina has five strikeouts through 3 innings.
• Tide third baseman Courtney Conley’s RBI double to left makes it 1-0 in first. She was stranded on second.
• Both teams stranded runners in the first inning.
•  Traina has three strikeouts through 2 innings.

Click image to enlarge.

The crowd is starting to fill in at Rhoads Stadium for Alabama vs. Michigan in the NCAA super regional round. It’s a best-of-3 series starting at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

But you can click here to follow all the action live on the Twitter home of The Daily Bama Blog.

Tide pitcher Jackie Traina

Friday update: You can click here to follow the team leaderboard as Alabama tees off with a 2-stroke lead in the final round of the NCAA women’s golf championship.

Further updates to come.

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The Crimson Tide lead was down to two strokes after swelling past 11 earlier in Thursday’s third round of the NCAA women’s golf championship.

Alabama is 18-over in the third round and 13-over par for the full tournament. USC was 6-over Thursday and two strokes behind the Tide in second place.

Alabama’s Brooke Pancake, the second-round leader, is tied for third after a 3-over 75 today.

Update I: Alabama tees off early this afternoon. Click here to follow the live scoring. Midway through round, the Tide lead was down to six strokes and was 7-over for the day.

Update II: The whole field is going backward today. At 4:10 p.m., Alabama was 7-over for the round, but the lead was back up t0 nine strokes. The closest any team came to par was eight-place Purdue (4-over). The Tide is just about halfway through the third of four rounds at this point.

Update III: The lead was back to 10 strokes at 5 p.m. See the live scoring in the first update.

Rhoads Stadium (Click image to enlarge)

I’ll be heading over to Rhoads Stadium in a little bit for Alabama’s NCAA softball super regional matchup with Michigan. The place will surely be packed and the energy level is always high.

The hardcore Crimson Tide softball fans are a dedicated group, but I’m curious about the rest of the population. Vote below in a very unscientific poll. Then log your vote below and stay tuned for full coverage the next two days.

Is it already that time of year again? College football watch lists are already coming out and it’s not even June yet.

Barrett Jones, the 2011 Outland Trophy Award winner, is already getting some love at his new position. He has yet to play a game (except for a few snaps in the 2011 opener) at center, but the senior is already one to watch, the Rimington Trophy said.

He’s one of 50 members of the watch list that includes only 21 returning centers. The award goes to the nation’s best center every year.

Click here for the complete awards watch database covering the last three years.

JaMychal Green and Tony Mitchell are both angling towards the NBA after a rocky season in Tuscaloosa. Both received good news this week.

The two former Alabama players were invited to participate in the NBA pre-draft combine. The event, set for June 6-8 in Chicago, includes the top 60 prospects for the NBA draft.

(Click here for a full list of participants.)

Neither Green, nor Mitchell are projected to go in the first round in most mock drafts (see this and this), but could go in Round 2. Both Mitchell and Green served suspensions that certainly contributed to a mid-season slump for the Tide.

The draft is scheduled for June 28.

The Associated Press moved the following story about former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain’s continued legal troubles. He was back on the practice field today after being sentenced to six months in jail (pending appeal) last week in Decatur.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain apologized Tuesday for bringing bad publicity to the team following his recent conviction in Alabama for assault and other charges stemming for allegedly threatening to kill a man and firing a gun next to his head.

Decatur Municipal Judge Bill Cook convicted McClain last week of third-degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm in the city limits last week and sentenced him to 180 days in jail.

McClain’s lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, said he will appeal to Morgan County Circuit Court and seek a jury trial. McClain is out on bail and rejoined the Raiders this week at the team’s offseason workouts.

McClain spoke to the media to give his apology and thank coach Dennis Allen and his teammates for their support. But he did not take any questions, citing the pending legal matters.

“I apologize for the bad publicity that has been put out there,” he said. “It is a legal process so I can’t talk much about it but I think in due time if the Raiders and the Raiders fans that are out there, we’ll all see, it will all come to an end and it is what it is. I can’t really talk much about it, but it will be resolved in the near future.”

Continue reading →

Update: For the live scoreboard, click here. Alabama finished Round 2 at 5-under and held an 11-stroke lead as 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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The Crimson Tide women’s golf team leads the NCAA championship after the first of four rounds.

No. 2 Alabama (2-under) is the only team to shoot better than par Tuesday at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. Virginia is second after shooting an even-par round followed by Duke (+2) and North Carolina (+3).

No. 1 UCLA is in fifth place after shooting a 4-over as a team.

Senior Brooke Pancake leads the Tide with a 4-under round of 68 — good for a third-place tie. Stephanie Meadow is tied for fifth after carding a 3-under 69 in the opening round.