Alabama Tops UCLA 6-3, Sets Up Alabama Vs Nebraska Softball
Alabama opened play at the 2026 Women's College World Series with a 6-3 win over UCLA on Thursday, and the result moved the Crimson Tide into the winner's bracket. That left Alabama vs nebraska softball in play for Saturday, May 30 at 6 p.m. CT on, with Arkansas still the other possible opponent.
Briski Set The Tone
Jocelyn Briski handled the middle of the game and gave Alabama the outing it needed in the circle. The SEC Pitcher of the Year threw her 16th complete game of the season and struck out nine batters while Alabama held UCLA to three runs on a pair of home runs.
Briski said after the game, "I thought [Jocelyn] Briski did an incredible job of pitching through a little adversity and then stopping it. We knew they were going to get some hits. They have over 200 home runs now. She limited the damage, did not walk anybody and then the other key stat to me was no errors on defense. I thought it was a really well-played game. Gritty by our offense. I felt like we were just missing a couple early in the game, then Brooke [Wells] connected and so did [Alexis] Pupillo."
Pupillo And Wells Break Through
Alabama flipped the game with back-to-back power swings in the fifth and sixth innings. Alexis Pupillo hit her 20th home run to put the Tide ahead, and Brooke Wells followed with her 24th home run of the season, leaving her two shy of Bailey Hemphill's single-season record.
The home runs were more than just the go-ahead blows. Pupillo became Alabama's first 20-plus home run hitter in program history, and Wells kept the lineup within reach of a record that still sits two swings away.
Alabama's WCWS Turn
The win was Alabama's fifth opening-game victory at the WCWS and its first since 2021. It also pushed the Tide to 55-7, while UCLA fell to 52-9 after the loss.
Briski put the result in personal terms after the game: "It was great to do it for these girls. These girls are so great. They had my back all last weekend. It wasn't the best weekend for me, but they never lost trust in me, they never lost faith in me. I walked in here feeling as confident as ever. It didn't really cross my mind, anything that happened last weekend."
Saturday's bracket game gives Alabama its next step at the WCWS, with either Arkansas or Nebraska waiting. The Tide already have the win that keeps them in the top half of the bracket, and the matchup now depends on one more result before first pitch at 6 p.m. CT.
