Alabama-Tennessee 14-inning thriller averages 1.08 million viewers, sets new ESPN Super Regional record
Saturday afternoon, Alabama and Tennessee set a record for the longest Super Regional game in NCAA Tournament history. But it also set a new viewership mark.
The marathon contest averaged 1.08 million viewers, making it the most-watched softball Regional or Super Regional game in ESPN history, the network announced. All told, it took 14 innings before the Crimson Tide finally came away with the victory to force a decisive Game 3 in the Knoxville Super Regional.
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It’s more positive momentum for ESPN, which was looking to continue its positive ratings momentum from the regular season – the most-watched campaign since 2015. Alabama also drew record numbers, with the Crimson Tide’s win over Arkansas bringing in 570,000 viewers to become the most-watched game of the year heading into the SEC Tournament.
Alabama struck first in Saturday’s matchup, but Tennessee answered back to make it a 1-1 game in the second inning. In the fourth, the two teams traded solo home runs to keep things tied at 2-2 – and those turned out to be the last runs for another 10 innings.
By going 14 innings, the game not only became the longest in Super Regional history, but also the longest NCAA Tournament contest between two SEC opponents since the 2011 Women’s College World Series. Appropriately, that game also featured Alabama in an eventual loss to Florida.
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The Crimson Tide finally broke through in the 14th, though. That’s when Kristen White delivered the winning run on a walk-off single with the bases loaded, not only giving Alabama the 3-2 victory, but also forcing a decisive Game 3 with a spot in the WCWS on the line.
Alabama clinched WCWS spot in Game 3
As if a 14-inning marathon wasn’t enough in Game 2, Alabama and Tennessee played the long game once again on Sunday. This time, though, extra innings wasn’t to blame. It was the weather.
The Crimson Tide got on the board in a big way in the top of the first inning when Riley Valentine snuck a grand slam over the left-field fence to take a 4-0 lead. Then, lightning entered the area, and a nearly three-hour delay ensued.
Finally, the game resumed, and the score held at 4-0 until the seventh inning when Tennessee finally got a run across. However, that was the Lady Vols’ only score as Alabama held on for the 4-1 victory to return to the WCWS after a year absence.