Alabama plays UCLA on Thursday night in the third first-round game of the Women’s College World Series

The Alabama Crimson Tide battles the UCLA Bruins on Thursday night in a first-round game of the Women’s College World Series. The Crimson Tide comes into the World Series on a five-game winning streak after sweeping through the regionals and super regional. They fell short in the SEC Tournament, as they lost to Texas 7-1, but they have been great in the postseason. They have given up just one combined run in the five postseason games and have easily moved on to the World Series. They beat USC Upstate twice and Belmont once in the regional by a combined 20-0 score. They then swept rival LSU in the super regional by a combined 11-1 score. They now sit at 54-7 on the season and are one of the favorites to win the National Championship.

How to Watch Alabama vs UCLA College Softball Today:

Game Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

Location: Devon Park, Oklahoma City, OK

Live stream Alabama vs UCLA college softball on Fubo: Start Watching Now!

The Bruins, though, are looking to knock off the Crimson Tide and pick up a huge first-round upset on Thursday night.

The Bruins also swept through the regional and super regional and come into the World Series 52-8 on the season.

The Bruins also came up short in their conference tournament, as they lost to Nebraska, but, like the Crimson Tide, have been good in the postseason. They got tested by Cal Baptist in the first game of the regional, but since that game, they have outscored their opponents 55-8.

What Time Is Alabama vs UCLA College Softball Game?

Game 3: Alabama vs UCLA will take place on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. ET. Tune in and catch some great College Softball action.

What Channel Is Alabama vs UCLA College Softball Game?

Looking to watch this game? Fans can tune into ESPN2 to see the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this matchup, as well as numerous other sports leagues.

Live stream Alabama vs UCLA College Softball on Fubo: Start watching now!

Regional restrictions may apply.

Alabama officially asked the U.S. Supreme Court this morning to pause a lower court’s ruling from earlier this week that blocked the state from using a racially gerrymandered map for this year’s midterms. 

That ruling, and Alabama’s filing today, essentially pushes the Supreme Court to show whether it will abide by its new Voting Rights Act standard, established in April’s Louisiana v. Callais decision, which said that maps can be struck if drawn with racial discrimination intentions.  

The map that Alabama wants to use this year was drawn by a Republican-controlled legislature in 2023 with the intention to discriminate against Black voters, as courts have found, including the Supreme Court itself that year.

In that racially gerrymandered 2023 map, Alabama allowed for only one majority-Black congressional district.

However, shortly after its Callais decision, which severely limited the Voting Rights Act’s protections against minority voter dilution, the Supreme Court allowed Alabama to move forward with the 2023 map anyway, despite the fact that voting in this year’s primaries had already started. 

But, then a three-judge panel federal district court blocked that map on May 26, saying that it was drawn with the intent to rob Black voters of opportunities to elect candidates of their choice – as it had also found in an earlier ruling.  

Alabama asked this morning for the Supreme Court to rule by June 1, if not sooner, on its request to bypass the district court’s ruling so that the state can squeeze in a special election on the racially gerrymandered maps. Justice Clarence Thomas requested a response from Black voters by June 1. 

In its filing, the state argued that its maps do not intentionally discriminate against Black voters. It also argued that the Purcell principle – the legal doctrine that says changes such as redistricting shouldn’t be made close to an election – doesn’t apply to legislatures, which can “bear the responsibility for unintended consequences” among voters.

If the Supreme Court allows, a special election has been scheduled for August 11 – a timeline that state’s elections director Jeff Ellrod calls “aggressive,” given his office will have to reassign voters to the new districts, and reprint and resend out new ballots. 

But if Alabama’s 2023 maps are approved, it would also mean that the Supreme Court won’t even stop gerrymanders where intentional racial discrimination has been documented, as called for in its Callais decision. 

What happened

Republican redistricting efforts in Alabama and South Carolina were blocked Tuesday, stalling President Donald Trump’s mid-decade gerrymandering campaign. South Carolina’s GOP-led state Senate thwarted a plan to cancel an ongoing primary and swap in a new map that would erase the state’s lone Democratic and majority Black district. In Alabama, a panel of federal judges temporarily blocked the state GOP’s proposed map, saying it was “tainted by intentional race-based discrimination.”

Who said what

The 12 South Carolina GOP senators who “effectively killed” the Trump-backed gerrymander cited “numerous” concerns, from practical and political to procedural, said The Post and Courier. “Neither my conscience nor my common sense is going to let me stop an election that’s already underway,” state Sen. Richard Cash (R) said before the vote. The “rebuke from fellow Republicans came as a shock to Trump’s political operation,” Politico said. But “even without the extra seat” or two, Republicans “have an overall edge in the redistricting war.”

What next?