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Fans decked in maroon and gold packed the Athletes Village lobby on Tuesday, sending off the Gophers team to Oklahoma City and the Women's College World Series.

Bethany Loether held up her daughters Lissette, 4, and Loveadah, 2, to take a selfie with Gophers pitcher Amber Fiser during Tuesday’s rally at the Athletes Village.
Bethany Loether held up her daughters Lissette, 4, and Loveadah, 2, to take a selfie with Gophers pitcher Amber Fiser during Tuesday’s rally at the Athletes Village.

The No. 7-seed Gophers open the tournament against No. 2 UCLA on Thursday at 1:30 p.m., in a game televised on ESPN.

Shari L. Gross
Video (01:18) The Gophers softball team hosted a sendoff on campus prior to heading to Oklahoma City for the Women's Collge World Series

The tournament schedule and bracket are here.