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For the second day in a row, the Florida State offensive jumped out to a huge lead—it was 8-0 over Alabama on Monday in the semi’s and 7-0 in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series against Oklahoma.
In both games, the favored higher speed clawed back—#3 Alabama scored five runs, #1 seed Oklahoma four–but FSU’s pitching was able to shut the door and now the Noles are one game away from winning its second National Championship in four years… amazing!
Using great defense (see below), clutch pitching and timely hitting, here’s how the team that didn’t even win its conference—Clemson won the ACC regular season crown and Duke took the SEC tournament title—is on the verge of winning the most important tournament of them all!
Check out this amazing relay from the outfield to nail a Sooner baserunner at home:
— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU_Softball) June 9, 2021
Here’s how crazy this FSU offensive outburst was today:
Oklahoma has trailed by multiple runs just seven times this year before Game 1–and never by more than four runs in the 58 games this year for the Sooners’ season—which makes the 7-0 lead at one point that much more impressive.
For Oklahoma, there is a positive trend to focus on (even though teams that win Game 1 of the Championships Series win 80% of the World Series championships!): each game the Sooners have lost so far this season—to Georgia, Oklahoma State and James Madison, in the first game of the Women’s College World Series—they’ve turned around and beat those teams the next time they played them.
They’ll have to do it a fourth time or their 2001 season will, by their standards, come up short. The next 24-48 hours will reveal all!
*****
#10 Florida State 8, #1 Oklahoma 4
The following article by Bret Clein was originally published Tuesday, June 8, 2021 on Seminoles.com…
The No. 10 Florida State softball team (49-11-1) handed No. 1 Oklahoma (54-4) just its fourth loss of the season and second loss of the Women’s College World Series on Tuesday with an 8-4 win over the Sooners.
Kaley Mudge recorded three hits on the night to bring her WCWS total to 13, tying Jessie Warren of FSU (2018), Brittany Lastrapes of Arizona (2010) and Michelle Moultrie of Florida (2011) for the most hits in a single WCWS.
The Seminole offense was clicking as it scored eight runs, tying the most runs scored against OU this season. Oklahoma had only allowed four stolen bases against them all season, the Seminoles had three on Tuesday.
Danielle Watson started for the Seminoles, making her first start since Pittsburgh on May 8. Watson retired the first 11 batters of the game before allowing back-to-back home runs. In total, Watson pitched 5.2 innings with five strikeouts while allowing four runs on her way to her 12th win this season.
Kathryn Sandercock entered in relief with two outs in the sixth inning, she allowed just two hits and no runs in 1.1 innings of work, recording her second save of the season.
After a pair of scoreless innings to start the game, the Seminoles put up two runs in the top of the third inning. Anna Shelnutt led off the inning with a nine-pitch walk. Three pitches later, Kalei Harding sent one deep to left field giving the Noles a 2-0 lead.
.@kaleiharding had herself a night and it was all started by this 2️⃣ run 💣 in the third!#OneTribe | #HowBoutIt pic.twitter.com/HQl2yzX46E
— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU_Softball) June 9, 2021
The Seminole bats exploded in the fourth inning. FSU scored five runs on six hits and an Oklahoma error. All five runs came with two outs.
After a single and a walk, runners were on the corners for Harding who doubled to right center, clearing the bases. Kaley Mudge then singled up the middle, putting runners on the corners, this time for Sydney Sherrill. Sherrill singled to right field giving the Seminoles a 6-0 lead. Elizabeth Mason added the fifth run of the inning and seventh of the game, scoring Mudge on a single through the left side.
Oklahoma rebounded in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back two-out solo home runs from Kinzie Hansen and Nicole Mendes.
The Sooners narrowed the Seminole lead to three in the sixth with two more runs. After a single and a hit batter, Mackenzie Donihoo singled to right field, scoring Nicole Mendes and Rylie Boone to draw OU to within three… but that was the closest Oklahoma would get.
Lou delivers 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍‼️
2-RBI single and we're within three! @kkenzienncole | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/jzwPrrNGdv
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 9, 2021
The Noles rebounded in the seventh with an insurance run to make it 8-4. With one out, Josie Muffley and Shelnutt walked to bring Harding back to the plate. She singled to left field scoring Muffley. Harding was 3-for-4 on the game with four RBI.
The Seminole defense shutdown Oklahoma in the seventh, only allowing one hit as the Noles are now one win away from the program’s second national championship.
*** Click on this link to catch all the highlights from Game 1:
📼 WCWS HIGHLIGHTS: (10) @FSU_Softball defeats (1) @OU_Softball, 8-4, in game one of the Championship Series.#WCWS pic.twitter.com/yfhMtFhUI5
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 9, 2021
Scoring Summary
- T3 | Kalei Harding hit a two-run home run to left field. (FSU 2, Oklahoma 0)
- T4 | Kalei Harding doubled to right-center, scoring Josie Muffley and Carson Saabye. (FSU 4, Oklahoma 0)
- T4 | Sydney Sherrill singled to right field, scoring Kaley Mudge and Kalei Harding. (FSU 6, Oklahoma 0)
- T4 | Elizabeth Mason singled through the left side, scoring Sydney Sherrill. (FSU 7, Oklahoma 0)
- B4 | Kinzie Hansen homered to center field. (FSU 4, Oklahoma 1)
- B4 | Nicole Mendes homered to center field. (FSU 4, Oklahoma 2)
- B6 | Mackenzie Donihoo singled to right field, scoring Nicole Mendes and Rylie Boone. (FSU 7, Oklahoma 4)
- T7 | Kalei Harding singled to left field, scoring Josie Muffley (FSU 8, Oklahoma 4)
Up Next
Florida State plays Oklahoma in Game 2 on Wednesday, June 9 at 7:00 pm ET in the second of a best of three series for the National Championship.