Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Oklahoma has lost the opener in the Women’s College World Series and must now win out or they’ll be eliminated. That’s the way the entire event started for the Sooners and that’s the way the championship series started on Tuesday night. OU battled back to win four consecutive games to qualify for the championship series and now they must win back-to-back games against Florida State in order to win the national title.
The Seminoles took the opener of the championship series off the momentum of a massive fourth inning in which the batted through the order and plated five runs to build a 7-0 lead. Freshman Nicole May was responsible for all seven of FSU’s runs, giving up two in the third and five in the fourth to take the loss, just her second of the year. Senior Shannon Saile entered the circle in the top of the fifth to steady things. She allowed just three hits, struck out two, and held the Seminoles scoreless until the top of the seventh inning when they scored the eighth and final run on a controversial play at the plate. On that play Sooner catcher Kinzie Hansen was called for plate obstruction and what could have been a double play ended up being a run scored.
Oklahoma tried to battle back, after falling behind 7-0, with Hansen and Nicole Mendes hitting back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 7-2. The Sooners got to within 7-4 of Florida State in the bottom of the sixth when Mackenzie Donihoo hit a 2-RBI double to right field. OU would get one more runner aboard in the frame and bring the tying run to the plate but Grace Green would line out to second base to end the rally.
The Sooners and Seminoles will play game two in the best-of-three series on Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 and the game will be televised on ESPN.
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