Walk Off Grand Slam By Auburn Ties Up WCWS Championship Series
The Auburn Tigers defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 11-7 in 8 innings thanks to Emily Carosone’s walk off grand slam. The win pushed the 2016 Women’s College World Series to a decisive and winner take all game three.
The Sooners got the scoring started in the top of the first with a two out infield single by Fale Aviu with Aviu beating the throw to first to allow Erin Miller to score. The Sooners left runners stranded on second and third, but took a 1-0 lead after a half inning.
The Sooners built a bigger lead in the second with a lead off homer by Kady Self. That was just the beginning as back-t0-back singles followed by a throwing error allowed a run to score and it became a 3-0 game. Two straight squeeze bunts and a single brought home three more runs for the Sooners to push the lead to 6-0 and forced Auburn’s starting pitcher Kaylee Carlson out of the circle. Oklahoma added another run with a single by Nicole Pendley and led 7-0 after just an inning and a half.
However, the Tigers had a scoring barrage of their own in the bottom of the second. Carlee Wallace was hit by a pitch to start the inning, but two straight strikeouts left Auburn against the wall. After a walk, Whitney Jordan hit a three run home run to left field to get Auburn on the board. After an error, Tiffany Howard tripled home another run to make it 7-4 Sooners and that chased Oklahoma’s Kelsey Stevens from the circle.
The Tigers got a single from Kasey Cooper to drive home Howard while a hit by pitch and walk loaded the bases for Auburn. The rally ended with Jade Rhodes striking out to end the second, but Auburn cut the deficit to 7-5.
Auburn would complete the 7 run comeback in the bottom of the fourth with a single from Howard followed by a two run blast to right field by Cooper.
Oklahoma had a great chance to reclaim the lead in the top of the sixth. A two out single by Caleigh Clifton was followed by a deep shot to left field by Shay Knighten. The ball was headed over the fence when Auburn’s Tiffany Howard made a great catch to keep the game tied at 7.
UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!! #SCTop10 #WCWS pic.twitter.com/AqlU0yJWRY
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 8, 2016
The fatal blow for Oklahoma came in the bottom of the eighth. After a ground out, two singles and a bunt loaded the bases for Emily Carosone. Carosone took the pitch over the right center field to end the game in grand fashion.
🚨🚨 WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM #EmilyCarosone!!!! @Auburn_Softball wins game #2 11-7! #WCWS 🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/OLqOmWhdx2
— WSN247.com (@WSN247) June 8, 2016
The Sooners RBIs from six different hitters, but only Sydney Romero and Kady Self had multiple hits. Jayden Chestnut took the loss after throwing 5 2/3 innings giving up 6 runs on 11 hits. Oklahoma had won 31 straight games prior to this loss.
#Sooners 31 game win streak comes to an end, tied for the 17th longest in @NCAAsoftball history.
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 8, 2016
Auburn was led by Tiffany Howard who went 4 for 5 with one RBI and three runs scored. Carosone went 3 for 4 with all four her RBIs coming on the last pitch. Kasey Cooper went 2 for 4 with three RBI. Makayla Martin was awarded the win after tossing two innings and giving up only one hit. However, it was Rachael Walters who helped the Tigers from giving up more runs after the Sooners built a 7-0 lead. Walters threw 5 innings of shutout ball giving up just four hits.
Oklahoma won game one 3-2 on Monday night. Game three of the WCWS Championship Series will be Wednesday at 7 PM Eastern Time. The winner of that game will be crowned the 2016 NCAA Division 1 National Champions.
| Date | Game Number | Time (Eastern) TV | Team #1 | Team #2 | Final Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/6/2016 | Game #1 | 8 PM ESPN | #4 Auburn | #3 Oklahoma | 2-3 | Recap |
| 6/7/2016 | Game #2 | 8 PM ESPN | #3 Oklahoma | #4 Auburn | 7-11 (8 Innings) | Recap |
| 6/8/2016 | Game #3 | 7 PM ESPN | #4 Auburn | #3 Oklahoma | 1-2 | Oklahoma Wins 2016 National Championship |
