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College Softball

Florida State Captures First NCAA Softball Title

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The Florida State Seminoles won their first softball championship after defeating the Washington Huskies 8-3 on Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy of NCAA Softball on Twitter).

Florida State Captures First NCAA Softball Title

The Florida State Seminoles won their first NCAA Softball Championship after sweeping the Washington Huskies in the Women’s College World Series Championship Series.

For the Seminoles, Tuesday night capped off an incredible WCWS run by winning six straight games following their opening day loss. By doing so, Florida State became the first division 1 team to accomplish the feat of winning the title after losing their opening WCWS game.

Florida State also became the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to win the championship. It was well deserved for a team making their 10th WCWS appearance. FSU was on the cusp of the title following Monday night’s 1-0 game one win via Meghan King’s complete game shutout. That game also included this defensive gem from Jessica Warren.

Game two started much differently as the Huskies took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. The nervy beginning by Seminoles aided the Huskies, but the bottom of the first saw them cut the deficit to 3-2 via Anna Shelnutt’s two run homer.

The Seminoles then put themselves in front for good with a three run second inning. Elizabeth Mason’s single to right field and fielding error by the Huskies gave FSU the 4-3 lead. Jessica Warren made it 5-3 with an RBI single after two innings.

The Huskies had a big chance in the top of the 4th inning as they loaded the bases with 2 outs, but a grounder ended their threat. The Seminoles made them pay for not capitalizing with two home runs. Mason hit a two run blast followed by Warren’s solo shot and the Seminoles were on their way to the coveted championship.

The final three innings saw Washington only put 1 runner on base. Meghan King once again went the distance with 7 innings pitched, allowing 5 hits, no walks, and striking out 4. King threw 34 1/3 innings, allowed one earned run, and recorded 4 wins and one save at the WCWS. She also set a new ERA record of 0.20 in the WCWS with at least 10 innings pitched. The Seminoles ended the season with a record of 58-12.

The drought continues for the Pac-12 in softball after dominating the early landscape of the sport. Arizona State remains the last team from the conference to win a national title as they did so back in 2011. Washington, who won their only title in 2009, finished the season at 52-10.

College Softball

2018 Women’s College World Series Schedule

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Oklahoma is back to go for their third straight national title in 2018 (Sue Ogrocki – AP)

2018 Women’s College World Series Schedule

The 2018 NCAA Division 1 Softball season is down to the final 8 teams who will be playing for the chance to win the Women’s College World Series. An updated bracket can be found here. Each game of the 2018 Women’s College World Series will take place from ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The 8 teams will compete in a double elimination format until only two teams are left. The last two teams will then play in a best of three championship series to determine the 2018 National Champion.

The Oklahoma Sooners are the two-time defending National Champions after winning in 2016 and 2017. Should the Sooners complete the trifecta, they will join the UCLA Bruins from 1988 to 1990 as the only teams to win three straight National Titles since 1982. Speaking of UCLA, they too are in this year’s WCWS for the 28th time in school history.

All eight schools in the Women’s College World Series have previously made an appearance in Oklahoma City. Of the eight teams, Arizona State has had the longest absence since their last appearance in 2013. The below table shows the eight teams taking part in the WCWS along with their last appearance, record, conference affiliation, and all-time WCWS appearances.

SeedTeamLast WCWSRecordConf.WCWS
Appearances
1Oregon201752-8Pac-126th
2Florida201755-9SEC9th
3UCLA201755-5Pac-1228th
4Oklahoma201755-3Big 1212th
5Washington201749-8Pac-1213th
6Florida
State		201652-11ACC10th
7Georgia201648-11SEC4th
8Arizona
State		201348-11Pac-1212th

The Women’s College World Series will get underway on Thursday, May 31 with four games scheduled for the opening day. The entire schedule can be found in the table below with the Championship Series located in a separate table.

The tables below will be updated with final scores as the games go final each day. Please note all times listed below are Eastern.

DateGameTime (EST)
TV		Team #1Team #2ScoreNotes
5/31/18Game 112 PM
ESPN		#8 ASU#1 Oregon6-11
5/31/18Game 22:30 PM
ESPN		# 5 Wash.#4 Okla.2-0
5/31/18Game 37 PM
ESPN2		#7 Georgia#2 Florida3-115 Innings
5/31/18Game 49:30 PM
ESPN2		#6 FSU#3 UCLA4-7
6/1/18Game 57 PM
ESPN		#1 Oregon#5 Wash.2-6
6/1/18Game 69:30 PM
ESPN		#3 UCLA#2 Florida6-5
6/2/18Game 712 PM
ESPN		#4 Okla.#8 ASU2-0ASU
Elim.
6/2/18Game 82:30 PM
ESPN		#7 Georgia#6 FSU2-7Georgia
Elim.
6/2/18Game 97 PM
ESPN		#2 Florida#4 Okla.0-2Florida
Elim.
6/2/18Game 109:30 PM
ESPN		#6 FSU#1 Oregon4-1Oregon
Elim.
6/3/18Game 111 PM
ESPN		#4 Okla.#5 Wash.0-3Okla.
Elim
6/3/18Game 123:30 PM
ESPN		#3 UCLA#6 FSU1-3Possible
Elim
Game
6/3/18Game 137 PM
ESPN		Game 11 WinnerGame 11 LoserElim
Game
6/3/18Game 137 PM
ESPN2		#6 FSU#3 UCLA12-6UCLA
Elim.

The schedule for Championship Series is shown below.

2018 Women’s College World Series Championship Series

DateGameTime (EST)
TV		Team #1Team #2Score
6/4/18Game 17 PM
ESPN		#6 FSU#5 Wash.1-0
6/5/18Game 28 PM
ESPN		#5 Wash.#6 FSU3-8
6/6/18Game 3
(If Necessary)		8 PM
ESPN		#6 FSU#5 Wash.
College Softball

Oklahoma Sooners Capture Second Straight Softball Title

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Oklahoma won 5-4 over Florida to claim their second straight national title and third in the last five years. (Photo courtesy of Oklahoma Softball on Twitter)

Oklahoma Sooners Capture Second Straight Softball Title

The Oklahoma Sooners swept the Florida Gators in the 2017 Women’s College World Series Championship Series to win their second straight national title. The Sooners won 5-4 and completed an undefeated stint at this year’s WCWS going 5-0.

It was a great run for Oklahoma as they lost their opening game of the regional they were hosting and then ripped off 11 wins in a row en rout to the title. The Sooners have now won three of the last five National Championships including last year’s.

In this year’s clincher, the Sooners started the bottom of the first with a Nicole Mendes solo shot, her second in as many games. Florida responded in kind with Sophia Reynoso hitting her own lead off solo shot in the top of the second. The Gators added two more runs on a single by Aleshia Ocasio and when Kayli Kvistad was hit by a pitch. Florida held a 3-1 lead after an inning and a half.

Oklahoma wasted no time regaining the lead in the bottom of the second. The Sooners loaded the bases with two outs when Caleigh Clifton drew a walk to make it a 4-2 deficit. Game one heroine Shay Knighten had a bases load opportunity and took full advantage clearing the bases with a double. That put the Sooners up 5-3 and it would also prove to be the second straight game Knighten recorded the game winning RBI.

Florida drew one run back in the top of the third on a solo shot by Chelsea Herndon. They would not see a runner get to second base until the sixth inning, but a line out and strike out ended that threat. The Gators went down in order in the top of the seventh to give Oklahoma another National Championship, their fourth in school history (also won in 2000, 2013, and 2016).

Nicole Mendes started the game at pitcher for the Sooners going one inning and giving up one hit. Paige Parker allowed three runs on four hits while Mariah Lopez gave up the one run and earned the win. Paige Lowary finished off the game with two perfect innings and three strikeouts.

Shay Knighten had just one hit on three at bats, but it was a big hit driving home those three runs. Caleigh Clifton was the only Sooner to record multiple hits going two for two with a walk and a run scored.

The Gators opted to start Aleshia Ocasio in the circle and she gave up four runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings while taking the loss. Delanie Gourley came on in relief giving up one run on four hits with five strikeouts. The offense for Florida was spread out as six different batters recorded a hit (no batter had multiple hits).

College Softball

Oklahoma Wins Epic Extra Inning Championship Series Game One

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The opening game of the 2017 Women’s College World Series Championship Series was an all-time classic with Oklahoma winning 7-5 in 17 innings. (Photo courtesy of Oklahoma Softball on Twitter)

Oklahoma Wins Epic Extra Inning Championship Series Game One

A close and enthralling contest needed more than two full games to decide a victor. Oklahoma won 7-5 over Florida in 17 innings as they took a 1-0 lead in the 2017 Women’s College World Series Championship Series. Shay Knighten’s three run home run in the top of the 17th put the Sooners in front for good after the Gators battled back not once, but twice on their final strike.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when the Gators got on the board with a single by Aleshia Ocasio that brought home Nicole DeWitt. The Sooners responded right away in the top of the fifth with Sydney Romero driving home Nicole Pendley on a single.

Oklahoma took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth on a solo shot by Nicole Mendes. The Gators were down to their final out (and strike) when Sophia Reynoso hit a blooper into left-center field. The Sooners were deep in the outfield and could not come up with the catch as Ocasio came around to tie the game up and send the game into extra innings.

The teams failed to get much going in the eighth through eleventh innings as neither team had a runner get to second base in those innings. In the twelfth inning, Oklahoma’s Shay Knighten led off with a double and was followed by Fale Aviu, who crushed a two run shot to give Oklahoma a 4-2 lead.

The Gators started the bottom of the twelfth with a walk and a hit to put two on with no outs. The Gators then popped out on a bunt and struck out with back-to-back pinch hitters. Amanda Lorenz came up with two outs as Oklahoma went from Paige Parker back to starter Paige Lowary. Lowary got Lorenz to her final strike, but Lorenz was able to drive a ball to the left center field wall for a triple to bring home both runners and keep the game going.

The Sooners were able to get runners on first and second in the top of the 15th inning after Delanie Gourley hit Lea Wodach and a wild pitch followed to move the runners up a base. The next pitch was a ball to load the bases, but a ground out ended the threat.

In the top of the 16th, Oklahoma put two runners on with no outs and saw them both sacrificed up a base on a fly out to right center. A walk loaded the bases but a force out at home and strikeout left the bases loaded for the second straight inning.

The Sooners once again put two runners on base in the 17th and Shay Knighten finally put the runs across for Oklahoma with a three run home run.  The Gators were able to load the bases with one out and Lorenz at the plate where she hit a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 7-5. A strikeout from Lowary ended the game to give the Sooners the win after an incredible game.

Lowary started and ended the game as she went 10 1/3 innings giving up two runs on eight hits while striking out seven to earn the win. Parker went 6 2/3 innings giving up three runs on four hits with seven strikeouts. Mendes, Knighten, Aviu, and Romero were the only Oklahoma hitters to finish with multiple hits.

Barnhill also started and ended the game for Florida, but she took the loss. She pitched 9 innings giving up five runs on nine hits with 13 strikeouts. Gourley threw 8 innings of relief ball giving up two runs on four hits with 13 strikeouts. Justine McLean, Reynoso, and Lorenz all finished with multiple hits for the Gators.

The Oklahoma Sooners are one victory away from their second straight national championship. Game 2 is Tuesday, June 6 at 8 PM Eastern Time and can be seen on ESPN.

College Softball

2017 Women’s College World Series Championship Series Schedule

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Florida advances to their third WCWS Championship Series in the past four season and will face Oklahoma. (Photo courtesy of Florida Gators Softball on Twitter)

2017 Women’s College World Series Championship Series Schedule

The final two teams for the 2017 Women’s College World Series have reached the pinnacle of the season. The Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners are the two teams that will play in best of three series to determine the 2017 NCAA Division 1 Softball National Champion.

Results for the Regional round are here, Super Regional Round are here, and the Women’s College World Series are here. The Oklahoma Sooners are going for their second straight National Championship while the Florida Gators are playing for their third title in the last four seasons.

The best of three series will start on Monday, June 5 at 7 PM Eastern Time. All three games can be seen on ESPN and we take a look at the path to the Championship Series for both teams.

Florida Gators (58-8 Overall)

Regular Season: SEC Champions (50-5 Overall and 20-3 SEC)

Conference Tournament: Lost in Quarterfinals to Ole Miss 2-0

Regional: Defeated Florida A&M 9-0, defeated Oklahoma State     2-0, lost to Oklahoma State 1-0, defeated Oklahoma State 5-0

Super Regional: Lost to Alabama 3-0, defeated Alabama 2-0, defeated Alabama 2-1

Women’s College World Series: Defeated Texas A&M 8-0, defeated LSU 7-0, defeated Washington 5-2

The Gators were the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and were one of the best teams all season especially in the circle. Florida has been on the brink of elimination a couple of times in this tournament, but they responded resolutely against Oklahoma State in the regionals and Alabama in the Super Regionals.

In Oklahoma City, the Gators hit another gear posting back-to-back shutouts against SEC foes Texas A&M and LSU. They nearly had a third against Washington, but gave up a home run when the Huskies were down to their final out. Nevertheless, Kelly Barnhill and Delanie Gourley pose an extremely formidable duo against the Sooners in what should be a series showcasing great pitching.

Oklahoma Sooners (59-9 Overall)

Regular Season: Big 12 Champions (50-8 Overall and 17-1 Big 12)

Conference Tournament: Won Big 12 Tournament (Defeated Texas 3-0, defeated Texas Tech 8-0, defeated Oklahoma State 2-0)

Regional: Lost to North Dakota State 3-2, defeated Arkansas 5-3, defeated North Dakota State 10-2, defeated Tulsa 6-4, defeated Tulsa 3-0

Super Regional: Defeated Auburn 4-0, defeated Auburn 5-2

Women’s College World Series: Defeated Baylor 6-3, defeated Washington 3-1, defeated Oregon 4-2

Oklahoma began the season as the top team, but hit a rough patch early on. Since the Sooners lost back-to-back games against Cal Poly in mid-March, they have been on a tear losing just twice: once to Baylor in the regular season and to North Dakota State in the opening game of the regional.

Since the loss to NDSU, the Sooners have not dropped a game though they were nearly eliminated against Tulsa in the regional. However, their last five games against Auburn (twice on the road), Baylor, Washington, and Oregon have been nothing short of impressive. Paige Parker and Paige Lowary will be key in the circle in the same manner as Barnhill and Gourley for the Gators.

2017 Women’s College World Series Championship Series

Below is the schedule for the 2017 Women’s College World Series Champions Series. This is set to be an excellent matchup between Florida and Oklahoma particularly in the circle with four excellent pitchers. This will mark the fifth straight season that either the Gators or Sooners will go home with the NCAA Championship.

DateGameTime (EST)
TV		Team #1Team #2Score
6/5/17Game 17 PM
ESPN		#10 Oklahoma#1 Florida7-5
(17 Innings)
6/6/17Game 28 PM
ESPN		#1 Florida#10 Oklahoma4-5
6/7/17Game 38 PM
ESPN		#10 Oklahoma#1 Florida
College Softball

2017 Women’s College World Series Schedule

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The Oklahoma Sooners will be back in Oklahoma City to defend their title. (Photo courtesy of OU Softball on Twitter)

2017 Women’s College World Series Schedule

The final eight teams in the 2017 NCAA Division 1 Softball season will be playing for the chance to win the Women’s College World Series with an updated bracket here. Each game of the 2017 Women’s College World Series will take place from ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The 8 teams will compete in a double elimination format until only two teams are left. Those two remaining teams will then play in a best of three championship series to determine the 2017 National Champion.

The Oklahoma Sooners are the defending National Champions and return after a taking the difficult road in the first two rounds. They lost their Regional opener against North Dakota State and had to battle back by winning four straight elimination games. In the Super Regional they had to go to Auburn and they won the first two games to book their spot back in Oklahoma City. Results for the Regional round can be found here and the Super Regional round can be found here.

Of the eight schools, all of them have made a previous appearance at the WCWS and the field includes Florida, UCLA, and Washington. All eight teams are listed below with only Texas A&M (2008) not having made an appearance in the previous four seasons.

SeedTeamLast WCWSRecordConf.WCWS
Appearances
1Florida201555-8SEC8th
3Oregon201552-6Pac-125th
4UCLA201647-13Pac-1227th
6Washington201348-12Pac-1212th
9Texas A&M200847-11SEC8th
10Oklahoma201655-9Big 1211th
13LSU201647-20SEC6th
15Baylor201448-13Big 124th

The Women’s College World Series will get underway on Thursday, June 1 with four games scheduled for the opening day. The entire schedule can be found in the table below with the Championship Series located in a separate table.

The tables below will be updated with final scores as the games go final each day. Please note all times listed below are Eastern.

DateGameTime (EST)
TV		Team #1Team #2ScoreNotes
6/1/17Game 112 PM
ESPN		#9 Texas A&M#1 Florida0-85 Innings
6/1/17Game 22:30 PM
ESPN		#13 LSU#5 UCLA2-1
6/1/17Game 37 PM
ESPN2		#6 Wash.#3 Oregon3-1
6/1/17Game 49:30 PM
ESPN2		#15 Baylor#10 Okla.3-6
6/2/17Game 57 PM
ESPN		#1 Florida#13 LSU7-0
6/2/17Game 69:30 PM
ESPN		#10 Okla.#6 Wash.3-1
6/3/17Game 712 PM
ESPN		#5 UCLA#9 Texas A&M8-2Texas A&M Elim.
6/3/17Game 82:30 PM
ESPN		#3 Oregon#15 Baylor7-4Baylor Elim.
6/3/17Game 97 PM
ESPN		#6 Wash.#5 UCLA1-0UCLA Elim.
6/3/17Game 109:30 PM
ESPN		#13 LSU#3 Oregon1-4LSU Elim.
6/4/17Game 111 PM
ESPN		#1 Florida#6 Wash.5-2Wash. Elim.
6/4/17Game 123:30 PM
ESPN		#3 Oregon#10 Okla.2-4Possible
Elim.
Game
6/4/17Game 137 PM
ESPN2		Game 11
Winner		Game 11
Loser		If Necessary
6/4/17Game 149:30 PM
ESPN2		Game 12
Winner		Game 12
Loser		If Necessary

2017 Women’s College World Series Championship Series

DateGameTime (EST)
TV		Team #1Team #2Score
6/5/17Game 17 PM
ESPN		#10 Oklahoma#1 Florida7-5
(17 Innings)
6/6/17Game 28 PM
ESPN		#1 Florida#10 Oklahoma4-5
6/7/17Game 38 PM
ESPN		#10 Oklahoma#1 Florida

College Softball

2017 NCAA Division 1 Softball Conference Tournaments

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2017 NCAA Division 1 Softball Conference Tournaments

The regular season is coming to a close for the 2017 College Softball season, but there is still a chance for teams to make the NCAA Softball Tournament with a win in the Conference Tournament. Below are the tournaments for all conferences in NCAA Division 1 Softball.

Four conferences do not have a post season tournament and instead will award their automatic bid to the regular season champion. Those four conferences are the Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, and West Coast. The Big 12 opted to bring back their conference tournament after a six year hiatus.

The regular season champion is included below for each conference because there are several cases where the top seed in the conference is hosting the tournament. In all, there are 32 automatic bids handed out while another 32 at-large bids will be determined by the Softball Selection Committee.

ConferenceRegular
Season Champ		Tournament
Champ		DatesHost
American EastBinghamton*AlbanyMay 10 - 13Binghamton
AmericanTulsaTulsaMay 11 - 13East Carolina
ACCFlorida StateFlorida StateMay 11 - 13North Carolina
Atlantic 10FordhamFordhamMay 10 - 13George Mason
Atlantic SunUSC UpstateUSC UpstateMay 10 - 13Lipscomb
Big 12OklahomaOklahomaMay 12 - 13Neutral Site
Big EastSt. John'sDePaulMay 12 - 13DePaul
Big SkyWeber State*MontanaMay 11 - 13Weber State
Big SouthLibertyLongwoodMay 10 - 13Longwood
Big TenMinnesotaMinnesotaMay 11 - 13Michigan
Big WestCal State FullertonNo Post
Season
Tournament
ColonialJames Madison*James MadisonMay 10 - 12James Madison
C-USAMarshallLouisiana
Tech		May 10 - 13Southern Miss
HorizonIllinois-Chicago*Illinois-ChicagoMay 10 - 13UIC
IvyNorth:
Harvard
South: Princeton		PrincetonMay 6 - 7Princeton
Mid-AmericanCentral MichiganKent StateMay 10 - 13Akron
Metro AtlanticIona*FairfieldMay 10 - 13Iona
Mid-EasternNorth:
Hampton
South:
Florida A&M		Florida A&MMay 11 - 13Bethune-Cookman
Missouri ValleyNorthern IowaSouthern
Illinois		May 11 - 13Illinois State
Mountain WestSan Jose StateNo Post
Season
Tournament
NortheastSaint Francis*Saint FrancisMay 11 - 13Saint Francis
Ohio ValleyJacksonville
State		Jacksonville
State		May 10 - 13Neutral Site
Pac-12ArizonaNo Post
Season
Tournament
PatriotLehigh*LehighMay 11 - 13Lehigh
SECFloridaOle MissMay 10 - 13Tennessee
SouthernFurmanEast Tenn
State		May 10 - 13Chattanooga
SouthlandMcNeeseMcNeeseMay 10 - 12Central Arkansas
SWACEast:
Alcorn St
West:
Texas South.		Texas
Southern		May 10 - 13Alabama State
SummitIUPUINorth Dakota
State		May 10 - 13North Dakota State
Sun BeltLouisianaLouisianaMay 10 - 13Troy
WACNew Mexico
State		New Mexico
State		May 11 - 13New Mexico State
West CoastBYUNo Post
Season
Tournament

* Denotes Highest Seed Hosts Conference Tournament

One conference tournament that has already been decided was the Ivy League. Princeton defeated Harvard to win their second straight Ivy League Championship Series.

As the conference tournament champions are crowned, the table above will be filled out. The conference tournaments listed above will help determine the field for the 2017 NCAA Division 1 Softball tournament. We will find out which teams made the tournament on Sunday, May 14, 2017 at 10 PM Eastern Time on ESPN2 with the Selection Show.

The 2017 NCAA Softball Tournament will begin on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 16 campus sites with the Regional round. The Regional round is contested in a double elimination format with each Regional having four teams. The 16 teams who win their Regional will move on to the Super Regional where they will compete in a best-of-three series to be held between May 25 and May 28.

The 8 winners of the Super Regional round will move on to the 2017 Women’s College World Series to be played in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma starting on Thursday, June 1. The Championship Series will begin Monday, June 5 with a best-of-three format to determine the winner of the 2017 Women’s College World Series.

College Softball

Oklahoma Wins 2016 NCAA Division 1 Softball Title

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(Photo Courtesy of OU Softball on Twitter)
(Photo Courtesy of OU Softball on Twitter)

Oklahoma Wins 2016 NCAA Division 1 Softball Title

The Oklahoma Sooners won the 2016 NCAA Division 1 Softball Championship with an exciting 2-1 win over Auburn in game three of the Championship Series. It was the third National Championship for Oklahoma after winning in 2000 and 2013.

Oklahoma (57-8), as they had done in both games 1 and 2, started the scoring. A one out single by Caleigh Clifton was followed by two throwing errors on Game 2 heroine Emily Carosone that allowed Clifton to score. Fale Aviu brought home Shay Knighten two batters later to make it 2-0 Sooners after one inning.

Auburn (58-12) started the top of the second with straight singles, but went down in order to end the bright start to the innings. The Tigers had an even better opportunity in the third with an error by Oklahoma’s Paige Parker allowing Victoria Draper to reach first. Singles by Tiffany Howard and Kasey Cooper loaded the bases for Carosone, but she struck out and a double play ground ball by Carlee Wallace ended the scoring chance.

Auburn finally broke through in the top of the third with a rocket of lead off home run by Jade Rhodes. That made it 2-1 in favor of Oklahoma while Parker would give up a walk to force some action in the Sooner bullpen. Parker got out of the inning with no further damage by retiring the next three batters.

 

Oklahoma had a chance to pad their 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth with two on and two out, but a Lea Wodach ground out ended the inning.

The top of the seventh started with Parker striking out Madi Gipson. Parker then induced a pop out from Whitney Jordan before a nerve racking 11 pitch at bat to Courtney Shea led to the Championship clinching victory.

Parker (38-3) went the distance giving up just the one run on five hits while striking out 5 batters to win her 27th straight start. She was named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after going 10-0 in the postseason and 5-0 in the WCWS. The Sooners won 32 of their final 33 games en route to the Title.

Jade Rhodes was the sole Auburn player to record multiple going 2 for 3 including the solo shot in the fourth inning. Makayla Martin went a solid six innings giving up two runs on five hits. The Tigers were attempting to win their first softball National Championship.

Oklahoma becomes the third team to win at least three National Championships after UCLA and Arizona.

College Softball

Walk Off Grand Slam By Auburn Ties Up WCWS Championship Series

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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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

DateGame NumberTime (Eastern)
TV		Team #1Team #2Final ScoreNotes
6/6/2016Game #18 PM
ESPN		#4 Auburn#3 Oklahoma2-3Recap
6/7/2016Game #28 PM
ESPN		#3 Oklahoma#4 Auburn7-11 (8 Innings)Recap
6/8/2016Game #37 PM
ESPN		#4 Auburn#3 Oklahoma1-2Oklahoma Wins 2016 National Championship
College Softball

Oklahoma Takes Game 1 of 2016 WCWS Championship Series

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Softball pic

Oklahoma Takes Game 1 of 2016 WCWS Championship Series

The Oklahoma Sooners fended off a late seventh inning rally by Auburn to win the first game of the 2016 WCWS Championship Series 3-2. Sydney Romero’s three run shot in the third inning proved to be the difference.

The Sooners’ Kelsey Arnold drew a walk to start the bottom of the third followed by a bunt by Erin Miller that put two on with no outs. After Auburn forced a strike out and fly out, Romero came up and hit a three run shot to left-center to give the Sooners a 3-0 lead.

The Sooners loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth after three straight hits by Miller, Caleigh Clifton, and Shay Knighten. Romero came up with one out, but grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sooners still leading 3-2.

The Auburn Tigers did not have many chances to score in the first six innings, but that changed dramatically in the seventh. Carlee Wallace drew a lead off walk before Jade Rhodes lifted a two run shot over the center field wall to close the deficit to one run.

The Tigers were not done threatening as Haley Fagan singled up the middle and a throwing error by Paige Parker on a hit back to her allowed runners to be on second and third with only one out. The Sooners forced a ground ball fielder’s choice that threw the runner out at home thanks to a heads up play by Knighten. That gave Auburn two outs with runners on the corners, but Tiffany Howard popped out to end the game.

Parker got the win for Oklahoma after throwing a complete game allowing four hits and three walks with only one strikeout. She threw 91 pitches in the game to push her 2016 Tournament total to 955. She has won 26 straight starts in the circle.

Lexi Davis, the surprise starter for Auburn, pitch 6 innings giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks with only one strikeout. Davis had only pitched one inning in the NCAA Tournament prior to this game.

Game Two of the 2016 WCWS Championship Series will be on Tuesday at 8 PM Eastern Time. Auburn will be the home team as they look to stave off elimination while Oklahoma would capture their third National Championship with a win.