Category: Softball

No. 1 Oklahoma vs No. 3 Florida State: WCWS championship key players, game preview, prediction

Women’s College World Series Championship preview between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 3 Florida State: How to watch, key players and prediction.

After surviving the Women’s College World Series field unscathed, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles meet in the championship series starting Wednesday night.

This year’s championship is a rematch of the 2021 series that the Oklahoma Sooners won after dropping Game 1 of the three-game series. In 2021, Florida State was the No. 10 seed in the tournament and had to overcome an opening day loss in the WCWS, beating third-seeded Alabama twice to get to the finals.

This year, both the Sooners and Seminoles were the highest remaining seeds in the WCWS after UCLA was bounced in the Los Angeles Regional. Neither team suffered a loss in Oklahoma City, setting up a showdown of national powerhouses.

Led by Patty Gasso and Lonni Alameda, the two schools have rich histories. The Sooners have five more championships than Florida State, but the Seminoles have reached the championship series three times in the last six years and won it in 2018.

Here’s a look at the matchup between the No.1 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 3 Florida State Seminoles for the NCAA championship.

Oregon HS softball team wins state championship game without a hit

Here’s how it happened.

Hitting certainly helps, but a softball team in the Pacific Northwest has proven that you can win a state championship game without it.

According to an account by Grayson Weir at Outkick, Sheldon High School in Oregon won their state title over Oregon City this past weekend without recording a single hit.

Here’s how it happened.

“Riley retired her 19th-straight batter for the first out, but hit Brooke Peterson, the 20th Irish batter of the afternoon. She was her team’s first (!!) baserunner of the game. From there, Sheldon advanced the runner on what was supposed to be a sacrifice bunt. However, the Oregon City third baseman was way off-line with her throw to first. Peterson advanced to third on the wild throw, at which point she collided with Riley — who was covering the base… She then ran home on purpose…”

The umpire ruled interference due to the collision at third, so even though Riley was thrown out at home she was ruled safe. That resulted in a score and a 1-0 win for Sheldon.

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Tiare Jennings provides magical moment in Sooners win over Stanford

Oklahoma found the magic one more time in their 4-2 win over the Stanford Cardinal to advance to the Women’s College World Series championship.

At this point, what more is there to say about the Oklahoma Sooners? We are witnesses to one of the greatest runs in collegiate athletics of all time.

Their 4-2 win over Stanford was another feather in the cap of one of the greatest teams in the history of college softball. And they earned their win in a way that’s becoming all too commonplace for the Oklahoma Sooners: a clutch hit from one of their best players with two strikes in the at-bat.

They did it on Thursday against NiJaree Canady, and they did it again in the top of the ninth when Tiare Jennings took the 0-2 pitch to the gap in right-center to score two and put the Sooners ahead for good.

It was a moment of a player harnessing a short memory and making a play in the biggest moment of the game.

Tiare Jennings was 0-4 on the day and was 0-5 against Canady in the two games in the Women’s College World Series.

And that’s why Stanford head coach Jessica Allister elected to walk Jayda Coleman. The Cardinal had Jennings’ number, but this time Tiare answered the call.

“Tiare has this ability to get locked in like nobody I’ve ever seen as well,” Patty Gasso said after the win. “Her swing just looked kind of easy. It looked pretty free and easy and ran right into it at the right time.”

Oklahoma’s lineup creates lose-lose situations for opposing coaches. Pitch to Jayda Coleman, who hit a home run earlier in the game, or to Jennings, who had struggled against the Cardinal. In Jennings’ mind, walking Coleman didn’t change what she needed to do. She knew the Sooners were going to need her in that moment.

“I didn’t know they were going to do that to Jayda,” Jennings said. “It kind of didn’t matter to me. Either way, I was going to have to find a way to either get on or help my team as best I can… I was going to battle. But I was going to keep swinging and just do whatever I can to help the team.”

And just as she has on so many occasions in her three-year career with the Oklahoma Sooners, Tiare Jennings made the magic happen. And it was fitting that the two-RBI double set the record for most runs batted in in a Women’s College World Series.

On her 21st birthday, Jennings was the gift to Sooner Nation, giving Oklahoma the lift it needed to advance to their fourth-straight Women’s College World Series championship.

Twitter reaction to Lady Vols’ softball season ending in College World Series

A look at Twitter reaction to the Lady Vols’ 2023 softball season ending in the Women’s College World Series.

No. 3 national seed Florida State (58-9) defeated the No. 4 Tennessee (50-10) Monday in the Women’s College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The loss ends Tennessee’s 2023 season.

Tennessee won both the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament championships in 2023. The Lady Vols won 50 games in a season for the first time since 2013.

Tennessee advanced to the Women’s College World Series national semifinals for the first time since 2013. The Lady Vols’ appearance in the Women’s College World Series was the program’s first since 2015 and eighth all time.

PHOTOS: Tennessee softball defeats Alabama in College World Series

Below is social media buzz following Tennessee being eliminated from the Women’s College World Series.

Florida State eliminates Lady Vols from College World Series

Florida State eliminates Tennessee softball from the Women’s College World Series.

No. 3 national seed Florida State (58-9) defeated the No. 4 Tennessee (50-10) Monday in the Women’s College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The loss ends Tennessee’s 2023 season. The Lady Vols won both the SEC regular-season title and conference tournament championship.

Tennessee led, 1-0, in the first inning. Zaida Puni hit a solo home run, which was the first of three hits for Tennessee against the Seminoles.

Lair Beautae and Rylie West each recorded a single for Tennessee in the contest.

Florida State tied the game, 1-1, on a home run by Michaela Edenfield in the second inning. Bethaney Kern hit a solo home run for Florida State in the third inning.

Florida State extended its advantage to, 4-1, in the sixth inning on a two-run home run by Hallie Wacaser.

PHOTOS: Tennessee softball defeats Alabama in College World Series

Oklahoma advances to WCWS Championship with 4-2 win over Stanford

After trailing 2-0 in the first, Nicole May and Jordy Bahl combined for eight scoreless innings and Tiare Jennings hit the go ahead double in the ninth to send Oklahoma to the WCWS Championship Series.

Oklahoma was tested once again and passed it with flying colors against the Stanford Cardinal, picking up their 51st win in a row, 4-2 in extra innings.

Nicole May and Alana Vawter got the start for their respective sides. Both pitched well before giving way to [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] and NiJaree Canady, who recreated their pitcher’s duel from Thursday, with the Sooners coming out on top once again.

Stanford started fast in the first inning. They had three hits in the inning, highlighted by Kylie Chung’s two-run home run to give Stanford a 2-0 lead right out of the gate. Each of the three hits came with two strikes in the at-bat.

Oklahoma then scored in the second inning thanks to a sac-fly by [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] that brought home [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] to make it 2-1 after two innings. [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] then opened the third inning with a home run that tied it after three innings 2-2. It was Coleman’s 17th home run of the season and is tied for the team lead.

The game was a stalemate the rest of the way as Bahl and Canady put on a pitching clinic. The two underclassmen were fantastic. Even when they gave up a hit, found ways to work around trouble.

In the top of the ninth inning, Oklahoma finally found some separation when, after a leadoff double by [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag] and an intentional walk to Coleman, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] doubled to right field to make it 4-2.

In the bottom of the ninth, Bahl made quick work of the Cardinal, retiring them in order, including two strikeouts.

After allowing two runs on three hits in the first inning, [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] rallied to retire the side in the next four frames against Stanford. It wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth that she allowed the fourth hit of the game. She collected three strikeouts and didn’t allow a walk in what turned out to be a clutch performance.

Bahl threw four innings, allowing four hits and collecting six strikeouts to pick up her 21st win of the tournament.

For Stanford, Vawter allowed four hits and two runs while also having two strikeouts. Canady was the star for the Cardinal. She allowed four hits and two runs on four hits and picked up six strikeouts.

Game 1 of the WCWS Championship will start on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT, and will be broadcast on ESPN. It’s Oklahoma’s fourth straight trip to the Women’s College World Series Championship and

The Sooners will face the winner of No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 4 Tennessee.

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Twitter Reacts to Sooners 4-2 win over Stanford to advance to WCWS Championship

The Sooners took the lead on Tiare Jennings two-run double in the top of the ninth and Jordy Bahl closed the door on Stanford to set Social Media on fire.

In the UFC, they say, “styles make fights.” That was certainly on display in the semifinal of the Women’s College World Series.

The Oklahoma Sooners and Stanford Cardinal recreated their pitchers’ duel from Thursday with another spectacular game, highlighting fantastic pitching throughout the extra-inning contest.

In the end, the Oklahoma Sooners came out on top, 4-2, to move on to their fourth consecutive Women’s College World Series championship.

Stanford jumped to an early 2-0 lead on a Kylie Chung two-run home run. Oklahoma picked up a run in the top of the second and third innings to tie it.

After that first inning, when Nicole May struggled to put away hitters when she had two strikes, she was lights out. May retired the side in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings before giving up a hit to lead off the sixth. Patty Gasso went to Jordy Bahl, who still hasn’t allowed a run in the Women’s College World Series.

Neither May or Bahl gave up a free pass in the game.

And that set the stage for another “Sooner Magic” moment.

Grace Lyons led off the top of the ninth with a double and advanced on a Rylie Boone groundout. With two outs, Stanford elected to walk Jayda Coleman to pitch to Tiare Jennings, who was 0-4.

Facing NiJaree Canady on her birthday, Jennings was down 0-2 and then knocked a line drive into the gap in right-center. Lyons and Coleman came around to give Oklahoma the 4-2 lead.

It was another incredibly clutch performance for this team, which always seems to rise to the occasion. It was another amazing win in the 2023 season, their 51st in a row. And now the Oklahoma Sooners are on their way to defend their back-to-back national championships.

PHOTOS: Ashley Rogers pitches complete-game win versus Oklahoma State

PHOTOS: Lady Vols win elimination-game versus Oklahoma State softball in Women’s College World Series

No. 4 seed Tennessee (51-9, 19-5 SEC) defeated No. 6 Oklahoma State (47-16, 10-8 Big 12), 3-1, Sunday in the Women’s College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Ashley Rogers (20-1) pitched a seven-inning complete game win for the Lady Vols. She allowed four hits, two walks and one earned run, while recording four strikeouts.

Rogers totaled 136 pitches, including 85 strikes, versus 26 Oklahoma State batters.

The Lady Vols will next play No. 3 Florida State on Monday. First pitch between Tennessee and the Seminoles is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and will be televised by ESPN.

Below are photos of Tennessee’s elimination-game win versus Oklahoma State on Sunday in the Women’s College World Series.

Lady Vols to play Florida State in College World Series

Lady Vols to play Florida State softball in the Women’s College World Series.

No. 4 seed Tennessee (51-9, 19-5 SEC) defeated No. 6 Oklahoma State (47-16, 10-8 Big 12), 3-1, Sunday in the Women’s College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Lady Vols will next play No. 3 Florida State on Monday. First pitch between Tennessee and the Seminoles is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and will be televised by ESPN.

A win by Tennessee would force another contest versus Florida State, approximately 35 minutes following the conclusion of game one.

The Lady Vols have one loss in Women’s College World Series play, while Florida State enters Monday’s contest undefeated.

PHOTOS: Tennessee softball defeats Alabama in College World Series

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Day 5 of the Women’s College World Series: semifinal matchups set, how to watch

The semifinals are set for the Women’s College World Series. Here are the matchups and how you can tune in.

And then there were four. The Oklahoma Sooners and Florida State Seminoles have managed to get through their respective brackets unscathed and are just one win away from setting up a rematch of the 2021 Women’s College World Series.

Oklahoma will take on Stanford, who they beat 2-0 on Thursday to open the WCWS. Florida State will face Tennessee, who bounced back from their 9-0 loss to Oklahoma to eliminate Oklahoma State on Sunday.

Monday’s action promises to be a fun one, and by the end of it, we’ll know who will be facing off in the Women’s College World Series championship.

The Sooners and the Cardinals will kick off the day in the early time slot while the Seminoles and Volunteers get the primetime matchup. Both games can be seen on ESPN.

Here’s a look at Monday’s matchups and how to watch.

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Stanford, 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.*

No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 4 Tennessee, 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.*

*If necessary games to follow each of the semifinal matchups.

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