Oklahoma Advances to Women’s College World Series with 4-2 Win Over Florida State
Only eight teams can punch their ticket to the Women’s College World Series each year, and there are now just seven spots available after No. 2 Oklahoma claimed their place with a 4-2 win over No. 15 Florida State.
Florida State didn’t make it easy on the Sooners, though. They stayed within striking distance of the lead all the way up to the final plate appearance, but eventually, the Sooners prevailed and the celebration ensued shortly thereafter.
The victory marks OU’s 18th consecutive postseason victory—an NCAA record—and their 16th straight win in Super Regional play, dating back to the 2015 season.
Kierston Deal drew the start for Oklahoma in the circle but went just 2.1 innings before she was pulled in lieu of Karlie Keeney. After going 2.2 innings, Keeney was awarded the win (6-1), and the Sooners opted to let senior Nicole May close out the final 2.0 innings of the night. OU allowed six total hits, two earned runs, one BB, and, incredibly, not a single strikeout.
Meanwhile, Florida State opted to roll with Ashtyn Danley for the first inning before handing the ball to Makenna Reid, who went 2.0 IP. Danley would reenter and go 3.1 IP. The Noles also threw Mimi Gooden, who was noted with the loss (5-2) after giving up two earned runs on three hits in the fourth inning.
The Sooners left 11 runners on base and went a combined 8-of-28 (.286) at the plate. Florida State left six runners on base and went 6-of-28 (.214) at the plate. Both teams managed just 1-of-6 (.167) with runners in scoring position, while OU was 3-of-17 (.176) with runners on, where FSU was 1-for-10 (.100).
The game was defined by defensive plays all over the field, and particularly for the Sooners. There were multiple web gem moments from Oklahoma defenders, the first of which came from centerfielder Jayda Coleman in the fifth inning.
This is almost expected behavior from Coleman, who has been the best centerfielder in the nation for pretty much her entire career.
The next stunning play came from first baseman Cydney Sanders, who made a nearly impossible catch in the sixth as she laid out to secure a foul ball in front of the FSU dugout.
Oklahoma appears be playing its best ball at the best time, a quality that has become a staple of Patty Gasso teams. Even with a program like Florida State in town, the Sooners found a way to stay one step ahead despite logging no strikeouts and going sub-.300 at the plate.
The Sooners scored their runs with excellent base running, an opportune moment following a wild pitch, and on the wings of a moon shot from freshman Kasidi Pickering. After an 11-run showing on Thursday, OU showed once again that it can win ugly games, too. That should come as no surprise, as the Sooners have now won 174 of their last 184 games.
Oklahoma will now get to wait and see how the rest of the field plays out over the weekend and will finish out its season in a stadium it is more familiar with than even Love’s Field, as Devon Park—formerly known as Hall of Fame Stadium—awaits, just 30 miles north.
