College Softball World Series 2021: Semifinal Scores, Oklahoma vs. FSU Title Preview
The Women's College World Series championship field is set.
No. 1 seed Oklahoma will take on Florida State in a best-of-three series for college softball's ultimate crown, having punched their tickets to the national championship after a pair of winner-take-all semifinal games on Monday.
The second semifinal games were originally scheduled for Sunday but were pushed back a day due to weather delays.
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Here's how things went down on Monday, plus a look at what's to come when the final series gets going on Tuesday.
Florida State 8, Alabama 5
Alabama pitcher Montana Fouts threw a perfect game against UCLA on Saturday, but two days later, she couldn't pull it together against the Seminoles. Fouts gave up six hits and had six earned runs through 2.2 innings as Florida State used a pair of monstrous innings to go up 8-0.
The Seminoles scored three runs in the first, one in the second and then tacked on four in the third, led by a strong performance from leadoff hitter Kaley Mudge. The left fielder had a hit in all three innings to lead the charge.
Elizabeth Mason also tacked on a three-run home run.
The Crimson Tide finally got things going in the bottom of the third, when T Clark and E Brown both came around to score after reaching on singles. That seemed to rattle the Seminoles, who didn't score again but allowed the Crimson Tide to score three more runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Of those, two came on a two-run blast by Bailey Hemphill.
The late homer by Alabama prompted Florida State to go to the bullpen for Danielle Watson, who relieved Caylan Arnold. Arnold had stepped in after Kathryn Sandercock finished three innings and was credited with the two runs from Alabama's third-inning action.
But it wasn't enough to overcome the beating the Seminoles put together in the early innings, which was largely led by the top of their order. Mudge, Sydney Sherrill and Mason combined to hit .667 with six RBI in the win.
Oklahoma 7, James Madison 1
Unseeded JMU upset top-seeded Oklahoma in the opening game of the entire tournament, so it's only right that this matchup would decide a finalist. Oklahoma staved off elimination against Georgia and No. 2 UCLA to work its way back into a battle with James Madison, and in the first rematch, handled the Dukes 6-3.
The Sooners completed their run through the elimination bracket with a 7-1 win Monday.
A pair of big innings for the Sooners forced JMU ace Odicci Alexander—who ended her NCAA tournament having thrown 1,057 pitches—out of the circle in the fifth inning and paved the way for Oklahoma to make it into the championship.
But it was James Madison that started out hot. Kate Gordon, who was the hero in the opening game, homered on the first pitch of the game to open the scoring.
Logan Newton also singled in that inning, but that was where the production stopped for the Dukes.
JMU was no-hit for the next four innings, as a complete role-reversal took place. The Sooners, who were blanked by Alexander through three innings, picked things up in the bottom of the fourth.
A Nicole Mendes leadoff triple set the tone, then she scored on a wild pitch. Lynnsie Elam, who reached on a fielder's choice, came around on an RBI single from Jana Johns.
While that was all OU needed to end the Dukes' impressive run in their first World Series appearance, a pair of two-run doubles broke it open in the bottom of the fifth and forced a pitching change.
But there was plenty of recognition for Alexander, who was pitching through a foot injury she picked up when her landing foot was hit by a pitch in Sunday's semifinal Game 1.
She finished her NCAA tournament run with a 6-2 record and a 2.92 ERA, fanning 66 and walking 28 through 64.2 innings:
On the other side, Oklahoma pitcher Giselle Juarez recovered from the rough first inning to end with 10 strikeouts and no walks, allowing just two more hits in the ensuing innings.
A solo homer from Oklahoma's Jocelyn Alo in the bottom of the sixth put the finishing touches on the victory to advance to Tuesday's championship series.
Finals Preview
Oklahoma's powerhouse offense proved to be a test for anyone who encountered it during the season. With an NCAA-best .411 team batting average, the Sooners lost just twice during the regular season, to Oklahoma State and Georgia.
The Sooners took two of three against Oklahoma State during the regular season, but Juarez was rocked by the Cowgirls in the teams' regular-season meeting, giving up five runs on five hits and striking out just two over 2.1 innings. Freshman Nicole May was stronger in 3.2 innings of relief.
When Florida State faced Oklahoma State in the elimination bracket, they forced their way past three different pitchers largely thanks to strong play from their leadoff hitter, Mudge, who went 2-for-4 with a hit and an RBI.
Mudge featured even more prominently on Monday, going 5-for-5 with two RBI, two runs and standout defense in left field.
But the key to their success throughout the season has come on the defensive side of the ball, where Sandercock stars in the circle and two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year Sherrill doesn't back down at third base.
Sherrill earned her third All-ACC first-team nod after leading the nation with 11 doubles, becoming the conference's all-time leader. As for Sandercock, she posted 21 wins during the regular season with a 1.17 ERA through 119.2 innings.
This series could come down to a rubber match, though. Against a high-powered offense like Oklahoma's, the Seminoles will need Sherrill and the rest of the defense to be on their game to get past the Sooners.
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