Winner-Take-All Game For Women’s College World Series

The Oklahoma Sooners aren’t going out without a fight. In the second game of the 2021 Women’s College World Series, the No. 1 seeded Sooners used their home advantage to defeat No. 10 Florida State Wednesday, 6-2. The Seminoles won game one of the series Tuesday, 8-4. Both teams will battle it out in the winner-take-all matchup Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City.

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Oklahoma Ties Series in Game 2

The Sooners had a slow start to the second game of the series after FSU claimed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Elizabeth Mason launched a home run to left center, allowing her and teammate Sydney Sherrill to score.

Oklahoma made it on the board at the top of the third after Jana Johns homered to left field. It was a quiet few innings, until the top of the sixth, where things took a turn for the Sooners. Jocelyn Alo hit a home run to right center, allowing both her and Tiare Jennings to score. Next came Mackenzie Donihoo’s hit, singling up the middle, leaving Rylie Boone to run home. To end their sixth-inning scoring streak, Jayda Coleman singled up the middle, and Nicole Mendes scored. At the end of the sixth, Oklahoma led 5-2.

Alo’s home run in the sixth was the Sooners’ 159 of the season. This breaks the NCAA’s single-season record, which was set by Hawaii in 2010. Oklahoma reached this historic mark in just 59 games, while the former record holders, the Rainbow Wahine, had taken 66 games to reach the honor, per ESPN.

To top off the win, Mendes flew out to left field, and Alo secured her second score of the day in the seventh. The Seminoles couldn’t bounce back in the end, leaving the final score 6-2 Oklahoma.

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Natty Battle

The Seminoles proved in the first game of the series that they could play and defeat a No. 1 seed team. Yet the Sooners’ offense struck in game 2, leaving the Seminoles in the dust.

“My hitters gave us a chance to win that game,” Oklahoma pitcher Giselle Juarez said. “And I think I just had to do my job, and that’s what I did. I’m excited because now we’re right there.”

FSU’s Mason said the Seminoles are ready for the final matchup and are putting the loss behind them.

“Any game, win or loss, is just a rearview mirror game,” Mason said. “You put it behind you. It doesn’t affect the next game. We knew that they were going to come out swinging today. We knew they’d be a different team today. So we’ll be a different team tomorrow.”