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Florida downs Oklahoma in WCWS semis, snaps Sooners’ D1 record win streak
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Florida moved one step closer to the Women’s College World Series championship series on Monday, beating Oklahoma 9-3 to force a win-and-in game on Tuesday against the defending champs.
Fueled by 4 home runs — 2 from Skylar Wallace — the Gators were able to do to OU what few have in recent years. The win ended OU’s Division 1 record 20-game winning streak at the NCAA Tournament. Late into the afternoon affair, Florida threatened to run-rule the Sooners for the first time ever at the WCWS.
Now, the Gators have to do it again. To end the Sooners’ quest for a 4-peat, the Gators will have to beat them again on Tuesday at X p.m. ET.
Florida jumped all over Oklahoma and just never let up, plating runs in each of the first 5 innings.
An RBI single from Reagan Walsh scored the game’s opening run in the first. In the second, Kendra Falby hit an inside-the-park home run to go up 2. Wallace immediately followed that at-bat up with a solo shot to right field to go up 3. Ava Brown hit an RBI double in the third to score a fourth.
Then in the bottom of the fourth inning, Walsh cracked a 3-run home run to left to put the Gators up 7-1.
Starting on the mound for OU was Nicole May, who entered the game with a 14-2 record on the season. She’d given up just 1 earned run in her previous 4 appearances while striking out 18 combined batters.
She lasted just 2 innings before OU had to go to the bullpen. May was given the loss after surrendering 6 hits, 4 earned runs, and 2 homers in 55 pitches.
Florida’s Keagan Rothrock got her 33rd win of the season with a complete game performance. She struck out 3 and walked 7, but worked around danger to give up just 3 runs to a dangerous OU lineup.
The Gators nearly ran aground in the top of the seventh when the strike zone shrunk and OU got walks from 4 of its first 5 at-bats. Oklahoma’s Tiare Jennings drew a leadoff walk, but a timely double-play right after cleared the board. OU lined it right to first and Florida made the play.
Rothrock then walked 3 straight batters to load the bases. Facing Rylie Boone, Rothrock got an easy fly-out to right field to hand the Sooners their final out.
Oklahoma was the betting favorite to win the WCWS at the outset, given -160 odds by DraftKings. Florida (+1000) had the third-shortest of the 8 participants. Texas (+300) and Stanford (+1800) are battling in the other semifinal.
The if-necessary game was originally scheduled to be played later on Monday. A weather delay to begin the day pushed that game into Tuesday.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
