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Oklahoma walks off Florida in extras to reach WCWS final, keep quest for unprecedented 4-peat alive
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Oklahoma had more than twice as many comeback wins at the Women’s College Series as anyone else since 2000. Set aside all of the other incredible facts about this Oklahoma softball machine under coach Patty Gasso; this one defines the program. OU’s senior class hadn’t lost an elimination game during their time in Norman.
On Tuesday, in a do-or-die game against Florida where the winner advanced to the WCWS Championship Series, Oklahoma forced extra innings with a clutch sixth-inning single and then crushed a walk-off home run to left field in the bottom of the eighth to win 6-5.
The Sooners trailed 5-2 after 3 innings. Their quest for a 4-peat — something that has never been done in WCWS history — carries on regardless.
Tuesday marked OU’s 21st comeback win at the WCWS. The next closest school has 8.
OU looked more vulnerable than normal this season. That was true on Monday when the Gators upset Gasso’s group to force this winner-take-all rematch. And it was true again throughout Tuesday afternoon’s affair.
But Sooner Magic is something else. And the champs are still very much alive. A senior, Jayda Coleman, provided the walk-off shot to set up a Red River title fight with Texas.
THE SOONERS WALK IT OFF❗️#WCWS x ESPN / @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/aHN2fC4WZS
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) June 4, 2024
Jocelyn Erickson, an Oklahoma transfer, got things rolling in the first inning with a 1-out, 2-run homer off OU ace Kelly Maxwell. The Sooners answered right back in the bottom of the frame when Ella Parker followed up a Tiare Jennings double with a home run to center that tied the game.
In the second inning, Florida opened with a leadoff walk before Ariel Kowalewski homered to restore the 2-run lead. In the third, Reagan Walsh hit a solo shot to extend the lead to 3.
Florida didn’t score again the rest of the way.
Maxwell, who pitched a complete game, locked in on the mound from the third inning on. She finished with 8 strikeouts and retired 15 of the final 19 batters she faced. With a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth, Florida had a runner on second with just 1 out on the board but got nothing from it.
In the bottom of the sixth, Parker cracked an RBI single to center field that tied the game.
Kelly Rothrock pitched for the Gators, giving up 12 hits with 5 walks, and recording just 3 strikeouts. The Sooners got a 2-run home run off her in the fourth inning, and they threatened to end things in regulation later. In the bottom of the seventh, Rothrock found herself in a jam after a 1-out double was followed up with a walk. She struck out the next batter and then got a fly ball to end the inning and keep the Gators alive.
But Florida’s offense just couldn’t get off the ground. Maxwell threw 7 pitches total to get 3 groundouts and bring the bats back out.
Coleman took the fourth pitch of her leadoff at-bat out of the yard to win the game.
Oklahoma, the 2-seed in the WCWS, has won 3 straight national championships. No team has won 4 in a row. The Sooners will need to beat 1-seed Texas to make history.
Texas won 2-of-3 against the Sooners in Austin from April 5-7. Oklahoma got revenge with a 5-1 win in the Big 12 Tournament championship game.
The best-of-3 series begins on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. At FanDuel, Oklahoma (-120) is the early betting favorite to win the series. The Sooners (-120) are also the moneyline favorite to win Game 1 on Wednesday.
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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.
