Oklahoma wins the 2021 Women's College World Series
No. 1 Oklahoma wins the 2021 national championship with 5-1 victory over No. 10 Florida State
The Sooners have done it. The top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners have fought their way out of the losers bracket and back from a loss in Game 1 to win the national championship 5-1 over the Florida State Seminoles.
G Juarez pitched the best series of her career in the biggest moment of her career. The veteran pitcher allowed just two hits and notched seven strikeouts in the victory. She posted a 0.90 ERA, went 5-0 and dished out 38 Ks in the tournament.
The Sooners picked up their fifth ever national championship and the third title since 2016. Jocelyn Alo, the National Player of the Year, won her first title with the program. She went 2-for-3 today with a solo home run to get the Sooners on the board first. Jayda Coleman had a huge game offensively, she hit a solo-bomb after Alo's and then drilled a two-RBI double to give the Sooners a 5-1 lead.
Kinzie Hansen had a standout WCWS appearance for the Sooners. NCAA.com's Michella Chester asked her what this moment was like, and she got emotional:
Congratulations to the Florida State Seminoles on a tremendous run in the WCWS this year.
The Sooners take a 5-1 lead
The Sooners have taken a 5-1 lead with a three-RBI double from Jayda Coleman. Tiare Jennings opened the inning with a base hit and FSU head coach Lonni Alameda decided to take Danielle Watson out of the game and went with Emma Wilson in the circle. Kinzie Hansen and Mackenzie Donihoo walked to load the bases before a wild pitch allowed one run to score for the Sooners. Coleman then had another opportunity to make something happen. She sent a deep ball to left field off the wall to score three runs and give this OU team a big lead in this winner-takes-all Game 3.
FSU is now going with their ace, Kathryn Sandercock again to try and slow this Sooner roll.
The Sooners tack on 3️⃣ in the third and now hold a 5-1 heading into the fourth!
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 10, 2021
📺 @espn#WCWS x @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/Wd6LbAqPUm
FSU cuts the deficit in half with assist from the sun
Another Sooner homer! OU leads 2-0
One from the vet, one from the rookie. Jayda Coleman just went oppo for the second Sooner home run of the day to give OU a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. And just as they tied the WCWS home run record, Coleman's rocket just broke the record with their 15th team home run of the week.
That ball was 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃! 🔥 @jaydac00 #WCWS x 🎥 @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/2TbrTNFAD3
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 10, 2021
Jocelyn Alo doing Player of the Year things, hits solo bomb for 1-0 lead
Jocelyn Alo hit another home run against the Seminoles, this time for the 1-0 lead in this decisive Game 3. This is now the first time in this best-of-three series that Oklahoma has taken the first lead in the game. Oklahoma just tied the WCWS home run record with their 14th of the series.
💣 No. 34 of the season for @78jocelyn_alo gives the Sooners the early lead!
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 10, 2021
📺 @espn#WCWS x @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/rIL01Crb8p
Oklahoma vs. Florida State, Game 3 — pregame
After a year off from the WCWS, all 17 games will be needed this year for the first time in history. No. 1 Oklahoma will take on No. 10 Florida State in a winner-take-all national title matchup at 3 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Game 1 saw an 8-4 FSU victory and a stunning performance and execution from the Noles. They contained the OU offense and put up a season-high amount of runs against the Sooners. Game 2, the Oklahoma offense came alive. It started with a Jocelyn Alo bomb to break open the game and it was difficult to stop from there.
Today, FSU is going with what worked for them in Game 1 and they are throwing Danielle Watson to start. Oklahoma had a similar thought, as they are starting G Juarez again after her standout performance in Game 2.
Here is the OU starting lineup:
Here is the FSU starting lineup:
Oklahoma, Florida State play in decisive Game 3 Thursday
It all comes down to this. The 2021 DI softball national champion will be named Thursday as No. 1 seed Oklahoma and No. 10 seed Florida State take the field at 3 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPN after Florida State took Game 1 8-4, with Oklahoma bouncing back to win Game 2 6-2.
Click or tap here to view live stats from Game 3. Florida State will try to win its second national championship in the last three Women's College World Series, after winning in 2018, while Oklahoma is aiming for its fifth national championship and its third out of five tries.
Oklahoma takes down FSU 6-2, forces Game 3 for the national championship
G Juarez struck out two in the bottom of the seventh and the Sooners forced a Game 3 to decide the national championship. This is now the first time in history that all 17 games are needed to decide the national championship.
The Sooners came alive in the top of the sixth after a slow start to the game. Patty Gasso said "we are better than this," gathered the troops, and then Jocelyn Alo came out and hit a two-run bomb to start the run. It was a "championship inning," further proving that this OU team doesn't like to lose once, let alone twice.
G Juarez threw an absolute gem in the outing. After giving up the first two-run home run to Elizabeth Mason in the bottom of the first, she was lights out. Just four hits allowed and six Ks. She too fed off of the momentum and got better as the game progressed. Alo went 3-for-3 with two RBI and the monumental home run. Kinzie Hansen had a hot bat today with two hits, Jana Johns had a solo HR and Mackenzie Donihoo continued her WCWS dominance with two hits on the game and an RBI — plus this INSANE catch in left field:
AIR DONIHOO! 🤯 @kkenzienncole
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 10, 2021
📺 @espn#WCWS x @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/OifottN6mA
OU has still yet to lose two games in a row this season. Game 3 of the championship series will be Thursday, June 10, at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Four losses on the season and @OU_Softball has avenged 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦! #WCWS pic.twitter.com/5qN9sXJx16
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 10, 2021
The Sooners are still rolling, get three more runs in top of the sixth
The Sooners have officially chased FSU starter Kathryn Sandercock out of the game. And in typical Sooner fashion, things have gotten hot, fast. Donihioo sent an RBI-single through to the outfield and FSU decided to make the change to Caylan Arnold with Jayda Coleman on deck. Jayda Coleman kept the momentum up and singled up the middle to score Mendes, making it a 5-2 game for the Sooners. This was all with no outs.
Grace Lyons laid down a sac-bunt to advance the runners before Arnold walked Jana Johns to load the bases. Arnold was able to get them out of the jam forcing a foul-out and fly-out from Lynssie Elam and Jennings to end the explosive OU inning.
Oklahoma takes the lead off of Jocelyn Alo two-run bomb
A record-breaking smash for Jocelyn Alo, and just like that the Sooners take the lead in this decisive Game 2. Tiare Jennings reached on an FSU error and the National Player of the Year stepped up to the plate — exactly who they want up in this moment. Alo crushed a home run over the center field wall to give the Sooners a 3-2 lead and break the NCAA single-season home run record. OU has now hit 159 home runs this season.
Kinzie Hansen and Nicole Mendes each singled on the two next at-bats, with Mackenzie Donihoo stepping up to the plate. FSU still has no outs.
National Player of the Year things 💁♀️ @78jocelyn_alo
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 10, 2021
📺 @espn#WCWS x @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/wffVMB8YXn
Jana Johns goes yard for the Sooners
Jana Johns just cut the lead in half with a left-field bomb to make it a 2-1 game. That ball was hit so high into left field, Kaley Mudge just watched it fly out. Johns had a dip in her average in the WCWS, but just showed up big at the right time. With that home run, the Sooners have tied the NCAA single-season home run record with the 158th homer of the season. The record of 158 was done one other time by Hawaii in 2010.
𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐀 launches No. 1️⃣5️⃣8️⃣!!
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 9, 2021
158 home runs on the year by the #Sooners ties the NCAA single-season HR record 💥
T3 | OU 1, FSU 2 | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/6GKkw4AlW1
Elizabeth Mason hits a two-run homer
FSU takes an early lead in Game 2 with a two-run homer from Elizabeth Mason. Mason sent a 3-0 curveball deep over the left field wall with Sydney Sherill on first in similar fashion to yesterday's start for the Seminoles — a two-run bomb from Kalei Harding early in the game.
The Seminoles strike first! 💣
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 9, 2021
📺 @espn#WCWS x @FSU_Softball pic.twitter.com/YbapjiaeVK
Oklahoma vs. Florida State — Game 2, pregame
Game 2 of the best-of-three championship series starts tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. FSU will be looking to win the national title, and OU is looking force a deciding Game 3. FSU took game one 8-4, outscoring the top run-producing team in the country. They were outstanding offensively, aggressive the entire game, and had a really strong outing in the circle. Danielle Watson was able to control the OU offense significantly to start the game while her offense padded her with a seven-run advantage. This FSU team is looking good.
Here is the thing about Oklahoma though ... they have never lost to the same team twice, they've never lost back-to-back games, and they have outscored opponents in the rematches 60-19. We will see how they adjust tonight to FSU.
Oklahoma will be throwing G Juarez tonight, their No. 1 ace. They have also moved Mackenzie Donihoo up in the lineup, she has been performing phenomenally in the WCWS. Here is the starting lineup:
FSU will be throwing their No. 1 ace as well in Kathryn Sandercock. She came into the game last night in relief. Josie Muffley will also be starting after coming out of the game last night following a collision at home plate. Here is the FSU starting lineup:
Florida State can win national championship Wednesday
The potentially decisive Game 2 in the best-of-three national championship series at the Women's College World Series is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, when No. 1 seed Oklahoma will try to stave off elimination and force Game 3 against No. 10 seed Florida State, which won Game 1 8-4. The Seminoles took the first lead of the game, 2-0, in the third inning, then they added five runs in the fourth inning to blow the game open. Right fielder/third baseman Kalei Harding was 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs as Florida State finished with 11 hits and six walks, while starting pitcher Danielle Watson went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and four runs.
You can follow along with Game 2 by viewing the score and live stats here.
FSU takes Game 1 of the championship series with 8-4 win over Oklahoma
The Seminoles have done it! They win Game 1 of the championship series in a BIG way with an 8-4 win over top-seeded Oklahoma. This FSU team deserves some major props and recognition here after a phenomenal performance tonight in all aspects of the game. They had major run-production against the best run-producing team in the country, they were strong in the circle and just made one of the best defensive plays in the bottom of the seventh. Jocelyn Alo hit a deep ball to center right and Tiare Jennings and the Sooners tried to pull off what FSU has been doing all night with aggressive base-running. But Sydney Sherrill sent a bullet to home and Anna Shelnutt got the out perfectly.
WHAT A RELAY! 😱
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 9, 2021
📺 @espn#WCWS x @FSU_Softball pic.twitter.com/vUUtHrH0zB
Kalei Harding was huge at the plate tonight for the Seminoles with three hits, four RBI and the bomb. The Seminoles executed their game plan perfectly tonight. Base hits at the right time and extremely aggressive base running. They had three stolen bases in the win and wrecked havoc offensively, something the OU defense will have to adjust to moving into tomorrow. They took the risk and got the reward.