For the ninth time in program history, the Florida State softball program will compete for a national championship in Oklahoma City as the No. 7 Seminoles (53-8) defeated No. 25 Utah (35-22) by a score of 3-0 on Saturday afternoon to earn a trip to the 2016 Women’s College World Series.
The 'Noles will be one of the final eight teams in the NCAA postseason for the second time in the last three years, as FSU reached the WCWS in 2014. Florida State recorded its 20th shutout of the season and extended its winning streak to 10 games.
“I think we’ve talked about over and over again how young we are and how we’re growing up through the game,” said FSU head coach Lonni Alameda. “We were very relaxed in a lot of big situations and we trusted the process. I couldn’t be more proud of the people to my left and to my right that represent our entire team. It’s taken 24 of us. So, very excited for our next step now and for this opportunity.”
The 'Noles got a pair of runners on in each of the first two innings, but double plays in each frame by the Utah defense kept the game scoreless until the third inning.
In the FSU half of the third, Ellie Cooper chopped a two-out single over the head of Utah first baseman Bridget Castro to set the stage for Warren. The sophomore third baseman crushed a 3-0 pitch deep over the wall in right field for her 18th home run of the season, giving the Noles a 2-0 lead.
The Seminoles added to their lead in the seventh inning as Korina Rosario led off with a single that tipped off the glove of a leaping Anissa Urtez at shortstop. Rosario stole second and moved up to third on an infield single from Alex Kossoff.
Sophomore Morgan Klaevemann stepped in and dropped a perfect RBI bunt single to score Rosario and extend the lead to 3-0.
FSU pitcher Meghan King closed out the game in the circle, opening the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout of Pac-12 Player of the Year Hannah Flippen. Urtez followed with an infield single to bring Kristen Stewart to the plate.
Fittingly, the game ended on a double play as a ground ball to Harrod was flipped to Cooper and on to Powers to end the game and send the Seminoles to the Women’s College World Series.
King (25-3) needed only 72 pitches to earn the victory and her seventh complete-game shutout of the season. The redshirt freshman faced only two over the minimum in the 7.0-inning win and did not allow a Ute runner to advance beyond first base for the entire game. For the game, King scattered four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
The Seminoles will play No. 15 Georgia (45-18) on Thursday, June 2, in their first game of the 2016 WCWS at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. Game time and television networks will be announced at a later date.
Tickets for the 2016 Women’s College World Series are available now at NCAA.com/WCWS, and there is also a ticket exchange available to buy and sell tickets from other fans.
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