No. 4 FSU Softball wins 3-1 over No. 18 LSU; 'Noles one win away from WCWS
Forget looking at a box score. The reactions in the postgame press conference practically said it all.
Here was the Florida State softball team laughing, smiling and answering questions with a cautious yet confident approach. And then there was LSU, lamenting missed opportunities and realizing its season could be over by this time tomorrow.
Officially speaking, No. 4 FSU (55-6-1) took a 3-1 win over No. 18 LSU (45-20) on Friday in Game 1 of the NCAA Super Regional at JoAnne Graf Field. Getting the first victory in the best-of-three series places the Seminoles one win away from reaching the Women's College World Series for a second consecutive season and the third time in four years.
"I could not be more proud of the team and the fight they've had all season," Seminoles coach Lonni Alameda said. "Coming out and just touching the water a little bit to see how warm it is and not just jump in. Today, they just got after it. And I'm really proud of them. ... Getting the first game under your belt is big; that's huge."
Through six innings, it was close. FSU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third on a Jessie Warren RBI single with no outs. The Seminoles had a chance for more, but Tigers pitcher Carley Hoover snagged three straight outs.
Seminoles redshirt senior pitcher Jessica Burroughs took a no-hitter into the top of the fifth until the Tigers finally broke through. LSU tied it at 1-1 by manufacturing its run via a single and a sac bunt followed by Emily Griggs' RBI single. Burroughs stopped any further damage by forcing a ground out to end the inning.
"The big thing in these types of games is you want to kill the momentum as soon as it starts," said Burroughs, who moves to 27-4 after allowing three hits over seven innings. "Just attack the zone and don't try to nit-pick. The last thing I needed to do was try to not attack the zone and put another base runner on."
Hoover, who was credited with a six-inning complete game, had moments when she was extremely hard to hit. FSU recorded six hits yet left seven runners on base.
Once the seventh inning arrived, though, the Seminoles pieced together their strongest inning against the Tigers' right-hander.
Seminoles right fielder Carsyn Gordon led off the frame with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Dani Morgan recorded the first out, catcher Sydney Broderick launched an RBI double to left-center for a 2-1 lead.
"We talk about it all the time, where it could be one pitch that game," said Broderick, who was 2-for-3 with one RBI. "We're all just ready to go, and it happens that me and Ellie [Cooper] got that one pitch."
Cooper, who was also 2-for-3 with an RBI, delivered the death blow when she slapped an RBI single to right field for a 3-1 lead.
"I think that the third time around we were making good adjustments at the plate," Cooper said. "She absolutely pitched a great game. She went through the lineup pretty well the first couple times, and I just went up there, stuck to my game plan, got the pitch I was looking for and got the swing off for my team."
A two-run lead was more than enough insurance for Burroughs.
The two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year finished the game by getting a strikeout, a pop up and a fly out.
Around 10 minutes passed before the postgame press conference began. Broderick arrived early and sat at the dais as Alameda, Burroughs and Cooper were smiling upon taking their seats.
Alameda extolled the virtues of her seniors, namely Cooper, who is the team captain. Everyone talked about trying to manage their emotions and not looking to book a ticket to Oklahoma City for the WCWS before they've earned that trip on the field.
"We talk a lot about sticking to the process, and we're not going to get to Oklahoma City by wanting to get there," Cooper said. "We're very good at being present and being where our feet are in the moment because we play pitch by pitch.
"We always know one pitch can change the moment, whether it's for us or for them."
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