6/5/2023 other sports Edit

It's FSU vs. OU: Seminoles dispatch Tennessee to reach WCWS finals

Michaela Edenfield and Kathryn Sandercock celebrate the Seminoles' win over Tennessee on Monday. (FSU sports information)

Bob Ferrante • TheOsceola

Editor

Legal or illegal pitches, and the timing of those calls, took center stage.

So too did Florida State’s bats.

Michaela Edenfield, Bethaney Keen and Hallie Wacaser hit home runs and the Seminoles defeated Tennessee 5-1 on Monday night to advance to the Women’s College World Series championship series. FSU (58-9) will play No. 1 seed Oklahoma, which has won 51 straight games, in a best-of-three series beginning on Wednesday night at Hall of Fame Stadium.

"That's a really gritty win for us," FSU coach Lonni Alameda said. "Super proud of our team. We've been talking about being rugged, dependable and energetic all season. And it is showing up at the right time. There are so many people that contributed today. It's just really exciting to be in the championship series."

Mack Leonard started, Makenna Reid (13-0) relieved and Kat Sandercock closed — each allowed just a hit. It was the epitome of Alameda’s mindset that “to get to where we want to go” the Seminoles would need more than just their redshirt senior ace.

On Monday, Sandercock was the closer and delivered with her 10th save of 2023 in a role that was largely new to her going into the season. But it was an essential one as the Seminoles needed to shut the door on Tennessee.

And it came after four illegal pitches were called on Reid. Alameda is FSU’s pitching coach as well as the pitching coach for Canada’s national team. She objected to the umpiring crew’s persistent calls and was critical during an in-game interview with ESPN, stating “we’ve had one illegal pitch all year so if it’s a tactic right now, that’s awesome.”

Alameda also raised the “consistency factor” of calling illegal pitches in the regular season the same way as in the postseason. She was asked postgame about the calls, praising Reid and expounding on her thoughts.

"She was way more composed than I was," Alameda said. "The student teaches the teacher, I guess. The consistency. All season she’s been called one time. And then it was front foot, then it was back foot, then it was front foot. And it was like, ‘Ok, who’s talking to who right now?’ And I know strategy, as coaches, we get in umpires’ ears. But it just really bothered me that it was happening in that moment. And the next inning there’s nothing. But again Makenna, I went out there, I’m like, ‘Are you fine? Can you make this adjustment?’ And she was. And she did great. Really excited for her maturity. She’s grown a ton this year already. But to be in that situation, to not let it bother her, was just outstanding."

Those big-picture questions were the focal point of the middle innings and rightly so will be discussed in the coming days as well as into the offseason. But it should also be noted that Alameda wanted Reid to have the WCWS experience and had the freshmen not just finish out the inning (she did so with a strikeout) but also pitch a scoreless fourth inning.

Sandercock entered the game in the fifth and was stone cold yet again, allowing just one hit in three shutout innings. In her 35 innings in the NCAA Tournament, Sandercock has allowed just three earned runs.

"I’m so grateful that I’m at Florida State and I’m just grateful to be here," Sandercock said. "I’m grateful for the team. I was just honestly overwhelmed with gratitude. It’s just every athlete’s dream to end their career in the national championship game. I always knew that we could do it. I’m just really, really, really proud of the team."

FSU’s home runs came from the usual hitters but also others who would not be expected. Edenfield’s no-doubt solo shot was her 13th of 2023, but Keen hit her first home run in two years (and first at FSU) and Wacaser’s two-run blast was her fourth of the year.

The Seminoles were battle-tested throughout the regular season, facing national seeds like Arkansas, UCLA and Alabama in Clearwater as well as Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the road. There were also road series against Clemson and Duke. FSU also dispatched some of the SEC’s best teams, from South Carolina (including Sandercock’s perfect game in the regional final) to Georgia (Super Regionals) and Tennessee (national semifinals).

Now all that’s left is FSU vs. Oklahoma, two of the best programs in the sport since 2016 and a rematch of the 2021 WCWS championship series. The Sooners won titles in 2022, 2021, 2017 and 2016. And the Seminoles have made trips to OKC in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 while taking the title five years ago.

Game 1 is Wednesday at 8 p.m. (ESPN), with a second game on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN). If needed, a third game will be played on Friday at 8 p.m. (ESPN).

If there is a team that can take down Oklahoma, playing for a fifth title in short order just 20 minutes from its campus, it may be the Seminoles, a veteran team that is balanced in every facet of the game.