Oklahoma storms back to drop FSU, 6-2, force championship game

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Florida State softball team still has a chance to claim its second NCAA Championship in the past three tournaments.

The Seminoles might just need another day to do it.

After leading for the first five innings of Wednesday's WCWS Championship Series game against No. 1 Oklahoma, the Seminoles were just six out away from claiming the crown.

They didn't come close.

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The top-ranked Sooners erupted for four runs in the top of the sixth, with the big blow being a two-run home run by slugger Jocelyn Alo, and they cruised to a 6-2 victory.

With FSU having won the opening game of the best-of-three finals, the two teams will meet in a winner-takes-all championship game Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

"Any game, win or loss, is just a rearview mirror game," Florida State first baseman Elizabeth Mason said. "You put it behind you. It doesn't affect the next game. We knew that they were going to come out swinging today. We knew they'd be a different team today. So we'll be a different team tomorrow. Be a little bit better than we were today. And just do what we can tomorrow to get the win."

Florida State actually struck first once again on Wednesday, thanks to a two-run home run by Mason in the bottom of the first inning. But Oklahoma cut the lead in half in the third with a solo blast by third baseman Jana Johns.

Neither team scored again until Alo's two-run shot.

The loss was the first of the postseason for FSU's Kathryn Sandercock, who allowed just one run in the first five innings before getting chased in the sixth.

"I think there was a tight strike zone, so I was trying to find the strike on the outside corner," Sandercock said of her battle with Alo, who now has 34 homers on the season. "And I couldn't at first. And so then I had to come a little bit back in on her. And I think in that situation maybe I should have thrown an inside pitch. Hindsight is 20-20. She's a great hitter. It's hard to be upset with yourself when Jocelyn Alo hits a home run off of you. So, tip your cap. It was a hard pitch to hit. And she hit it hard."

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