Cowgirls Errors and Emotional Home Run for Seminoles Ends OSU Season
OKLAHOMA CITY – You just had a feeling that with the late hour, the mostly empty stands, especially compared to the first couple of days that the team that broke through first was going to ride that wave to staving off elimination and earning the opportunity to play later on Sunday, maybe two more times. It was Florida State with an emotional home run that keyed a three-run third inning. Florida State went on to win 4-2 and pushed Oklahoma State out of the Women’s College World Series.
Catcher Anna Shelnut, a hero in 2018 when Florida State came back from the loser’s bracket and won the Women’s College World Series, had been struggling as her average had dropped to .208 and she had just 31 hits on the season. Shellnut led off the top of the third inning with the longest home run so far in this edition of the WCWS. The ball went way up on the hill toward the upper fields in the USA Softball Hall of Fame complex. Her emotions spilled over as she got to home plate and gave a long, hard hug to the next hitter Josie Muffley. Then in the dugout she had tears and hugged just about everyone of her teammates.
“I think in my interview they asked me the same question. There's just pure joy. People don't realize how many energy it takes to catch and catch every single game and catch three different pitchers,” FSU head coach Lonni Alameda said of Shelnutt’s blast. “She is the glue for this battery for sure. We would not be anywhere without her. She gives us so much behind the plate and she's gassed right now. And for her to get a swing and contribute offensively, even though she's been contributing defensively more than so many people know, but pure joy for her. She gave a fist pump coming around first base and feels like she's contributing, even though we know especially as the pitching coach, we know she's contributing, so I would say just pure joy for her.”
Those teammates in the batting order kept it going off her home run as Muffley walked and then scored from first when Kaley Mudge slapped a double to left center. The slap had infielders and outfielders charging and the ball got some depth. Oklahoma State centerfielder Chyenne Factor got to it and picked up the ball which was drenched from the outfield grass and it slipped out of her hand sort of heading to second base. The throwing error on the slick ball allowed Mudge to wind up at third.
The next hitter Sydney Sherrill from Moore, Okla. hit a ground ball down to first that the Cowgirls Alysen Febrey bobbled and that was all it took to eliminate a chance to get Mudge running home from third to make it 3-0 Seminoles. When the next hitter Elizabeth Mason singled solidly into centerfield that was it for Cowgirls starting pitcher Kelly Maxwell. The sophomore lefty gave up four hits and three runs, but only one of those was earned.
Logan Simunek came on and she got things under control and kept them under control before an error on third baseman Sydney Pennington in the top of the seventh had head coach Kenny Gajewski bringing on Carrie Eberle to close it out with hopes the Cowgirls could do something in the bottom of the seventh. Simunek shut out FSU and only allowed one hit and struck out three.
Oklahoma State did answer with a run in the bottom of the third as Avery Hobson led off with an infield single that she beat out to first. In fact, she was so fast the Muffley at short just held the ball. Chelsea Alexander bunted back to the pitcher and moved Hobson over to second. Kiley Naomi also bunted and this time FSU pitcher Katherine Sandercock fielded it clean but then threw inside of first base and into rightfield. Hobson scored on the throwing error to make it 3-1.
Unfortunately, Sandercock regained control getting the next two Cowgirls out.
In the bottom of the fifth the Cowgirls narrowed the game to one run as Alexander got on by error and then stole second. Kiley Naomi walked to put runners on first and second before Chyenne Factor singled solidly to right and like Factor struggled with a throw earlier, the Seminoles rightfielder Kalei Harding threw up third base from home but it ended up being fortunate as Naomi tried to score and catcher Anna Shelnutt tagged her out.
Instead of Oklahoma State rallying in the seventh it was FSU that got an insurance run as after Eberle came on, Mudge on first from the Pennington error tagged up on a long fly out to left. The next hitter she took off for third and catcher Reagan Wright threw it into leftfield and Mudge scored on the throwing error to make it 4-2.
The game ended on a 5-4-3 double play at 2:17 a.m. in the morning. Florida State had four runs on five hits and they commited two errors. The Cowgirls had two runs on five hits and they committed four errors. That was a difference.
“Yeah, I don't know why we've had some breakdowns,” said Gajewski. “They come in bunches for us. It's kind of been a thing that we fought all year, and I wear that. I'm the defensive coach and I have to figure out a way to get us just cleaner. We're too good to make four errors in any game.:
Oklahoma State finished the season 48-12, one of the best and most entertaining seasons ever. However, it was not the way those girls and their coach Kenny Gajewski wanted it to end. It was too early to talk about it ending.
“On the season, I don't know. Hard to say right now,” Gajewski answered the question on the season. “It's hard to reflect just quite yet. I don't know that I want to go there. It's another great run. Another top five. But, hurts. We're going to lose some great kids. Team will look different this next year. I don't know how much I want to think about that yet.
“I just kind of hurt for those kids that this is it,” he continued. “That's the tough part. So there's a lot of great things. Pitched very well. Played defense well for the most part. Really have grown on the offensive side. We're starting to look like an elite softball program and we'll just continue to Chase the standard at OSU, and that's win championships. We fell short again. Right now, that's the hardest thing.”