Oklahoma pitcher Kelly Maxwell had only allowed 12 home runs this season before the Sooners squared off against Florida on Tuesday. In the first three innings of the Women’s College World Series elimination game, Florida tallied three home runs against Maxwell.
Consequently, Florida boasts a 5-2 lead heading into the fourth inning. During a break in the action, Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso evaluated Maxwell’s pitching thus far.
“There’s a little bit of pressure,” Gasso said. “I know she’s better but, at the same time, they’re phenomenal hitters, and if she misses an inch, they’ll hit it out. So we got to keep the ball in the yard. That’s kind of our goal right now and have quality at-bats.”
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Florida is not a team to be taken lightly. The Gators average 1.43 home runs per game, the 11th most in the country. In only two innings, Florida surpassed this figure. They don’t plan on slowing down.
To keep Oklahoma’s postseason hopes alive, Maxwell must regain control on the mound. Patty Gasso revealed her message to her team amidst the slow start.
“We can’t keep looking up at the scoreboard and then thinking, ‘Oh no, what’s gonna happen here?’ We’ve got to stay in the moment, pitch by pitch,” Gasso said. “Sometimes, I think we look up and be like, ‘Oh, no.’ We can’t do that. The game will go by so fast. So we’ve got to really slow it down for ourselves.”
The winner between Oklahoma and Florida will advance to the Women’s College World Series Final to face off against No. 1 Texas in a three-game series. The WCWS Final will begin on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Women’s College World Series schedule
Thursday, May 30
Game 1: (6) UCLA 4, (14) Alabama 1
Game 2: (2) Oklahoma 9, (10) Duke 1
Game 3: (1) Texas 4, (8) Stanford 0
Game 4: (4) Florida 1, (5) Oklahoma State 0
Friday, May 31
Game 5: Alabama 2, Duke 1
Game 6: Stanford 8, Oklahoma State 0 (6 innings)
Saturday, June 1
Game 7: Oklahoma 1, UCLA 0
Game 8: Texas 10, Florida 0 (five innings)
Sunday, June 2
Game 9: Florida 6, Alabama 4
Game 10: Stanford 3, UCLA 1
Monday, June 3
Game 11: Florida 9, Oklahoma 3
Game 13: Texas 1, Stanford 0
Tuesday, June 4
Game 12: Oklahoma vs. Florida, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
Wednesday, June 5
WCWS Final Game 1: Texas vs. TBD, 8 p.m. | ESPN
Thursday, June 6
WCWS Final Game 2: Texas vs. TBD, 8 p.m. | ESPN
Friday, June 7
WCWS Final Game 3 (if necessary): Texas vs TBD, 8 p.m. | ESPN
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