The Oklahoma Sooners battled back from a late deficit to overcome the Florida Gators and advance to the Women’s College World Series. It took a few extra innings, but Oklahoma got the walk-off victory courtesy of a home run from senior outfielder Jayda Coleman.
With smiles all around in the postgame press conference, Sooners head coach Patty Gasso revealed what her message was to Coleman and what her thoughts were before the huge game-winning homer.
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“She’s a good she would be a phenomenal softball coach. And so she knows how to coach herself,” Gasso said. “So sometimes she has a list… like she has so many ideas. Actually, in the game yesterday, she wanted a bunch, and I said no, you need to swing. So I’m thinking, ‘Why am I telling her what to do?’ Because she knows exactly what we need and how to do it.”
“That was really it saying, ‘You’ve got the freedom to be you. You’ve been doing this for three years now; you know what we need.’ I didn’t ask for a home run… but Jayda’s really been fighting to help this team.”
Coleman went 2-4 in her at-bats in the decisive game against Florida. She was also one of three Oklahoma players to hit a home run in the game, along with Tiare Jennings and Cydney Sanders.
While Oklahoma can breathe a huge sigh of relief after edging out Florida, their work is still not done. The Sooners will have to take down this year’s top seed and arch-rival, the Texas Longhorns if they want to win their fourth straight national championship.
Oklahoma mounts comeback vs. Florida to advance to WCWS championship series
Oklahoma will advance to its fifth-straight Women’s College World Series Final. On Tuesday, Oklahoma pulled off a stunning comeback against Florida to escape with a 6-5 victory. It was a slice of revenge for the Sooners, who fell to Florida 9-3 on Monday.
Despite the final result, the Gators didn’t hesitate to take an early lead on Tuesday. In the top of the first inning, sophomore Jocelyn Erickson swatted a two-run shot to right field. The massive hit was even sweeter for Erickson, who transferred to Florida after spending her freshman season at Oklahoma.
Of course, the Sooners weren’t willing to lie down. Oklahoma’s Ella Parker returned the favor in the bottom of the first inning, launching a two-run homer over the center field fence to tie the game. Despite Oklahoma’s surge of energy, Florida appeared unfazed.
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