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The Oklahoma Sooner and Florida Gator softball teams faced off on Monday in the Women’s College World Series. In a surprise upset, the Gators emerged victorious to keep their national title hopes alive for at least one game longer.
While the loss didn’t eliminate the Sooners from postseason play, it did end a 20-game NCAA Tournament winning streak while forcing a decisive rematch with an appearance in the championship series on the line.
These two squads have navigated much different paths to this point, with Florida having faced elimination on three occasions. The first came in the Super Regional round where they won a rubber match against Baylor to advance to the WCWS.
After getting to Oklahoma City, the Gators dropped their second contest, meaning they’d have to win three straight games to compete for a title. They’ve succeeded in the first two tries!
Oklahoma, meanwhile, has been one of the most dominant softball teams in the country. At 56-6, the Sooners boast one of the nation’s top win percentages, and prior to Monday’s matchup with UF, they’d been a perfect 7-0 in the postseason.
That built upon an NCAA Tournament win streak that stretched back 20 games as they look to defend back-to-back-to-back crowns.
On Monday, it came to an end with the Gators pulling off a massive shock in OKC!
The result was surprising not just because of the outcome, but also because of how impressive Florida looked in a 9-3 shellacking. The bats came alive as they racked up four home runs, including an exciting inside-the-park job by Kendra Falby.
The Gators built a 7-1 lead to take complete control of the game, and they’d keep a stranglehold on the Sooners despite comeback efforts.
Oklahoma softball player gets ripped for excessive celebration.
One of those comeback attempts came in the top of the fifth inning. OU had cut the deficit to 7-3, and they were looking for more with Alyssa Brito at the dish.
With a runner on, she took a 3-2 pitch that zipped outside the zone to land a base on balls and provide a legitimate threat.
Excited in the moment, Brito then slammed her bat to the ground as if she’d just hit the game-winning home run. That reaction made waves on social media.
I don’t think I have ever seen such a jubilant celebration for a walk in a game you’re trailing by four runs… pic.twitter.com/TSkviXrbWg
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) June 3, 2024
Softball fans quickly commented.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a jubilant celebration for a walk in a game you’re trailing by four runs…”
“Act like you’ve drawn a walk before.”
The celebration wouldn’t last long as the next Sooners batter was retired to end the inning. Florida would later tack on two more runs to leave with a six-run win. The two sides will meet one last time with a national title appearance on the line!