Super Regional sweep puts FSU in softball World Series
FSU athletics
Special to the Outlook
The Florida State softball team will attempt to capture is first College World Series title in four year, beginning this week in Oklahoma City.
The Seminoles assured of that late Friday when they scored a 4-2 victory to complete a sweep of George in their Super Regional in Tallahassee. FSU will play its opening game Thursday against No. 6 seeded Oklahoma State.
“That was a grinder,” said Coach Lonnie Alameda after the win. “I’m super proud of these girls for staying in it.”
This is the Seminoles (55-9) first Super Regional series win at home since 2018, when they went on to win the College World Series championship.
FSU began its work in the third with two straight hit by pitches before a grounder moved Autumn Belviy and Josie Muffley into scoring positions. Jahni Kerr stepped up with the chance to bring in the first runs of the game and did so with a shot to the Georgia shortstop who elected to throw home. Belviy narrowly beat out the tag and the Noles were in business.
Kalei Harding was next up to bat and continued her strong postseason performance with a beautifully knocked two-run RBI double into left that scored Muffley and Kerr for a 3-0 advantage after three innings. She finished the night with two hits and currently leads the team in the postseason with 12 hits.
Georgia (42-15) was able to respond in the bottom of the third with a groundout to first to allow the runner at third to score the Bulldogs’ first run. The Noles next run came in the sixth when Hallie Wacaser crushed a liner into right for an RBI single to send Amaya Ross home and kept the FSU lead at three.
The Bulldogs cranked the pressure up in the sixth with an RBI single to cut the lead to two before Kathryn Sandercock came in relief. She shut down the inning with a walk, pop-up, and two swinging strikeouts to bring the crowd into full roar.
In the bottom of the seventh with the winning run for Georgia at the plate, Sandercock forced a fly out to Kaley Mudge to clinch the win and place in the 2023 Women’s College World Series.
Making their final appearances in Tallahassee, Mack Leonard and Kathryn Sandercock bowed out with mighty performances in the circle.
Leonard had one of her most dominant performances in the circle with her FSU best 4 1/3 innings, retired the first six batters to start the game, allowed just one extra base hit throughout her 50 pitches, and took her fifth career win as a Seminole.
Sandercock came in relief for the 180th appearance for Florida State, now the all-time leader in pitching appearances in program history, and provided clutch pitches in tight situations and took her ninth save of the season.
