No. 14 Florida falls to No. 7 Oklahoma State in WCWS

Fourth-calendar year junior Kelly Maxwell held the Gators to just three hits, at 1 place going four straight innings without having allowing for a UF baserunner, and the seventh-seeded Cowgirls gained Saturday night’s winner’s bracket matchup at the NCAA Women’s Faculty Planet Series at United states of america Softball Corridor of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma Town.

Maxwell, the very first-crew All-American from Friendswood, Texas, was even greater than she was two nights before in a initial-round victory about Arizona. She went a finish seven innings, authorized just three UF runners into scoring posture, struck out 9 and walked two. She was the tale of the evening, for absolutely sure, but OSU catcher Julia Cottrill, who transferred back again dwelling to Stillwater from UF last summer season, fashioned a quite great just one of her own.

From her previous staff, Cottrill went 3-for-3 at the plate and accounted for both her team’s operates. She experienced a leadoff single in the third and scored the Cowgirls’ very first run of the sport, then extra an RBI one in the fourth to press OSU in advance 2-.

Cottrill’s very first strike came against UF starter Lexie Delbrey and was followed by a couple infield bunt singles got OSU on the board. After getting their 1- direct, the Cowgirls, with just just one out, bought the bases loaded with cleanse-up hitter Miranda Elish stepping in. Gators mentor Tim Walton pulled Delbrey in favor of red-very hot reliever Natalie Lugo, who proceeded to get Elish to ground into a double play and preserve the Cowgirls’ problems to a one run.

Cottrill designed it 2- an inning afterwards with a two-out RBI single that represented the only run specified up by Lugo in the course of the NCAA Event (a run of six appearances, 17.1 innings).

Florida managed three threats during the match, but Maxwell snuffed each one particular.

UF started off the activity with a bunt solitary from Kendra Falby and stroll by Hannah Adams, but the upcoming 3 Gators (Skylar Wallace, Charla Echols, Reagan Walsh) have been set down in get.

Florida had runners at 1st and next with 1 in the sixth, but Maxwell obtained Wallace to pop out and Echols to ground out.

In the past-opportunity UF seventh, pinch-hitter Sarah Longley stroked a a single-out one, with pinch-runner Cheyenne Lindsey (in for Longley) transferring to next on a wild pitch. Maxwell, while, obtained Katie Kistler to ground out then ended the sport when pinch-hitter Bryn Thomas popped up in foul territory down the suitable field line.

Perform OF THE Sport: Cottrill’s RBI one with two outs doubled that 1- direct in the fourth. The way Maxwell was dealing, it was going to be rough for the Gators to solution back again with a few operates.

IN THE Highlight: Maxwell has been the most effective player not donning an Oklahoma Sooner uniform at OKC this 7 days. She struck out 14 Arizona batters and walked only two in Thursday night’s 4-2 acquire, so in her two game titles below she’s logged 14 innings (that is two finish game titles), permitted only two operates, eight hits, struck out 23 and walked just 4. Her season’s quantities now show a 22-4 document, a 1.11 Era, 302 strikeouts and only 62 walks.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators arrived into the activity hitting .405 and scoring 7.7 runs a sport for the NCAA Event, so staying shut out and held to just three hits — and getting 15 consecutive batters established down from the 1st via fifth innings — was an awfully extraordinary feat by Maxwell. Florida’s Nos. 2-5 hitters were being a combined 1-for-12, like -for-5 with runners in scoring place. Maxwell has carried out that to a bunch of groups this calendar year.

Notables:

• Freshman Kendra Falby led off with a bunt solitary for her 85th hit, which is second most by a freshman and 3rd in the country. It moved her hitting streak to 12 games and on-base streak to 15 video games.
• She has knocked a strike in every postseason match for a whole of 12
• The bunt one was her 55th on the yr.
• The inning ending double participate in in the 3rd marked the 7th of the event and 31st all round for the Gators for a one-year method record
• It also marked the 14th consecutive batter in a row Natalie Lugo had retired as she previously retired Oregon State in get four straight innings (4-7) following giving up a two-out one in the 3rd

UP Subsequent: Florida (49-18) dropped into the loser’s bracket, environment up a Sunday elimination sport from fifth-seeded UCLA (49-9) at 3 p.m. The winner from the Gators-Bruins matchup will get No. 1-ranked and top rated-seeded Oklahoma (56-2), which along with Oklahoma State (50-12) continue being the lone unbeaten teams remaining in the industry, in a matchup that will have elimination ramifications for the Gators or Bruins.