By Megan Turk
Game one between #8 Arizona State and #1 Oregon started the WCWS with a mighty bang. With a total of 17 runs scored between the two teams, it seemed as though the Sun Devils started off a bit tight on the defensive end. Several booted balls and miscommunications on the infield led to early Duck runs. The long ball did the majority of the damage, as ASU began the game with a 2-run shot off the bat of freshman DeNae Chatman, but with immediate responses from Oregon’s best offensive WCWS performance to date, the Ducks took the 11-6 victory.
One thing embodied the game two matchup between #4 Oklahoma and #5 Washington: the deep breath. Behind Gabbie Plain stood outstanding defense by the Huskies, particularly Sis Bates at shortstop. Washington played loose, passionately, and energetically while Oklahoma struggled at the plate. Paige Parker suffered her first loss of the postseason and was responsible for the first run scored when Paige Lowary came in in a short relief appearance. A controversial call on a diving catch by Trysten Melhart as the Sooners threatened in the bottom of the 6th inning will be the subject of conversations to come, particularly about incorporating replay in softball, but seemed to be the right decision on the field. There was obvious tension with these two teams, with Washington proving that they can compete against the best pitching, offense, and defense in the country and Oklahoma attempting to do what only one program has done in the past: three peat as national champions.
The battle of the SEC didn’t quite go as the regular season predicted, with #2 Florida run-ruling #7 Georgia in 5 innings after the Dawgs got out to an early lead with a Justice Milz two-run home run. Aleshia Ocasio got the surprising start in the circle for Florida, giving up the early runs to Georgia but coming back with a vengeance both in the circle and at the plate, including hitting a three-run home run. Florida responded in a big way after being punched early and kept their composure from the moment the Dawgs struck. They stayed with their disciplined game plan at the plate, capitalizing on mistake pitches from Mary Wilson Avant and Kylie Bass. Keep an eye out for Georgia in the loser’s bracket on Saturday, because this team does not take being pushed around lightly. Only twice this season have the Dawgs lost two games in a row.
The final game on Thursday night bookended an offensive outburst against great pitching in the circle. #6 Florida State’s Kylee Hanson relieved Meghan King in the 5th inning and worked as quickly as ever, possibly to her dismay. #3 UCLA woke up in the 6th inning with a huge Kylie Perez 3-run homerun that put the Bruins on top of Florida State for good. National Player of the Year Rachel Garcia intentionally walked Jessie Warren not once, but twice this game. Warren has an incredible impact within this Seminoles lineup and UCLA’s game plan to put her on board without a fight speaks volumes to the respect for the senior’s ability to change the game at the plate. FSU were deemed the “Cardiac Kids” for a reason, as they completely feed off of each other on the offensive end. This Noles lineup is more than capable to shake things up 1-9 throughout the lineup and will not go down without a fight at the plate and in the circle.
As predicted, all facets of the game of softball were displayed in opening day of the Women’s College World Series: dominant pitching, the long ball, the short game, and show-stopping defense. Reflecting on my time as a 2011 WCWS participant for Baylor University, I recognize that there are two types of athletes on the big stage: the ones who are affected by it and those who completely black out the faces in the stands and play with blinders on. The ones that the crowd gets to can be both positive and negative; the negative is when the game is made bigger than any other contest during the year. The adrenaline takes over, balls are booted, pitches don’t move as intended, strike outs come in three pitches, and adjustments are yet to be made. Those playing tense in this WCWS field will not prevail. Some athletes open themselves up to the energy of the crowd, risking vulnerability of getting too high or too low, but also opening themselves to a little extra oomph. Those whose tunnel vision allows them to cap their adrenaline and focus solely on the performance often experience the game slowing down completely. Each individual player approaches these moments differently and the young women’s personalities are starting to show at the biggest stage!
