OKLAHOMA CITY — The Florida Gators showed they don’t have to hit home runs to generate offense at the Women’s College World Series.
Cheyenne Coyle, Aja Paculba, Tiffany DeFelice and Michelle Moultrie all had RBI singles as the nation’s top home run-hitting team moved into the semifinals by beating California 5-2 on Saturday night. Florida will play Alabama on Sunday.
The Gators had homered twice in each of their first two World Series games to push their NCAA-best total to 114 this season. This time they got timely base hits and capitalized on a series of fielding mistakes by Cal shortstop Britt Vonk.
Vonk’s errant flip to third on Coyle’s third-inning infield single allowed the Gators to tie it at 2, and Paculba followed with a clean single to put Florida ahead to stay. The Gators tacked on runs in the fourth and fifth on two more infield singles hit to Vonk.
Cal’s loss came after they won the right to play the night cap against Florida with a 6-2 victory over Oklahoma State earlier Saturday.
Ashley Decker, a freshman, struck out and walked in her previous at-bats before hitting a bases-loaded triple in the fifth inning down the right field line and sparked the come-from-behind win.
The loss was the second in a row for the Cowgirls and eliminated them from the eight-team field. OSU finished the season 42-20 in becoming the first team eliminated.
Decker’s hit came off losing pitcher Kat Espinosa, who in five innings allowed nine hits and six runs. She walked two and struck out eight. Espinosa (23-10) got the first out in the fifth inning before Vonk singled and Jace Williams doubled.Then, after an out, Espinosa walked Frani Echavarria to load the bases, setting the stage for Decker.
“I was really pumped up,” Decker said.”We had bases loaded and two out. I just wanted to find a way to put the ball where no one was standing. The ball was up and inside and I was looking for it there.”
With a 1-1 count, Decker hit the ball into right field, where OSU’s Sammy Diffendaffer tried for a diving catch. The ball rolled to the fence and three runs scored. Decker scored moments later on an error by OSU shortstop Chelsea Garcia to give the Golden Bears a 5-2 lead.
California (45-12) got another run in the sixth when Elia Reid homered to left field off Espinosa. It was Reid’s ninth homer of the season and her 26th RBI.
Jolene Henderson threw the complete game for her 40th win of the season against nine losses. Henderson hit Mariah Gearhart on her first pitch of the game, then retired the next 10 batters before running into trouble in the top of the fourth inning. The Cowgirls got five consecutive singles to take a 2-1 lead. Tamara Brown and Ashley had the RBI singles.
Henderson fanned six and walked none.
Oklahoma joined its in-state rival in the exit lane with a 4-1 loss to fellow Big 12 member Missouri as Tigers pitcher Chelsea Thomas tied the school record for most wins in a season.
Missouri (53-9) is 1-1 in the WCWS and advanced to play Baylor in another elimination game Saturday night. Missouri is 2-11 in the WCWS in six appearances and 1-5 under head coach Ehren Earleywine. Nicole Hudson and Catherine Lee both had two hits for the Tigers.
The Sooners (43-19), who made their sixth appearance and first since 2004, are 7-10 overall in the tournament.
Thomas allowed only six hits in her 32nd win, which tied Theresa Wilson (1981) for the Missouri record. It was the third time Thomas beat Oklahoma this season, but the first that didn’t require extra innings.
Thomas, Wilson and Barb Wright are the only pitchers in Missouri history to win at least 30 games in a season.
Missouri capitalized on four Oklahoma errors to score three of its four runs. In hurling her 30th complete game of the season, Thomas walked two and struck out six in a 91-pitch effort.
Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts (29-15), who took her second WCWS loss, allowed one earned run and six hits. She pitched to a new catcher, regular third baseman Dani Dobbs, who took the place of injured Katie Norris (elbow sprain). Norris had been catching in place of Jessica Schults, who had been sidelined because of ulcerative colitis.
Dobbs homered to left field in the seventh inning for Oklahoma’s only run. It was Dobbs’ ninth homer of the season and her 36th RBI. Second baseman Brianne Turang had a pair of singles and was the only Oklahoma player with more than one hit.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
