2017 Women’s College World Series: Oklahoma outlasts Florida to win Game 1

In one of the longest games in the history of the Women’s College World Series, the Oklahoma Sooners outlasted the Florida Gators to pick up a 7-5 victory in 17 innings to take a 1-0 series lead.

It’s hard to imagine two teams playing a more evenly matched game.

The Gators scored one run in the fourth to open the scoring, Oklahoma responded with one in each of the fifth and sixth, and the Gators knotted it back up in the seventh.

That was all the scoring until the twelfth. Oklahoma’s Fale Aviu hit a two-run home run off Florida’s Delanie Gourley to put the Sooners up 4-2. With the Gators down to their last out in the bottom of the 12th, Oklahoma replaced Paige Parker with starting pitcher Paige Lowary. Amanda Lorenz promptly welcomed Lowary back to the game by smashing a two-run double to knot the game up at four.

That would remain the score until the top of the seventeenth. With two outs and two on and Kelly Barnhill back in the game, Shay Knighten mashed a three-run home run to give the Sooners a 7-4 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, the Gators recorded back to back singles, a fielder’s choice, and another single to load the bases with one out for Lorenz. Unfortunately, she was unable to make lightning strike twice. Lorenz hit a sacrifice fly to score Lily Mann, but Lowary struck Kayli Kvistad out to end the game and give Oklahoma the opening victory.