Alabama Can't Cash in on Opportunities Against FSU; Eliminated From WCWS
OKLAHOMA CITY - Something was off. You could feel it from the start.
A leadoff single. Next a walk. Then a three-run home run bomb to left field.
Clearly this was not the same Montana Fouts we saw pitch a perfect game three days earlier.
By the time the Alabama offense woke up and got rolling, the damage had already been done and overcoming an eight-run deficit was too much to ask in an 8-5 loss to Florida State in the Women’s College World Series semifinals.
"You saw a lot of strikeouts on that rise ball," Florida State's Elizabeth Mason, who hit a three-run home run, said of Fouts' perfect game against UCLA. "She brings a lot of velocity to the plate as well. Just doing our best to lay off that rise ball and when she does miss to make sure we are ready for that pitch."
The opportunity to reach the championship series was right there for the taking, but the Crimson Tide (52-9) didn’t grab it. Instead, the Crimson Tide was shoved out of the way by a grittier, energetic and confident FSU team that took two straight against Alabama.
"I think sometimes, unfortunately, you have a bad day," Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. "They took advantage of it in the first inning. They knocked her out. They had a good plan."
The Crimson Tide needed to win just once against the Seminoles to punch its ticket to the program’s third WCWS title series, and had the advantage entering the semifinal series. Alabama had Saturday off while FSU had to play its way through the loser’s bracket.
On Sunday, a tired and beat up Seminole team still managed to take down a well-rested Crimson Tide team, 2-0. Instead of playing again later that night, the NCAA opted to move the final semifinal games to Monday, which benefited FSU.
Still, Alabama had chance after chance to take down FSU on Monday. What it didn’t have was patience at the plate. Alabama saw just six pitches from Kaylyn Sandercock in the first inning, and eight in the second – with no hits or base runners to show for it.
Meanwhile, FSU hitters made Fouts and Lexi Kilfoyl work for every pitch, combining for 144 pitches. Alabama saw just 91 pitches from three FSU pitchers.
Alabama swung at the first pitch seven times, resulting in two hits. Alabama had six second-pitch swings, all resulting in outs.
"I think after (Sunday night) we were too patient," said senior Bailey Hemphill, who belted a two-run home run to end her career with a school record 64. "The game plan was to be more aggressive. We swung at good pitches, we just couldn't come through and couldn't get it done."
Baserunning blunders hurt, too. Hemphill started a rally in the fifth with a two-run homer to make it 8-4. Savannah Woodard then singled to center field to score a run, but KB Sides was thrown out at third to end the inning.
