OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — No Oklahoma State player besides Samantha Show got a hit or threw a pitch Thursday.
They didn’t have to.
Show hit two solo homers and pitched a complete game to help Oklahoma State beat Florida 2-1 in the Women’s College World Series.
“Those are big,” Oklahoma State coach Kenny Gajewski said. “I think those were our only two hits. I don’t know that we hit another ball hard. It was a Sam Show day.”
Oklahoma State advanced to face rival Oklahoma on Friday night with a berth in the semifinals on the line. The Sooners beat Alabama 3-2 in final game of the day.
Show transferred to Oklahoma State from Texas A&M. Florida coach Tim Walton remembers the previous version of Show and thinks this one is better.
“I think she’s a whole entirely different person,” he said. “You look at everything about her — it’s different, better in every sense of the word. She’s just done a good job all the way around. It almost looks like she’s completely comfortable in who she is right now competing both offensively and defensively.”
The 13th-seeded Cowgirls (45-15) claimed their first World Series win since 1998.
“I think it’s a big deal for us,” Oklahoma State’s Madi Sue Montgomery said. “We can finally just kind of relax and not have to worry about pushing that first win. I think we came out pretty relaxed and normal, having fun, playing the game that we love. It’s nice to break down the next barrier. We just want to keep going. We’re not done.”
Show, the game’s second batter, took Kelly Barnhill’s pitch over the fence in right center to put Oklahoma State up 1-0.
Florida (49-17) answered in the second when Jordan Roberts homered.
Show hit another shot in the sixth and threw the bat hard onto the ground.
“So anything that happens after a home run of mine, I don’t plan out,” she said. “Just whatever emotion I have inside me. Normally I have so much that’s why the dramatic bat flips happen because it just needs to come out. I’m very emotional. I actually hit one of our managers. I said sorry. But after I threw it, I was like, Oh, crap. It just kept going.”
Gajewski said that energy is just part of what Show brings to the game.
“People in this game act like there’s some kind of softball code,” Gajewski said. “If you can find that code book, tell me, I’ll read the book. I love to read and grow. … Sometimes, her emotion gets the best of her. I cry. She throws bats. I don’t know what else. We all have our own ways of letting things out, right?”
Florida’s Sophia Reynoso and Roberts singled off Show to start the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and runners on first and third, Show got Florida’s Alex Voss to ground out and end the game.
“They had runners in scoring position, but I knew even if they did score, it wouldn’t be over,” Show said. “We would go back, have good at-bats, hopefully score again.”
Barnhill pitched a complete game. She gave up just the two hits and struck out nine for the fifth-seeded Gators.
“I think more than anything, it’s just missing a spot,” Barnhill said. “I missed two pitches to their best hitter on the team, so…”
Oklahoma State, which upset defending national champion Florida State in the Super Regionals and is the lowest-seeded team in the World Series field, needs one more win to reach the semifinals.
___
Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP