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Women's College World Series: Florida State sweeps Washington for national championship

Jun 5, 2018

It was a win-or-go-home game for Washington Tuesday night, needing to win the final two games of the best-of-three series after falling to Florida State 1-0 on Monday. 

No. 6 seed Florida State 8, No. 5 seed Washington 3

The Huskies fell short in their quest for a national championship, losing 8-3 to the Seminoles in a sweep of the WCWS championship series.

This is the first-ever national championship for Florida State as well as the first for any ACC softball program.

The Huskies looked primed to force a rubber match right out of the gate, hanging three runs on the Seminoles in the top of the first.

But after the first three batters in the Huskies’ order crossed the plate, FSU ace Meghan King took her arm to another level, retiring the next 11 batters faced.

While she stifled the UW bats, Florida State’s offense went to work. Through four innings, the ‘Noles strung together eight unanswered runs.

Anna Shelnutt jacked a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. In the second, Elizabeth Mason and Jessie Warren accounted for three more. In the fourth, Mason went yard to tack on another two.

UW’s Gabbie Plain entered the game in relief of Taran Alvelo following Mason’s at-bat, but Florida State was already rolling. Warren — the first batter Plain faced — ripped a solo shot to center, extending FSU’s lead to five runs. Warren, who went 3-for-4 on the night, would be named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Alvelo was tagged with seven runs on seven hits, six errors, a walk and four strikeouts in her 3 1/3 innings of work. Plain went for 2 2/3 frames, allowing two hits and one run on an error. FSU’s King threw all seven innings, tallying five hits, three runs and one error, while striking out four.

Tuesday’s game was the fifth of the year in which the Huskies allowed four or more runs. Washington ends its season with a 52-10 record, returning to the Women's College World Series championship for the first time since 2009.