Triple Mendes sends OU to support winners

NORMAN – In the sixth round on Thursday night, Nicole Mendes, of Oklahoma Junior, created Bedlam at the Women's College World Series.

Mendes' treble on the center field wall, which was a stone's throw from the field's exit, sent the shot to the 3-2 win against Alabama, 8th seeded, ahead a sold out crowd of 9,290 people (a record 2 Session) at the US Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

"I did not know it would hit the wall," said Mendes, hit by the left hand, about his line training that was away from Crimson Tide centerbacker Elissa Brown. "I just knew it was over his head and as soon as I saw him over his head, I went there, so I stopped taking care of him." it. Only later did I see how close he was to going out.

As a result, the Top ranked and highest ranked Sooners (55-3) will now face Oklahoma State (13th) (45-15) at 8:30 pm. Friday.

The Cowgirls set the stage for Bedlam's potential with a 2-1 win over the fifth seed, Florida (49-17), before OU's nightcap.

"The OSU is an excellent team," said Sydney Romero, finalist for the national player and national player of the year, who scored two goals against three and scored two points. "The cool thing is that two Oklahoma teams play in the World Series. The fact that these two teams come from Oklahoma, it seems to me, says a lot. And his impressive. We know it will be a good match. "

The Sooners have won 23 straight wins and 26 of their last 27 games against OSU. The OU swept the three-game series this year by a combined score of 16-2. In the last three seasons, the Big 12 championship was in play when the Bedlam series was contested.

The winner of Friday's Bedlam will not play until Sunday at 14:30, while the loser will play Saturday at 18:00.

"The Big 12 has really progressed over the years and it's a testament to that," said Mendes. "I'm excited because they're always a difficult match. "

The coach of the OU, Patty Gasso, said she noticed how calm her team seemed, even if she did not play until 20:45.

"Normally, you have very nervous athletes. They were not, "said Gasso. "They were really excited to start. You sit all day, it's difficult. You watch the other teams play. They were very worried, but still very calm.

"The word they kept was" fun ". … (I told them) "The F in the fun is worry-free, stress-free, without pressure. So they took that and they bought it. The U in fun is Use self-control, do not go to the head. They understood that. And the N was the pace of me. It's not about me. They bought in it. They loved it. They kissed him. From there, they go crazy, confident that they are very powerful together as one unit. It happens to them somehow. They really adopt it. "

Romero said, "We always talk about pressure being a privilege. The simple fact that we are here and we are in this situation, you must recognize it. You must have so much fun, so I will not regret it for a moment. "

Romero opened the scoring early in the first leg with a simple right bloop. Fale Aviu followed with a simple left, making Romero third. Romero then scored at Caleigh Clifton's sacrifice in the middle to give the Sooners a 1 to 0 score.

After Crimson Tide (57-9) tied the score early in the third inning, OR took a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the heat when Romero opened the scoring with a triple and scored on the single. Jocelyn Alo in the center. .

Alabama tied the score at 2 in the top of fifth place in a solo home race of Junior Jenkins Junior Jr.

Then come the exploits of Mendes at the last match of the OU.

Mendes is no stranger to success on the biggest softball scene. As a freshman, she dominated both games in the championship win over Florida.

"I like to compete," said Mendes. "This is where the biggest teams come to compete. I do not know, it's just something in me. I am really excited and very motivated. It's anyone's game. Any team here can win. I think that kind of light kindles a fire in me. "

Junior goalkeeper Giselle Juarez scored the goal for the Sooners by dividing four hits and withdrawing nine times while shooting 97 shots.

"I think I felt calm," said Juarez, a national of Arizona State who faced the Sooners at WCWS last year. "I knew my team had my back."