Oklahoma City, OK - Florida State went further than most expected at the 2002 Women's College World Series. While perennial powers like UCLA, Arizona State, Michigan, Oklahoma and Nebraska were sitting at home, FSU was in a tie game in the 11th-inning versus the defending National Champions. But Arizona was just a little too much in the end as the Wildcats (55-11) used four runs in the top of the 11trh inning to end the Seminoles magical run to the semi-finals of the 2002 Women's College World Series. The loss left FSU at 55-20 on the year as they tied a record for the farthest advancement into the World Series in program history.
"I think this was a phenomenal run for us," said head coach Dr. JoAnne Graf. "We played about as well as we played all year and these kids really pulled together and did a great job.
"To come out here and go head-to-head with these teams they earned the respect of people around the country. We've always known how good these kids are and they really proved it here. They came and battled every single inning of every game. They were warriors."
The Seminoles gave the Wildcats everything they could handle as they lead the game at one point and then came back to tie the game just a half-inning UA took the lead. Florida State became just the second team to extend the Wildcats to 11 innings this year and the first team in five College World Series games to score two runs against Arizona.
"This was a great experience and there is no group of people I would have rather done it with," said Brandi Stuart. "We surprised some people but we never shocked ourselves. I am really not surprised. We should have done well in the World Series because this is a great team with a lot of talent.
"We were never intimidated. Coming in as an underdog was the worst thing that could have happened to the teams we faced because we had nothing to lose and all the other teams had the pressure on them. We have fun. We play our game. We had a good time and really enjoyed our experience here."
Sophomore Jessica van der Linden got the start in favor of Leslie Malerich (35-14) who had started every College World Series game and thrown 704 pitches in the last seven days. The Cerritos, CA native got off to little bit of a rough start as Wildcat lead-off hitter Lovieanne Jung singled the second pitch of the game into left field. Jung ended up on third with two down in the inning after a sacrifice and Jennie Finch ground out. Van der Linden next walked Leneah Manuma giving the Cats two on with two out. She issued her second walk of the inning to Mackenzie Vandergeest to load the bases and put Arizona in business. The sophomore got the next hitter to pop out to short ending the threat and sending the game to the bottom of the frame.
Two-time first team All-American Finch (34-5) retired Shundra Colzie on an attempted bunt before senior Kimmy Carter worked the count full and drew a walk. After getting van der linden swinging, first team All-American Brandi Stuart came up to the plate. The junior who came into the game hitting .400 in the World Series couldn't get around on a Finch fast ball as the hurler recorded her second K of the inning to retire the side.
The Florida State hurler seemed to get over the jitters that come along with a first-ever College World Series start and settled down in the second. She retired the first two hitters she faced on ground outs before Lisha Ribellia slapped a single to short and stole second. Van der Linden rebounded and induced her third ground out of the frame to retire the defending National Champions.
After Finch struck out the side in the bottom of the second, van der Linden got back to work. She retired the first batter she faced on a fly out to Skyla Cox who was making the first start of her career in the field playing in right. She then got Finch to foul out and then retired Manuma to set down Arizona's No 2, 3 and 4 hitters in order in the third.
The Seminoles finally broke through against the reigning national player of the year in the third as designated player Elisa Velasco smashed an infield single to short. After pinch runner Shandra Colzie replaced her at second, Finch retired Brock bringing up Shundra Colzie. The junior college transfer, who registered two hits versus UCLA's Keira Gorel, sent a soft liner into left for FSU's second hit of the inning and placing runners on the corners with just one out. Last night's hero, Carter then came up and recorded her third RBI in two games sending another single to left putting the Tribe up 1-0. The run was the first scored off of Finch in four games in the World Series dating back to the 2001 National Championship game when she shutout UCLA and covered 27 scoreless innings.
Arizona looked to get the run back in the fourth as the Cats led-off the frame with a hard hit double to center. Van der Linden then went to battle with freshman Jackie Coburn. The sophomore hurler took a 0-2 lead before eight pitches were fouled off with two balls mixed in before she got a pop to second base to get the first out of the inning. Vandergeest moved over to third on a ground out as van der Linden looked like she was going to get out of the inning without the lead-off double hurting her. But on the next pitch she threw one in the dirt that got away from Carter allowing Vandergeest to score from third to tie the game. Van der Linden walked the next two batters she faced before getting a fly out to end the inning but not before the tying run came across.
Marier drew the second walk of the day after seeing 12 pitches from Finch, fouling off six of those pitches. That brought up Beth Wade with one down and one on base. Finch got Wade on the All-American's eighth strike out of the game bringing up Velasco who got the first hit of the game off Finch in the third. The sophomore sent a shot deep into center but Crystal Farley, who seemed to be playing very shallow, made up ground and hauled in the fly ball for the third out of the fourth inning.
The Wildcats looked like they were in business in the top of the fifth as Courtney Fossatti started the inning off by smashing a 3-2 pitch right back at van der Linden. The pitcher batted the liner down but was unable to throw her out in time on the single. The Seminoles erased the base runner though as Fossatti got caught too far of the bag. Carter threw a snap throw to Stuart who put up a wall in front of the bag and picked off the Wildcat. Finch flew out to left before the Cats threatened to take the lead for the first time on the day. Manuma singled up the middle and went to second on an error in the FSU infield. Jackie Coburn then sent a hard shot to short that Tatiana George couldn't handle, which scored an Arizona pinch runner putting UA up 2-1 as the game moved to the bottom of the fifth.
As quickly as Arizona took the lead, Florida State tied things up. After Brock was retired leading off the inning, Shundra Colzie came to the plate. The outfielder hadn't hit a homer since April 13th, a stretch that covered 25 games. Colzie took a 3-2 pitch and sent it out of the park clearing the fence in left field 210-feet away. It was her fifth homer of the season and the first in 25 games since she lead-off game one versus Georgia Tech April 13th by going deep. The bomb was also just the 12th given up by Finch all season long and the first since May 10th when the NCAA's career homerun leader Stacey Nuveman took her yard.
Neither team mounted a serious threat in the sixth as the game headed to the seventh. Florida State ace and World Series star Malerich came into the game for FSU to try to send the game to the bottom of the inning with the score still tied. The first batter she saw got on base on the first error of the World Series by third baseman Brock. Manuma came up to sacrifice the runner over but FSU was unable to cut down the lead runner as the Wildcats now had runners on first and second with nobody out. The Seminoles did cut down the lead runner on the next play for the first out of the inning. Malerich got Coburn to pop out for the second out of the frame as Jenny Gladding came to the plate to try and put Arizona in front. The senior hurler got her looking at a called third strike as FSU moved to the last inning with a chance to win the game.
Finch was perfect though in the bottom of the seventh. She retired the side in order for the third time in seven innings and recorded her 11th strikeout of the game. Malerich was equally as good as she got the Cats 1-2-3 on a pop out to first, a ground out to third and a fly out to center.
The game moved into the top of the ninth with neither team threatening seriously in the eighth. The Wildcats started off the top of the ninth with a lead-off walk and the heart of the UA order waiting on deck. After Malerich struck out Finch looking, Manuma sent a slow roller to short that went through the legs of George, putting runners on first and second with just one out. Malerich got Vandergeest looking at a called third strike as she moved within one out of ending the Wildcat threat. She did just that as she notched her third K of the inning and fourth of the game.
The Seminoles looked like they would get something going in the bottom of the ninth as George started the bottom of the inning off with a single to left. Marier tried to bunt her to second but the Wildcats made a great defensive play not only gunning down the lead runner but turning the double play by getting Marier, which ended the FSU rally before it even got started.
The Florida State hurler set the Cats down in order in the 10th as she got a ground out, a fly out and her fifth strikeout of the game. The game moved into the bottom of the frame as FSU once again looked to end the game and force a second game on the day. After Velasco drew a one-out walk, she advanced to second on a Finch wild pitch moving her into scoring position with still just one out on the board. Finch though rebounded and showed why she is one of the nation's best by striking out the next two batters she faced for her 13th and 14th of the game.
The Seminoles seemed to be ready to move into the bottom of the 11th after Malerich got the first two hitters she faced bringing up Finch. The senior had been 0-for-5 on the day but she took an 0-1 pitch and deposited her 16th homerun of the year over the fence down the left field line. After a walk and a batter put on due to a hit by pitch, the Wildcats put the game away on a three-run shot by Coburn over the fence in left center extending the Wildcat lead to a 6-2 advantage. The four-run 11th was just too much for FSU to overcome in the bottom of the inning.
The Seminoles will lose five seniors off this year's team, which finished third in the nation in the national tournament. Starters Carter, Brock, Marier and Malerich played their last game as Seminoles Sunday along with Jackie Hirschfeld and this senior class had a big part in returning FSU softball to national prominence. The Tribe hadn't been to a College World Series since 1993 or a Regional Championship since 1996. This class went to three straight regional championships and a College World Series.
Feel like you were with FSU in Oklahoma City by logging on to the university's official athletic website, which has a 2002 College World Series webpage that contains World Series photo galleries and diaries, press conference transcripts, game stories, quotes and so much more.
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