OKLAHOMA CITY — Holly Tankersley hit a solo home run to center field off NCAA wins leader Stacey Nelson in the eighth inning Thursday as Louisiana-Lafayette opened the Women’s College World Series with a 3-2 upset of top-seeded Florida.
Tankersley, who hit her 22nd home run of the season, became the first player to hit a ball into the new 34-foot tall outfield bleachers at Hall of Fame Stadium. She reached for a pitch tailing away on the outside part of the plate and drove it into the front row of the stands.
Ashley Brignac struck out a career-high 15 hitters as the unseeded Ragin’ Cajuns (52-13) spoiled Florida’s first ever trip to the double-elimination World Series.
Lousiana-Lafayette broke through against Nelson (45-4) with a pair of infield singles by Karli Hubbard and Vallie Gaspard in the fifth inning. Vanessa Soto, a transfer from LSU who was the only Ragin’ Cajuns player who’d ever faced the Gators’ ace in college, then lined a two-run double to the base of the wall in right-center field to tie the game 2-2.
The Sun Belt powers are making their fifth World Series appearance, and their first since 2003.
Florida (67-4) struck first on Corrie Brooks’ two-out RBI double in the second inning, with Tiffany DeFelice scoring from first after Lafayette left-fielder Katie Smith overran the ball in the corner. Aja Paculba added a two-out double in the fourth inning.
Even while Florida was producing, Brignac (31-6) was still coming up with strikeouts. She struck out the side in the second, third and fifth innings, getting Megan Bush looking with the bases loaded to end the third inning. She didn’t allow a hit after the fourth inning.
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