OKLAHOMA CITY — Jenn Salling hit a two-run single that turned into a whole lot more as Washington routed top-seeded Florida 8-0 Monday night in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series finals.
Salling’s single brought in four runs when catcher Kristina Hilbreth tried to catch a runner at second. Her throw sailed into center field.
Morgan Stuart added a two-run double in the fifth inning as the Huskies (50-12) had a surprising offensive outburst against Stacey Nelson, the nation’s stingiest pitcher with an 0.48 ERA. Nelson (41-4) had consecutive shutouts to open the World Series.
Danielle Lawrie (41-8) threw a two-hitter to set a new Washington record with her 41st career shutout. Jennifer Spediacci, who pitched the Huskies to their last championship appearance in 1999, held the old record with 40.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Tuesday night.
A member of the Canadian Olympic team, Salling joined the Huskies late in the season before playing a key role in their postseason push. After transferring from Oregon, she wasn’t allowed to play until April because of NCAA rules and started her abbreviated season 0-for-13. Over her first month with Washington, she was hitting .100.
Salling turned it around in the last two weeks of the regular season and then into the postseason and is hitting at a .413 clip (19-for-46) since May 7.
Now, she and Lawrie — the national player of the year and her teammate from the Olympic team — have the Huskies within one win of their first NCAA softball title.
There was an awkward moment after Kelsey Bruder struck out to end the sixth inning as both teams lined up for postgame handshakes, thinking the game was over because of the mercy rule. However, the rule is not in effect during the championship series and the teams were told to resume play.
The grounds crew had already begun removing the bases from the field and the umpires had already left, too.
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