FSU Softball wins 5th straight ACC tournament with walkoff homer
By Jason Parker
FSU softball was down to their final out Saturday – but an epic comeback sent the Seminoles back home with yet another ACC tournament crown.
As almost anyone in sports will tell you, it just takes one play – one pitch, one throw, one shot – to change everything in a game. The FSU softball team knows that all too well after Saturday afternoon, when a two out, three run homer in the seventh inning propelled the Seminoles to their fifth straight tournament crown in the ACC.
After winning the first two games of the annual tournament, being played this weekend in Atlanta, by defeating Louisville and Notre Dame, the Noles found themselves locked in a pitcher’s duel in their championship showdown with the Pittsburgh Panthers – a team they took two out of three games from earlier this season in Tallahassee.
All of that changed in the sixth inning when FSU softball found themselves all of a sudden down by four runs thanks to a single, a throwing error, a passed ball and a wild pitch that had the Seminoles reeling – not to mention 10 runners being left on base entering the final frame after the Seminoles were only able to get one run on a Jessica Warren RBI single.
In the seventh inning, the Noles had the bases loaded and one out when Cali Harrod hit into a fielder’s choice that drove in a run, but also got a runner out at third base.
With two outs, the next pitch thrown would be a miracle game changer as catcher Anna Shelnutt hit a deep one to left center field – and the FSU softball team pulled victory from the jaws of defeat to claim another conference crown.
Afterwards, the Franklin, Georgia native got love from her teammates and a cool drink.
FSU softball, in addition to winning five straight conference titles, has won 14 of the 27 ACC tournament crowns since joining the conference in 1992 – including eight of their first nine tournaments. The Noles also won their sixth regular season crown earlier this month.
The Seminoles and head coach Lonni Alameda are now in line for their 19th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament – and will be looking to get back to the Women’s College World Series for the third time in the last five seasons after falling in the Super Regional round last season to LSU at home.