Knighten's HR in 17th lifts Oklahoma past Florida in Game 1

Shay Knighten didn't let Oklahoma waste any more opportunities. They beat the Florida Gators 7-5 in a 17-inning marathon in Oklahoma City on Monday night. Barnhill worked around bases-loaded jams in the 15th and 16th innings. "I wasn't really concerned with speed, but happened to be that fast, I guess".

"Epic, epic battle", Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. "I don't know what else - that was it".

But nope. Reality finally crashed down on what surely is one of the best college softball games anyone will remember watching. It was like two heavyweight fighters throwing punch after punch. Game 2 series is Tuesday, and Game 3, if necessary, would be Wednesday.

Florida coach Tim Walton said he was impressed with his team's resilience.

"My first few appearances were in tight situations in championship series', and so today to come out and just start a game with my team on my back, I was really excited".

The lead would not last long, though, as the Sooners quickly tied the game up in their next trip to the plate.

Florida handed the ball to Delanie Gourley, a senior with big-game experience but not much of a recent track record. Lowary started, was relieved by Parker, but re-entered in relief and got the win.

Parker started every game of the 2017 WCWS, only yielding her spot on the rubber to Lowary late in each of the games.

Lowary, a transfer from Missouri, threw consistently above 72 miles per hour in two innings of ideal relief Sunday against OR, hitting as high as 75 miles per hour.

"Now having options and having a little bit deeper staff takes a lot of stress off of Paige and keeps her mind a little bit freer and strong, and I think our team feels that, as well", Gasso said. Not because the Gators deserve it after rallying to keep us watching in the bottom of the seventh, then doing so again in the bottom of the 12th before scaring OU to death in the bottom of the 17th.

And then, in the sixth, Barnhill gave up a rare home run, a solo shot to Nicole Mendes that put Florida in a hole for the first time during this trip to Oklahoma City.

With Oklahoma up 2-1 and two outs and two strikes against Florida's Sophia Reynoso in the bottom of the seventh, Reynoso popped the ball up.

Neither team could score over the first four extra innings, but that all changed in the top of the 12th.

Instead, she gave up a two-run double to Amanda Lorenz to tie the game, 4-4.

OU held a 4-2 lead at that point, and Lowary needed just one out to end the game.

"It was highs and lows, and for Paige Lowary especially to finish on the note that she did, it was to me the highlight of our season", Gasso said.

"Both have got very good pitching staffs", OR coach Mike White said Sunday after his team lost to Oklahoma in the semifinals.

"It's no secret that they've (Gourley and Barnhill) carried us here", Lorenz said. "We have two more games left, and I'm really proud to see what we have tomorrow because obviously we showed the softball world a really good game tonight, and we're not done yet".

It took 35 years for Oklahoma and Florida to face off in a Women's College World Series.

Oklahoma registered its 60th win Monday night, reaching the 60-win plateau for just the second time in program history (66 in 2000).

Both the Gators and the Sooners are undefeated through three games, setting the stage for a classic championship series between Florida, the No, 1 seed in the tournament, against Oklahoma, the defending national champions and No. 10 seed. On the very next pitch, Aviu pulled the offering from relief pitcher Delanie Gourley into the right field stands for her fifth home run of the season and the first postseason home run in her career.

Lowary struck out Kayli Kvistad on a 1-and-2 pitch with Gators on first and second base.