Women's College World Series Game Three Notes

May 29, 2008

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POSTGAME NOTES

Game 3: Arizona State 3, Alabama 1

• Seeded sixth entering the tournament, ASU improved to 62-5 on the year with its 3-1 victory over Alabama.  It was the Sun Devils' first win at the WCWS since beating Oregon State 3-1 in 2006.  ASU had lost its last three WCWS contests. 

• Arizona State won its second game this season when trailing after six innings (2-3 on the year). The Sun Devils improved to 12-4 in 2008 in games where the opponent scores first.

• ASU has outscored opponents 25 to 7 in the seventh inning on the year.

• Arizona State's three runs tied as its most ever in WCWS play.

• Sun Devils' first baseman Mandy Urfer hit a game-winning two-run double in the top of the seventh.  The two RBIs bumped her season total to 12. 

• Alabama is making its fifth trip to the World Series and its fourth in five years.  The Crimson Tide owns a 2-9 record in WCWS play.  Alabama has never won its opening-round game in Oklahoma City.

• The two teams combined to leave 15 runners on base through 5.1 innings (nine by Alabama and six by Arizona State) before Alabama's Charlotte Morgan connected on a double to center field in the bottom of the fifth that plated Jordan Praytor for the game's first run.

• It was Morgan's NCAA-leading 76th RBI of the year, which marks an Alabama single-season record and one off of the SEC single-season mark (Kristi Durant of Tennessee had 77 in 2005).   

 

• The two squads totaled 20 runners left on base for the contest (12 by ASU and eight by UA). The Crimson Tide went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while the Sun Devils went 2-for-11. 

• Tonight's contest marked the seventh meeting in the all-time series between the two programs as the ASU win cut the Alabama series lead to 4-3.

• Sun Devils' hurler Katie Burkhart improved to 37-5 on the year, allowing one run on three hits while striking out 13.  Burkhart entered the contest ranked second in the NCAA in strikeouts per seven innings (11.3).

• ASU Senior Katie Burkhart recorded her 27th double-digit strikeout game of the season (13).