Second weather delay halts Game 1 of Women's College World Series in first inning

Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series between Oklahoma and Florida State has been delayed again due to severe weather in Oklahoma City.

The first one delayed the opening pitch for 70 minutes, as the game was originally slated at 8 p.m. ET. First pitch ended up being thrown at 9:10 p.m. ET, but was suspended less than 10 minutes later due to another lightning strike.

The video board at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium’s displayed the same message it did during pregame. Fans have now been evacuated from the stands twice.

Oklahoma will be up to bat in the bottom of the first inning when play resumes.

More on Oklahoma, Florida State ahead of WCWS

Heading into the matchup, the Sooners were able to advance to their fourth-straight WCWS final series after defeating Stanford 4-2 on Monday. They’re looking to secure their third-straight NCAA Championship with two wins over the Seminoles. 

FSU won 5-1 over Tennessee in Monday’s national semifinal as well, and is looking to dethrone the queens of college softball. 

If the ‘Noles can find their bats against ace Jordy Bahl, they are 30-0 when scoring six or more runs in a game. That’s easier said than done, of course, but the same can be said for the Sooners. When their bats get hot — they don’t miss. OU is 50-0 this season when scoring at least four runs in a game, which comes easy to them averaging a staggering 8.4 runs per game throughout their 60 games. 

Meanwhile, Florida State has been averaging 6.3 runs per game this season — but has seen their offensive production fall throughout the postseason. They’re averaging less than five runs per game heading into the national championship series, but the FSU defensive consistency (giving up 2.2 runs per game) is what has saved their season this tournament.

On offense, Seminoles OF Kaley Mudge is batting .364 (8-for-22) this postseason with six RBIs and four extra-base hits in seven tournament games. C Michaela Edenfield and OF Kalei Harding are both also batting above .350 this postseason for FSU. The trio’s bats will need to come alive in a big way this week in Oklahoma City. 

For OU, Tiare Jennings has been the MVP for the Sooners this postseason. Batting .414 in eight games this tournament, Jennings has gone 13-for-29 with five home runs, three doubles and 12 RBIs. Alyssa Brito is another long ball threat, having hit a team-high four home runs this postseason.