OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma's youngsters have grown up quickly, and now they are on the verge of a national title.
Freshman Shay Knighten had two hits, including a home run, and Oklahoma defeated LSU 7-3 on Sunday night to earn the right to play for the Women's College World Series championship.
Oklahoma's lineup includes four freshmen and three sophomores, and sophomore Paige Parker pitched a complete-game victory for the Sooners (55-7), who claimed their school-record 30th straight win. Those rising stars will face Auburn in a best-of-three series starting Monday.
"I don't even know if we understand what is happening tomorrow," Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said. "We're just playing, and we're playing hard. They won't stop. They never stop. The idea of us getting to play for a national championship is pretty surreal right now."
Auburn hasn't been to the championship series, but coach Clint Myers won two national titles at Arizona State. Now he has another shot in just his third year at Auburn.
"I believed in the people I work with, that if they buy in, which we've proven that they have, and if they work and commit, great things happen," Myers said after his Tigers eliminated Florida State on Sunday. "I mean, we've still got softball to play, but having the opportunity to play for a national championship is something that we've talked about since we got there, and again, it's them buying in."
Conference pride will be on the line as well. The SEC has won three of the past four titles, with Big 12 member Oklahoma's 2013 title being the lone interruption. Half of this year's WCWS field was SEC teams. Myers was pulling for LSU against Oklahoma.
"We're on record as saying that the SEC is the toughest conference," Myers said.
Oklahoma won national titles in 2000 and 2013, but the Sooners missed the WCWS last year. When they lost career home run leader Lauren Chamberlain to graduation, many expected a drop off.
The youngsters had high expectations and wanted to compete for a national title right away.
"It's kind of unbelievable that we are," freshman Caleigh Clifton said. "Everyone sees us as freshmen. Everyone sees us as underdogs. Since we are freshmen, nobody thought we would be here, especially with the team we lost last year."
The Sooners played like poised veterans to pull away from LSU. The score was tied at 3 in the fourth when Erin Miller, one of two seniors in Oklahoma's lineup, singled to knock in two runs. Miller scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-3, and Knighten's solo homer in the sixth bumped Oklahoma's lead to 7-3. Parker and the defense handled the rest.
"It was probably one of the hardest-fought wins we've had, just because of the intensity and knowing what we're facing with a team like LSU," Gasso said.
The Sooners will have a home-field advantage against Auburn, being just 25 miles from campus.
"I trust that the Sooner Nation will come out and help us through this because it's not going to be easy," Gasso said. "But the crowd and the fans and the families have been just on cloud nine with us, and we're just having a lot of fun with these guys."
Auburn 8, Florida State 7: Auburn regained its composure late to move within two wins of a national title.
Pinch runner Morgan Podany beat a tag at the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Tigers edged Florida State 8-7 to advance to the best-of-three championship round.
Auburn (57-10) reached the championship series for the first time and set a school record for wins.
"It wasn't as pretty as we would have liked," said Myers, who won national championships at Arizona State in 2008 and 2011. "It wasn't as easy as we would have liked. But I think you saw the fight. I think you saw the heart."
Florida State's Cali Harrod tied the game with a three-run homer in the seventh.
Auburn's Madi Gipson singled in the bottom of the eighth then advanced to third on Florida State left fielder Alex Kossoff's fielding error. Auburn's Whitney Jordan made solid contact and sent the ball back to Florida State's Jessica Warren, whose throw home was a bit too late to get Podany.
Florida State committed three errors that produced three unearned runs and left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings. The Seminoles (55-10) left 12 runners on base overall. Alex Powers, one of Florida State's best hitters, was the final out in both the sixth and seventh innings.
"We had our chances," Florida State coach Lonni Alameda said. "We had the right people up with the bases loaded. We had our chances. That was the game."
Auburn was in control early. Carlee Wallace hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Jade Rhodes hit a three-run shot in the third, and Kasey Cooper had a solo homer in the fourth for the Tigers.
The Tigers led 7-4 in the sixth, and Florida State had two on and one out when Auburn center fielder Victoria Draper stretched out and robbed Morgan Klaevemann of what looked like a sure double.
"When I saw it go off the bat, I thought, 'This is going to do some damage,'" Wallace said. "I was kind of thinking, 'Oh, no,' and she's like a golden retriever out there. It's ridiculous."
Alameda said there was no shame in going out in a game that was so competitive.
"Tip your hat to Auburn," she said. "They're a great ballclub. They've done a great job there, and it's just fun to play a competitive game like that. Of course, you want to come out on the winning side, but it is so fun to be in those moments, and that's what you train for."
Florida State 1, Michigan 0: Florida State's normally potent offense was struggling, so Jessica Burroughs decided to take care of business.
The junior threw a three-hitter to help the Seminoles defeat Michigan 1-0 in a WCWS elimination game Sunday.
Burroughs, the ACC pitcher of the year who struck out six and walked two, welcomed the pressure.
"Sometimes the offense is on fire, sometimes it's not," she said. "But that's what I signed up for, and I want to be in that situation. I think I was the most relaxed today than I have been in a while. The defense was playing amazing today."
Michigan hung tough, despite playing just 12 hours after losing to Oklahoma. Michigan's Sierra Romero said the quick turnaround was no excuse.
"We're college students," she said. "We stay up that late sometimes. We're fine. You know, it's softball. We've conditioned all year for this, and it just didn't fall our way."
Megan Betsa threw 133 pitches against Oklahoma then allowed just one hit against Florida State.
"You can't ask any more," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. "She couldn't have done anything else. She pitched her guts out. She pitched her heart out, and she did everything she could for her teammates."
Betsa was dominant for most of the game, but she cracked just a bit in the third inning. Florida State's Morgan Klaevemann walked, and Jessica Warren reached on a fielder's choice and moved Klaevemann to second. Alex Powers walked to load the bases, and Klaevemann scored on a wild pitch.
"Being able to pass on a little bobble or overthrow -- just -- you're always looking for those things, and you wish for them to happen and beg for them to happen," Klaevemann said. "So when it does, you want to take advantage of it all the way and execute when those things do happen."
Florida State's Sydney Broderick walked with two outs to load the bases again in the third, but Betsa escaped further damage.
Michigan (52-7) got two runners on with two outs in the top of the sixth, but Burroughs got out of it with a groundout. The Wolverines regretted not being able to do more with their opportunities.
Sunday marked the final college game for Romero. The infielder, who was selected as the Amateur Softball Association/USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year, went hitless in two at-bats and walked.
"Ever since I stepped foot on campus, Michigan has done nothing but great things for me, and I've just tried my best to represent Michigan the best way I know how," she said. "Playing for Hutch and Team 39 [39th year of Michigan softball], this year has been amazing. There's no other place I'd rather be, no other uniform I'd rather wear, and I love Michigan."
LSU 4, Georgia 1: Bianka Bell hit two home runs in LSU's elimination game win over Georgia.
Bell hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo homer in the fifth for the Tigers (52-17).
Carley Hoover pitched a complete game for LSU. She allowed three hits and struck out five.
Georgia's only run came in the fourth inning. Alyssa DiCarlo singled and scored on a fielder's choice.
Chelsea Wilkinson went the distance for Georgia (46-20). She gave up six hits and three earned runs.
Georgia, seeded 16th, was the lowest-seeded team to make the World Series field. The Bulldogs knocked off No. 1 seed Florida in the super regionals and then kept it going by beating Florida State in their World Series opener.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.