The Oklahoman photo by Sarah Phipps via AP / James Madison’s Kate Gordon rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the eighth inning against Oklahoma in the opening game of the Women’s College World Series on Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City. The Dukes held on to beat the top-seeded Sooners 4-3.OKLAHOMA CITY – James Madison University’s softball team looked like a Women’s College World Series regular Thursday.
This is actually the Dukes’ first trip, and they made their debut performance memorable. Kate Gordon hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the eighth inning at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, and Odicci Alexander threw a complete game as JMU stunned top-seeded Oklahoma 4-3 in eight innings in the 2021 WCWS opener.
The Dukes (40-2) got the win against a program that won national titles in 2000, ’13, ’16 and ’17 and was the runner-up in ’12 and ’19, the most recent year the eight-team event was held. In front of an amped-up crowd at a newly expanded venue just 25 miles from Oklahoma’s campus, the Dukes and their small group of energetic supporters looked right at home.
“I think with the mindset of just another game, we haven’t looked past anybody,” Gordon said. “We prepared. We had fun. In our pregame (routine), we were enjoying it. We’re soaking in the fans, soaking in this atmosphere and this experience.”
The Dukes, the Colonial Athletic Association champions who have been on the road throughout this NCAA tournament as an unseeded team, believe the win matters to more than just them.