Quotes - Alabama vs. Oklahoma
5/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Alabama
Head Coach Patrick Murphy
Opening Statement:
"First I want to say that Patty (Gasso) and her group are very classy people. We love to play against them. Congratulations to them - their senior class was incredible. It was unfortunate - you guys saw how good this series was - that these two teams had to play in this round. It's just the 'unluck' of the draw.
For us, our theme of the year has been grit since August 25. Chaunsey (Bell) got everyone their bracelets (that say GRIT on them) on Senior Day and I've been wearing mine ever since. Tonight was the prime example of that. Up and down the lineup, one through 18, our staff, Aly (Habetz), Steph (VanBrakle), Molly (Finchter) and everybody in our dugout showed grit. I couldn't be more proud of the team."
On pinch-hitting Andrea Hawkins for Marisa Runyon in the fifth inning:
"Well, she (Marisa Runyon) was oh-for-the-tournament and it was a leadoff position. Andrea (Hawkins) is much better suited as a leadoff. Her (Runyon's) spot came up again, and the ball or the game is going to find the kid that seems to be struggling whether on defense or offense. It's going to happen. Whenever we put a new kid in on defense, we always say the new kid is going to get the ball. Same thing with a kid that is struggling. You have two errors in the game, you're probably going to get the next ground ball right at you. You just better be ready. It's a true testament to her and her mental game. If you would have seen her in the dugout you never would have known she was oh-for. She's just that type of kid. She's very similar to Alexis (Osorio) in her demeanor and is very suited for this game."
No. 9 Marisa Runyon, Sophomore Infielder
On her approach before her grand slam:
"I just wanted to get it done. I didn't care about any other at-bat. Mentally, I just thought, 'whatever, it happens.' I just wanted to get at least one run in and hit the ball hard and let fate tell the rest."
No. 17 Jadyn Spencer, Senior Outfielder
On the sequence that loaded the bases for Runyon:
"I just tried to get on base and pass it down. We've been working on that for the past two weeks. Our goal is never to get a hit, but is to hit it hard and the game knows it is going to find a hole, and to try to pass it on to the next person."
No. 21 Chaunsey Bell, Senior Catcher
On her reaction to Runyon's grand slam:
"Joy, absolute joy, indescribable joy for one another. Murph (Patrick Murphy) always says - our saying last year was 'mudita' - to have joy for someone like you did it yourself. Each year, we just try to build on our one word, and that was it. Mudita for everyone."
On the sequence that loaded the bases for Runyon:
"I knew towards the end she (Paige Parker) was kind of getting wild and Murph (Patrick Murphy) just said to stay within yourself and see it down. In my at-bat, she was kind of everywhere at different times. It was just all about passing it down and doing a little with what I had."
No. 27 Alexis Osorio, Freshman Pitcher
On facing Lauren Chamberlain:
"Props to her - she's a great hitter. I knew I had to go right at her and mix it up every time. I couldn't be predictable against her."
On striking out Chamberlain with the bases loaded in game one of the doubleheader:
"It was a really tight situation. I knew I needed to just stay calm, relax and stay within myself. I had to do whatever it took for the team."
Oklahoma
Head Coach Patty Gasso
Opening Statement:
"Whether we win or lose, we give the glory to God and follow the path. We gave everything we had and I'm so proud of this team. When we saw Alabama pop up on the screen (during the selection show), we knew that all we could ask is that we fight, fight, fight and these guys did that.
We're blessed to have the opportunity and we thank everybody here who was so hospitable and helped us feel comfortable and appreciated while we were here.
That's all I can ask from this team - they gave all they had and more. I could not be more proud of their efforts."
On if she thought about a possible pitching change:
"We were going to win or lose with Paige (Parker). She's carried us through. To do that (make the pitching change), I'd have to take Shelby (Pendley) from shortstop, and that would be a tough thing to do and put on Shelby with bases loaded. Paige had done a good job with that hitter (Marisa Runyon). She is an experienced player who has great power and she did a great job with the pitch."
On the difference in the game:
"I congratulate Alabama. They're a great team and had a great crowd. It is very difficult to get things done here. It is what it is. Their players were clutch, and that's what it is about in the postseason - it's about being clutch. We had opportunities. Lauren (Chamberlain) stepped up big time for us as she always does. We had opportunities with bases loaded and had other opportunities. We just didn't get timely hits. They deserved it, they earned it and I congratulate them. We gave it all we had - it's all left on that field right now."
No. 44 Lauren Chamberlain, Senior First Baseman
On the mindset after taking a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning:
"With a team like Alabama you can never think ahead. We had talked about it as a team after, knowing it was 3-1, that they're clutch and do things like that. We just needed to stay present and stay in the game. I thought we did as best as we could."
"I just reminded myself to stay the course. I think that was the biggest thing. At the beginning of the game, my mindset was that one of us in the lineup is going to be 0-for-2 or 0-for-3 and come up to bat with the chance to tie the game or get that go-ahead run. So there's no reason to be upset when you go oh-for up to that point. It's a pitchers' duel, no doubt - that's just how the weekend has been the whole time. It's about that timely hit. I wasn't going to let anything cloud my judgment at the plate when it was needed."
