James Madison didn’t look overmatched during its first ever appearance in the College World Series. The team stunned No. 1 seed Oklahoma on Thursday, pushing Oklahoma to the brink of elimination.
James Madison outfielder Kate Gordon came through when the team needed her the most. With one out in the extra innings, Madison broke a 3-3 tie with a solo home run to give James Madison the lead. James Madison pitcher Odicci Alexander worked around a one-out walk in the bottom of the eighth, but got Oklahoma utility player Jayda Coleman to fly out to left to end the game 4-3.
With the win, James Madison became the first unseeded team to win game 1 since 2008.
Following the win, James Madison will take on the winner of Georgia vs. Oklahoma State on Friday. Oklahoma State is the No. 5 seed in the tournament. Georgia — like James Madison — is unseeded.
The defeat puts Oklahoma one loss away from elimination. The team will be fighting for its tournament life Saturday against the loser of the Georgia-Oklahoma State game.
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