CHAPTER 1 THE LONGEST GAME By 11 00 p m on June 5 2017 many people were asleep But in Oklahoma City Oklahoma the people in the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex were wide awake And more than 1 5 million people were watching the softball game on TV Two teams were facing off in the Women’s College World Series WCWS The USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex began hosting the WCWS in 1990 5
The Oklahoma Sooners were the previous season’s champions But the Florida Gators were the current season’s top-ranked team The two teams were locked in a tie They had been playing for nearly five hours A softball game usually takes approximately two hours to play A normal game lasts for seven innings However teams are sometimes tied at the end of the seventh inning When that happens the teams keep playing until the tie is broken The Sooners and Gators had reached the top of the 17th inning The score was 4 4 The Sooners were at bat Two 6
Gators player Kelly Barnhill throws a pitch during the 2017 WCWS Sooners had reached base But there were also two outs Shay Knighten stepped up to the plate Knighten led the Sooners in runs batted in However she was facing Gators pitcher Kelly Barnhill 7
