May 13, 2006

Game 10: Championship Game

#1 Tulsa 3, #2 Marshall 0

Tulsa Head Coach John Bargfeldt:

Feelings on the win:

"I just kept hoping that something would happen to where it would end in the seventh inning. I didn't want to go out another inning. You dodge those bullets for seven innings against a good team like that, and I was just hoping that something would happen right there."

On Brooke Smart's hit:

"I don't know if confident was the word but I have been telling people all year long that she (Brooke Smart) has been doing that all year long. Earlier in the year she had a 16 pitch at bat and singled in that same situation, two outs with runners on base. My confidence was that she wasn't going to let anything go by that was close. She spoiled the ones that she couldn't do something with and then she finally got something."

Going to NCAA tournament:

"We did not want to be going in tomorrow wondering. That was one of our major goals coming into the season, and so far we have two of them and we'll see how many more of those we can knock down."

On today's pitching:

"I'm going to put a little dig in right here. We have the best conference ERA and we didn't have any pitchers with any recognition individually. Both pitchers throughout this tournament gave incredible effort. Those pitchers showed you what type of pitchers they are and what they are capable of doing. For them there has been times this year where they had to learn me and I had to learn them, and in the end we showed we were ready to peak at the right time."

Julie Fennell, junior, pitcher

Added pressure going into today's game:

"I just wanted to keep focused. I always have to keep mentally prepared and stay focused, then my pitches will go where I want them to go. I let one pitch not be focused yesterday and that's what hurt us."

Feelings on winning the championship:

"We are so excited. We have accomplished all of our goals for the season. I hope we can stay focused and everything will come around at the right moment."

Brooke Smart, freshman, left field

On game winning hit:

"Never in my life have I ever hit a walk off home run, especially not in the seventh inning with two outs or anything like that. It is amazing, I'm still shaking from it, and I have to say I did it all for the seniors, to help them out. I was up there with the mindset that if there was anything close I was going to swing as hard as I could and hit it as far as I could. It just happened to be within my reach."

On going to NCAA tournament:

"Amazing. Relieving. It is always special. I think there are more expectations within our team because we demand a lot from ourselves and our teammates and that's what makes us a better team. I think that we have a really good chance as long as we bring our game."

Marshall Head Coach Shonda Stanton:

These two teams have played close games all year:

"Yes, absolutely, two great ball clubs. It was a great game today. Obviously, being a fan watching the game it was an awesome game to watch. But being on the losing end of it is a real bad feeling, but I'm proud of our girls. They played hard. Congratulations to Tulsa. Both teams had ample opportunities to have a clutch hit to drive in a run, it just came down to that last pitch. That's the breaks sometimes."

What were you thinking 0-0 going into the seventh inning:

"I felt confident going into the seventh. I thought we were due to execute offensively, once we got the second out you're talking whom to pitch too and strategy. You get two strikes on the kid, and feel good about the situation. All it takes is one pitch in this game, just look at yesterday when we knocked Tulsa into the losers bracket. It was just one pitch. In this game that's what it comes down to. It's definitely a game of inches, a game of one pitch. Hats off to Tulsa, I wish them well next weekend."

What do you feel your chances are at getting an at-large bid:

"If we get two teams, I want it to be Marshall and Tulsa. I know we have other good ball clubs in this conference that had good early preseason wins. But, I think we've proved in this tournament that we're deserving. I know a lot has to do with what happens across the country, and I know if we get that opportunity that our kids will represent Conference USA very well."