King stellar in ’Noles title run

Former Aquinas star sets pitching record for FSU

OKLAHOMA CITY — Pitcher Meghan King, a Parkland resident, settled down after a rough start to complete a record-setting Women’s College World Series, and Florida State beat Washington 8-3 on Tuesday night to claim its first national title.

The Seminoles (58-12) won the best-of-three championship series 2-0. They lost their opener before winning six straight to become just the third team to come through the losers’ bracket and take the title.

King, who starred at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in its last two state title runs in 2013-14, broke a World Series record for lowest ERA among pitchers who threw at least 10 innings with a mark of 0.20. She earned four wins and a save in Oklahoma City while allowing just one earned run in 34 1⁄3 innings.

The lefty said changing the locations of her high-velocity pitches from Monday — a 1-0 win — to Tuesday proved effective.

“The key was moving the ball in and then out,” King said, “as opposed to the look I gave them last night, which was more up and

down.”

It was the first national title for an Atlantic Coast Conference team.

“These kids took a chance on us and the dream to be here,” Florida State coach Lonni Alameda said. “People contact us because they want to play in the national championship game and that’s what we want to teach and coach . ... ”

King was on such a run that Florida State’s ace throughout the season, Jupiter High graduate Kylee Hanson — a redshirt transfer from FAU, where she was an All-American in 2016 — didn’t throw a pitch in the championship series.

Hanson was the Sun Sentinel 2012 Palm Beach largeschools player of the year, while King earned the same recognition in Broward in 2014.

Alameda alluded to the initial difficulty the two aces had in embracing their roles on the team.

King said it was a series at Boston College in mid-April where she started to get more comfortable.

“During the B.C. series, Kylee and I had a talk and I embraced competing for the team as opposed to competing with her. And after that, I felt much better mentally and then I started throwing much better.”

Washington (52-10), one of four Pac-12 teams to reach the World Series, was undefeated outside the conference until the two losses to Florida State.

Anna Shelnutt, who homered on Monday for the game’s only run, started the Seminoles’ rally with a twoout, two-run homer in the first.

Florida State got more in the second when Elizabeth Mason singled and two runs scored with help from an error in right field. Jessie Warren’s RBI single later in the inning pushed the Seminoles’ lead to 5-3.

On Monday night, Warren, Florida State’s star third baseman made perhaps the play of her career, a diving catch and throw for a double play that helped preserve a 1-0 win over Washington in Game 1.

On Tuesday, the senior did the damage with her bat. She had three hits, including a homer. Warren, who hit .520, was named most outstanding player.

Redshirt sophomore Deja Bush, a Davie resident and graduate of Flanagan High School, also is on the title team, and starting first baseman Carsyn Gordon attended Miami Coral Reef High School.

SUE OGROCKI/AP Florida State starting pitcher Meghan King, facing, hugged her catcher Anna Shelnutt after the final out was recorded as FSU won its first softball national championship.